Grading every Denver Broncos position group after the 2024 NFL Draft

Inside Linebackers: Alex Singleton, Cody Barton, Drew Sanders?, Jonas Griffith
Grade: C+

Fortunately, teams do not need an elite inside linebacker to win games. The Broncos ILB unit is pretty average with some interesting backups in Drew Sanders and Jonas Griffith. The starting duo will likely be Alex Singleton and Cody Barton, who was signed to replace the departed Josey Jewell. Both Singleton and Barton are tackling machines, so that's at least neat.

Drew Sanders might already be headed toward the bust label, and Jonas Griffith oozes potential but did miss a lot of the 2023 season with a torn ACL. This unit should not be a liability for the Broncos in 2024.

Secondary: Patrick Surtain II, Ja'Quan McMillian, Levi Wallace, Kris Abrams-Draine, PJ Locke III, Brandon Jones, Caden Sterns
Grade: B

A modest B grade, the secondary has gone under a bit of a makeover this offseason with the additions of Brandon Jones and Levi Wallace in free agency and Kris Abrams-Draine in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Broncos appear to have some legitimate players now who can slide into the CB2 role in Wallace or Abrams-Draine, which was a sore spot for the team in 2023.

The safety room is missing Justin Simmons, but Brandon Jones steps in. Overall, the unit isn't hugely special, but with Patrick Surtain II in the picture, it can be. I am quite interested to see what happens with guys like Riley Moss and Damarri Mathis. Both might have legitimate shots at that CB2 role, but Wallace and KAD could play huge factors in that offseason battle.

The secondary as a whole seems to feature great depth, which is going to prove handy lae in the offseason.

Specialists: Wil Lutz, Riley Dixon, Mitchell Fraboni
Grade: B

Wil Lutz is one of the better kickers in the NFL, but Riley Dixon is a pretty average punter. Long-snapper Mitchell Fraboni seems to know what he's doing, so the specialist unit is fine. Lutz did have a nice bounce-back year in 2023, making nearly 90% of his field goal attempts including some clutch late-game kicks.

Dixon was up and down for the Denver Broncos, and it'd odd that the team didn't try to upgrade. Fortunately, the unit is good and the special teams as a whole was quite good in 2023, which was a nice change from prior seasons. Lutz did receive a contract extension from the Denver Broncos earlier this offseason.

GPA: 2.63

Using a GPA calculator, the Denver Broncos finish with a 2.63 GPA. It's not a great roster, but it is a lot better than where it was in 2023, and if Bo Nix can end up being what the Broncos needed, the team is going to be a lot better than how good they seem now.

Other units like TE and the EDGE group can all see their grades rise if the potential is seen. The Denver Broncos are the classic case of a student who "has potential but does not always apply themselves."

How would you grade the 2024 Denver Broncos roster?