As we have said all offseason, the Denver Broncos have one of the best rosters in the NFL and could win the Super Bowl this year. This roster has been years in the making, and it has not come without some stumbles along the way.
Notably, this team had to figure out how to dig themselves out of the Russell Wilson fiasco, and somehow, they did. Not only that, but even the moves made during that dead cap era had to be the right ones, and there was surely some luck involved.
And after these last two seasons, the Broncos suddenly find themselves on the doorstep of a Super Bowl title, and I am not sure it would be a shock if the Broncos won it all this year, but that doesn't mean the roster is in a good spot across the board, as General Manager George Paton better hope this key offseason decision doesn't derail the entire season.
Denver Broncos GM George Paton's refusal to get aggressive at ILB could cink the season
The Broncos were semi-aggressive at the linebacker position last offseason, signing Dre Greenlaw to a three-year deal, but the deal, as we saw, was essentially a one-year pact if the team decided to move on, and after an injury-plagued year in 2025, the Broncos did just that.
It's clear that the front office got a bit shy with the free agency market at the position this offseason, as the two moves of note were re-signing Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad on multi-year deals. While bringing Strnad back was a wise move, re-signing Singleton was and continues to be underwhelming.
According to PFF's data, Singleton had 12 missed tackles and allowed a 109.9 passer rating in coverage in 2025. Pro Football Reference's data had Singleton allowing a 122.9 passer rating in coverage in 2025, which was the 4th-worst mark among linebackers in the NFL.
And as for Strnad, he's been a part-time starter the past two seasons, so there isn't a guarantee that his stepping into a full-time starting role will translate. Denver did add to the position this offseason, using the final pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Red Murdock and also signing Taurean York as an undrafted free agent.
But with how low-risk and low-investment those moves are, it's not worth getting overly excited about. The Broncos simply didn't do enough at the position this offseason - it was, by far, the worst unit on defense last year and may have been the worst unit on the team.
The Broncos got rid of the best player in this room in Greenlaw and appear to be content running it back with what could be one of the worst starting duos in the league.
What made the lack of moves even more baffling is how many competent inside linebackers were available on the free agency market this offseason:
-Devin Lloyd
-Quay Walker
-Nakobe Dean
-Tremaine Edmunds
-Kaden Elliss
-Leo Chenal
-Demario Davis
-Alex Anzalone
-Quincy Williams
It's not a hard argument to say that all of those players are better than Singleton is. Overall, the Broncos totally whiffed on the chance to significantly upgrade the room, and if it again is performing as it did in the 2025 season, the entire defense could regress in 2026.
And that's one thing this team cannot afford, as the defense is this team's identity. With how strong the Broncos are everywhere else, it is a bit odd that the front office didn't invest as many resources into the position as they have along the defensive line and in the secondary.
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