The Denver Broncos made some questionable moves at linebacker this offseason, not only cutting Dre Greenlaw after one season, but extending Alex Singleton. Re-signing Justin Strnad was a good move, but choosing Singleton over Greenlaw was not an ideal choice.
It's obvious that the linebacker position is still a need, and the Broncos could simply opt to address that need in the 2026 NFL Draft, but there are still some capable free agents out there who could help. Ideally, the Broncos find a long-term solution in the draft but also get some present production.
At the end of the day, the team did kind of back itself into a corner here. Years of neglecting the position and just not investing enough resources into it has forced the Broncos to find some type of solution, even as April rolls on. Well, the team was just named a landing spot for a future Hall of Famer at the position, but there is a catch...
Denver Broncos named a landing spot for linebacker Bobby Wagner
Carter Bahns of CBS Sports briefly talked about why the future Hall of Fame linebacker could be a fit for the Broncos in free agency:
"The Denver Broncos can be expected to draft an inside linebacker to fill out what is an aging group, but that doesn't have to stop them from bringing in another veteran in the interim. They just released Dre Greenlaw, which opens up a starting opportunity next to Alex Singleton. Justin Strnad can step into that role, but why not raise the group's ceiling a bit higher by welcoming a perennial All-Pro? This defense is already elite and would remain Super Bowl-caliber if Wagner entered on a one-year deal."
The catch, here, is that Bobby Wagner just isn't good anymore. This would be a perfect example of a team signing a player for their name rather than their on-field performance. Wagner does always fill up the stat sheet, but especially at this position, raw stats can be misleading. PFF notes that Wagner allowed a 107.2 passer rating in coverage last year, which is less than ideal.
He did again start all 17 games and finished with two interceptions, four passes defended, 4.5 sacks, 162 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, and nine quarterback hits. Now, yes, Wagner is still a competent player, but there isn't an obvious upgrade present with him anymore.
Wagner would be set to play in his age-36 season, so this would be nothing more than a one-year solution. While you could argue that this wouldn't be an awful signing, as Wagner brings a ton of experience if nothing else, Denver can probably swing higher here.
But given how bad the linebacker room was in 2025, fans might take anything they can get at this point. Defensively, all of Greenlaw, John Franklin-Myers, and PJ Locke III are on new teams, so there is still some work to be done here.
The Broncos do not have a first-round pick this year and will instead make their first selection with the 62nd overall spot unless they decide to trade up. Luckily, there are a ton of high-quality linebacker prospects who could be in range at that spot like Josiah Trotter, Jake Golday, and perhaps even Anthony Hill Jr.