The Denver Broncos were on the doorstep of hoisting a Lombardi Trophy at the end of the 2025 NFL season, but a Bo Nix injury thwarted their chances. With their quarterback healthy again for Year 3 of his young career, it's safe to assume the Broncos will be back. But they can't just rest on their laurels.
Denver has some significant holes to address in the offseason, not the least of which is finding upgrades at the linebacker position. The only notable names under contract in 2026 are Dre Greenlaw and Drew Sanders, and surely the Broncos can do better than Alex Singleton.
Fans love Singleton as a person and can respect all that he's been through. And he's certainly had his moments in Denver, but a change of scenery may be best for both parties at this juncture. However, if he leaves for the Buffalo Bills, as some think he will, that would be a gut punch for Broncos fans.
Alex Singleton jumping ship to Bills would be gut-punch to Broncos fans
Singleton's tie to the Bills is obvious: Jim Leonhard is now the defensive coordinator there. Leonhard spent two years on the Broncos' staff coaching Singleton, and if he's looking to improve his chances of success in his first season standing on his own two feet, tapping into the Denver tree is smart.
After all, the Broncos have had one of the most talented defenses in the NFL for the last few seasons, and bringing that flair to Buffalo could be a huge asset for him. But Leonhard, for as much as he contributed to Denver, is now the enemy, per se.
The Broncos just battled the Bills down to the wire in the Divisional Round of the AFC playoffs, so every little improvement that they make is threatening to Denver, even if George Paton and Co. were likely to move off Singleton this offseason anyway.
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It has been some time since the Broncos were perennial contenders, but this is the price that a team often pays for being successful: Your assistant coaches leave, and they try to take some pieces with them. Sooner or later, the depth and strength of the roster are diminished, and the window closes.
Now, that's not where Denver is. Nix is still on his rookie deal, and only a handful of key pieces are set to hit the open market. The Broncos will be right back in the thick of the AFC playoff race in 2026. But Singleton following Leonhard to Buffalo would be a tougher pill to swallow than if he went elsewhere.
One of the best things about Sean Payton is that he develops his assistant coaches as much as he does his players. But when those coaches inevitably spread their wings, become prominent NFL coaches of their own, and take players with them, fans stop feeling that same sense of admiration.