The Denver Broncos have not done much of anything thus far in free agency besides retaining many of their own players, which is a bit underwhelming. Later in the afternoon on Monday, we did see former starting defensive end John Franklin-Myers agree to terms with the Tennessee Titans.
That was not a major surprise, as JFM has a ton of connections with the Titans. Later in the day, some other news broke that the Broncos would be cutting linebacker Dre Greenlaw after just one season, but that came soon after the Broncos decided to extend Alex Singleton on a two-year deal.
It truly feels like the Broncos did the complete opposite at linebacker that they truly should have done, and in unsurprising fashion, the Las Vegas Raiders just did something many Broncos fans had been clamoring for.
The Denver Broncos just saw the Raiders agree to terms with Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean
The Raiders are going to be signing linebacker Quay Walker, formerly of the Green Bay Packers.
The Raiders are signing former Packers LB Quay Walker, sources tell me and @RapSheet.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 9, 2026
Kyle McCarthy and Todd France of @AthletesFirst negotiated the deal. pic.twitter.com/Ay3MCdV7JA
But at the same time, news broke that the Raiders would also be signing former Philadelphia Eagles linebacjer Nakobe Dean.
Former #Eagles LB Nakobe Dean is signing with the #Raiders , per agent @MikeMcCartney7. pic.twitter.com/aJqRXbNJIh
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) March 9, 2026
Frankly, it's flat-out insane that the Broncos not only did not sign one of the many capable linebackers that are already off the board, but it's also insane that the team decided to retain Singleton. And of course, to add insult to injury, the Raiders have come away with two of the top inside linebackers.
The linebacker position has been a sore spot for the Broncos in recent years. In 2025, the unit struggled to stay on the field, as Greenlaw missed a ton of time, and Singleton simply struggled to play good football.
It's odd that the Broncos are 'running it back' with many of the same faces, and if anything, the team should have not retained Singleton. His value as the 'green dot' of the defense is obvious, but there are other linebackers who are able to wear that green dot.
This is just not how the Broncos should have approached free agency thus far - this team clearly wants to run it back, but in doing so, they are also accepting some of the weak spots of the roster as such. Why didn't the team go out and make a bigger push for a Travis Etienne or Kenneth Walker, for example?
Why did this team settle for Singleton? The fear of the unknown surely has ton contribute to this, as people, in general, tend to gravitate toward familarity, but in the NFL, that cannot always be the case. Teams have to take chances, and the Raiders, of all teams, are doing just that.