The Denver Broncos have one of the best defenses in the NFL, but when you inspect the unit under the microscope, one position stands out as potentially being the team's fatal flaw: Linebacker.
The Broncos brought back veterans Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad as their starters for the 2026 season, each of them on multi-year deals in free agency. Still, despite signing those guys back in free agency, plenty of analysts and pundits felt like the team could use its top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on the position to upgrade the talent and long-term outlook.
They didn't. The Broncos didn't spend a single pick on the linebacker position until the very last one in the draft, where they took Buffalo's Red Murdock.
At this point in time, the Broncos are one injury away from having someone who is completely unproven as their primary depth option on potentially the top defense in the league. That's a bit of a scary scenario from the outside looking in, but internally, the Broncos might feel strongly about one particular player who has been developing behind the scenes: Jordan Turner.
Jordan Turner could be an unexpected answer to Broncos' linebacker depth question
Jordan Turner is a great example of why you never leave a single stone unturned in the roster building process.
He was initially a tryout player out of Michigan State, not even coveted enough by NFL teams to be a priority free agent after the 2025 NFL Draft. The Broncos gave him an opportunity to win a 90-man roster spot, and he did exactly that. He turned that into a really strong training camp and preseason for the team, and was neck-and-neck with Karene Reid for one of the Broncos' 53-man roster spots to open the year.
Ultimately, the initial 53-man roster spot went to Reid, but the Broncos were high on Turner all of last year. He was called up to the active roster for good after the team used him his three practice squad elevations. He appeared in 7 games as a rookie and played 117 special teams snaps along with 23 defensive snaps.
It wasn't much, especially on defense, but Turner is entering the 2026 offseason with a pretty substantial advantage over the rookies coming in this offseason. His experience in Vance Joseph's scheme is not something to be overlooked, especially because the Broncos need someone who could legitimately step in and play in the even that one of Singleton or Strnad would miss any time.
There is some understandable hype around guys like Red Murdock and even undrafted free agent Taurean York, whose $325,000 salary guarantee is the biggest ever given to an undrafted player for the Broncos. Those young players could be something in the future for Denver, but Turner has gotten overlooked in the process.
The good news for Turner is, he hasn't been overlooked by the coaching staff. He should be in line to be the first player up after Singleton and Strnad this offseason, and will be considered one of the core special teams players by coordinator Darren Rizzi as well.
Turner could quietly prove himself to be a valuable depth piece rather quickly, and another exciting young prospect on this loaded Denver Broncos roster.
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