The major decision makers of the Denver Broncos, head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton, both took time to meet with the media in recent days. Both men covered several different topics, ranging from personnel decisions to philosophy, heading into the second half of the offseason. Thankfully for Broncos fans, both provided incredible insight into the team's last few months.Â
One of the more polarizing conversations in Broncos Country recently has focused on the team’s decision to extend Justin Strnad and Alex Singleton, while also releasing Dre Greenlaw roughly one year after signing him. The former San Francisco 49er's play fell incredibly short of where many fans had hoped, especially considering he played less than half the season. His quick exit from Denver might not have been a shock, but the decision, paired with extending Singleton, despite some clear holes in his game as he gets older, had plenty of fans asking questions.Â
With the 2026 NFL Draft now less than one month away, several recent mock drafts have the Broncos taking an inside linebacker with their first selection in the draft, which falls at 62nd overall.
Considering that Singleton will turn 33 during the season, this idea should not have come as a shock to anyone. Payton and Paton threw a major wrench into this conversation earlier in the week, announcing that Jonah Elliss will be seeing snaps and significant work at inside linebacker heading into training camp. The conversation around Denver’s inside linebacker group has been flipped on its head, and it could spell disaster for one Bronco specifically.Â
Denver Broncos LB Alex Singleton might quietly be in trouble with the Jonah Elliss position switch
The Broncos have incredible depth at their edge position, with Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Dondrea Tillman, and Que Robinson all figuring to get significant run next year at varying levels. After an injury-riddled season, Elliss was starting to appear like an odd man out. Considering how athletic he is, a transition to inside linebacker could come naturally to him, and it would give the Broncos a 23-year-old athletic freak with the potential to blossom at a new position, perhaps following in his brothers' footsteps, as Christian and Kaden Elliss both currently play inside linebacker.
When you consider even more that Singleton has had major knee surgery and a bout with cancer the last two years, while also factoring in that Strnad has never started a full season of games, the move makes perfect sense. For Singleton specifically, this news is probably horrible for his 2026 and 2027 outlook. The Broncos are adding explosive youth to their inside linebacker position group, something they have been missing since early in the Vic Fangio years.
Singleton signed a two-year deal to return to Denver, but as is the case with most all NFL contracts of that length, it effectively guarantees him nothing on the field. He came up huge for the Broncos down the stretch and is unquestionably a leader in the locker room, but he is significantly slower than he was a few years ago and can be a liability in coverage. If his play slips further next year, Singleton could lose significant snaps to Elliss fairly quickly.