With the 2026 NFL Draft looming, the Denver Broncos have reportedly made another interesting position switch for a third-round linebacker. Earlier this offseason, Sean Payton revealed that 2024 third-round pick Jonah Elliss would be taking some snaps this offseason at inside linebacker, and now, 2023 third-round pick Drew Sanders is making (another) position switch.
According to Zac Stevens, Sanders is moving back to the outside linebacker position, where he moved in the 2024 season after spending his rookie year at off-ball linebacker. This is the latest in a long series of position swaps for Sanders, whose NFL career started at inside linebacker, switched to the edge, then back to inside linebacker. Now, he's back to the edge again.
At this point, the news of Sanders moving back to outside linebacker is almost disheartening, but there are some important things that can be gleaned from this update, including perhaps a bit of a hint at the Broncos' draft plans.
Denver Broncos moving Drew Sanders' position again could hint at 2026 NFL Draft plans
Sanders initially came out of the high school ranks as a highly regarded prospect, but without a solidified position. There was some thought, at least at one point, that he would be a tight end at the college level when he initially was committed to play for Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma. Believe it or not, he was once expected to be the "next" Mark Andrews.
But Sanders ended up at Alabama, playing behind future 1st-round picks Will Anderson Jr. and Dallas Turner off the edge before transferring to Arkansas to play linebacker. His lone season at Arkansas is proof that he can play ball, and he has given the Broncos some valuable reps on special teams and flashes as a pass rusher. But injuries have wrecked his NFL projection and pushed him all the way to a roster bubble entering the final year of his contract.
But the timing of this news is arguably the most interesting thing about it.
If Sanders is moving to the outside linebacker position again, it creates even more of a gap than there already was at inside linebacker. The Broncos have Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad returning, but even the presence of Jonah Elliss there gives them just two proven players at the position.
The depth behind Singleton and Strnad is really non-existent at this point. The Broncos have some former UDFAs who have gotten chances to play special teams in recent years, but that's about it. There just isn't anything they can realistically bank on in the event that depth is actually needed.
They'll put some chips in the center of the table on Jonah Elliss, but the decision to move Sanders out of that situation entirely has to mean that more linebacker help is soon on the way. That shouldn't be breaking news considering how strong this draft is at linebacker, and how many players the Broncos have been looking at in the pre-draft process, but it's noteworthy.
The Broncos know they have to upgrade at that position, even if it requires some patience with a young player. Dre Greenlaw being cut this offseason was an admission of failure in free agency last offseason, but the reasons they brought him aboard in the first place have not been properly addressed.
With young linebackers expected to come in shortly, the Sanders position switch might be our latest indicator that the Broncos are getting ready to invest.
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