The Denver Broncos roster could be the best in the NFL depending on who you ask, and it's not a stretch to think this team could win it all this year. All in all, this front office has done a marvelous job at tailoring this roster the right way.
That doesn't mean that certain positions aren't weak, though, as tight end and inside linebacker, in particular, have come under fire in recent years, as the overall production from these units is simply not something that the team can continue with.
And while neither position got notably addressed this offseason, the Broncos did have a rookie TE in Dallen Bentley make the team, and Evan Engram could be primed for a major receiving role this year. That does leave ILB with the bigger question, but could the Broncos be higher on this underrated defender than we think?
Justin Strnad could save the day for the Denver Broncos at ILB this season
Justin Strnad might just be a really nice player for the Broncos in 2026. He's played in all but two games since the 2021 season and was a draft pick for the Broncos back in 2020. He was primarily a special teams player and actually played zero defensive snaps in the 2022 and 2023 seasons for the team before playing 59 percent of the defensive snaps during the 2024 campaign.
Since the start of 2024, Strnad has started 16 of 33 games, so he's as part-time a starter as you can possibly get. Despite not being a full-time starter, he's still been able to rack up six passes defended, 7.5 sacks, 131 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and 12 quarterback hits in those 33 games.
According to Pro Football Reference, he's only allowed a 79.6 passer rating in coverage since the start of 2024, also allowing zero touchdowns. Even in a part-time starting role, Strnad has displayed the ability to get into the backfield, and clearly as the athleticism to hold up in coverage.
He's also reliable and stays on the field, missing just two games since the start of 2021. Now, with his slated to be a full-time starter for the first time in his career, we could be looking a very obvious breakout candidate for the team, but with how negatively the ILB room has been talked about this offseason, Strnad just hasn't gotten a ton of attention.
Much of it was initially put on Alex Singleton and his multi-year contract to re-sign with the Broncos, and the team largely did nothing else to improve the position after that, but Denver did make it a priority to re-sign Strnad, and even though it wasn't a big-money deal, that doesn't mean he can't be great.
With no clear player in sight to jump into his potential starts, Strnad being a full-time starter for the Broncos in 2026 could yield career-best results and help turn this weaker position into a strength.
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