The Denver Broncos do not get started with OTAs until the beginning of June, but it's still right around the corner. Getting players on the field in any sort of capacity is going to be massive for this team, as the Broncos are surely more motivated than ever.
The front office also did a ton of great work this offseason, addressing all of the positions of need in a very deliberate, calculated manner. Denver added multiple new faces at inside linebacker and tight end, the two biggest positions of need.
They also shored up the running back room by bringing J.K. Dobbins back and drafting Jonah Coleman, and the wide receiver room got a major boost with Jaylen Waddle in a major trade with the Miami Dolphins. Suddenly, this roster could be the most complete in the NFL, but with OTAs drawing near, there could suddenly be a major logjam at a position that fans have talked about.
Denver Broncos may suddenly have a logjam at the inside linebacker position
Last offseason, the Broncos took a major step forward to try to fix the inside linebacker room by signing Dre Greenlaw on a three-year deal, but due to Greenlaw's injury history, the deal was nothing more than a one-year pact. The Broncos were smart to structure the deal that way, as Greenlaw was only able to play, roughly, half the total games.
The team cut Greenlaw and clearly did not want to go forward with the player, and again risk his missing time with injuries. Weirdly enough, the Broncos didn't address the position in free agency despite there being a ton of viable options.
Re-signing Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad felt like enough for the team, but the Broncos did get two new, notable faces at the position in Red Murdock and Taurean York. Both players are good enough to make the roster despite being a seventh-round pick and a priority undrafted free agent.
Furthermore, the team wants to give Jonah Elliss some snaps at the position, too. Right now, the Broncos could have five players at the position who are all worthy of making the roster, but the team typically only keeps four inside linebackers.
And with Singleton and Strnad on new deals, is it likely that the Broncos part with either one? Probably not - this could then lead to some incredibly tough decisions. Given that Murdock and York could do enough to make the roster and would logically have more upside than Singleton and Strnad, Denver may end up keeping five inside linebackers.
Denver could take a risk and hope that one of Murdock or York gets onto the practice squad, but that might be something the team isn't wanting to chance, as the unit has to improve in 2026, so there's no use in getting cute.
It's impossible to say how this room is going to shake out, but even the third-year Elliss is only set to play in his age-23 season, so it's not like he's an aging player or struggling to find his groove. I guess until this doesn't happen, it's always possible that the Broncos attempt to trade Singleton or Strnad if all of Elliss, Murdock, and York are slam-dunk locks for the roster.
But even then, would the Broncos trade their two projected starters, given that both just got new deals? Yeah, this room clearly does not have an obvious solution at the moment. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, and fans may actually enjoy the overflow at what has turned into the weakest position on the roster.
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