Much has been made this year about the struggles of the inside linebacker position for the Denver Broncos, and most of it has been warranted. The positional group struggled early on in the absence of Dre Greenlaw, specifically team captain Alex Singleton. Once Greenlaw returned, however, it became incredibly clear that he made the group much better.
As the season has gone on, the play of the Broncos' inside linebackers has gotten significantly better, and much credit should be given to Singleton for improving his play. He currently ranks 35th of 84 registered inside backers by PFF, showing that while he isn't great, he has been serviceable this year and overall not an issue.
Singleton has also become something of an emotional leader for the Broncos in recent weeks. He made his miraculous return from his cancer diagnosis in just two weeks, and his candid and vulnerable honesty on the topic caught the eyes and ears of many. Overall, is there an easier player in football to root for right now than Alex Singleton? He and Greenlaw have formed a solid duo up the middle in Denver, and it is seen on the field.
The Broncos' inside linebacker group is no longer an issue for them
As things currently stand for the Broncos, and likely will through whenever their season ends, their inside backer starters are Singleton and Greenlaw, and Justin Strnad is getting snaps in specific packages. He was solid in his starting capacities earlier in the season, but he saw the same reality last year before tailing off to end the season.
Strnad was picked apart by the Bills in the 2024 Wild Card Round in Buffalo, prompting the Broncos to go out and bring in Greenlaw. The same happened with safety PJ Locke, resulting in the signing of Talanoa Hufanga, who has quickly become one of football's best safeties. Strnad has a few incredible skills and is easily one of the best backups in all of the sport at his position. If someone goes down again, the Broncos are in good hands with Strnad.
Considering he is a pending free agent, there is a decent chance that he moves on this spring to a new role in a different organization. Simply put, Strnad would be a starter on several other teams across the league, and it shows their incredible depth at the position. The fact that we can reasonably say they have great depth up the middle in the second level is crazy, considering they were in a position to add an inside backer at the deadline. Vance Joseph has this position at the point where it is a sneaky strength.