The Denver Broncos defense will look to fill the void left by Justin Simmons and Josey Jewell’s departures this offseason. At linebacker specifically, the Broncos are looking to establish who will play next to Alex Singleton this upcoming season.
Denver Broncos biggest question mark is linebacker
It’s hard to replace a veteran player like Jewell, no question, but the Denver Broncos do have some depth at inside linebacker that contains potential. What we do know is that Singleton will be wearing the green dot for the Broncos defense this season, increasing his overall level of responsibility as one of the key veteran voices at linebacker.
Who starts next to him is the biggest question facing the team defensively in 2024. After Jewell’s departure, the Broncos re-signed veteran special teams ace Justin Strnad, signed veteran linebacker Cody Barton in free agency, and re-signed Jonas Griffith prior to free agency. This group at least makes up the core depth of the linebacker position on paper heading into training camp, where veterans report on July 23.
Let’s take a look at the players who have the best chance to see increased reps as competition heats up for that position, starting with Barton. Barton comes over from the Washington Commanders where he played and started in 13 games for them last season, coming up with 121 tackles and an interception. The sixth-year veteran has played quite a bit of football in his career, appearing in 78 games, and can be useful for Denver. With only 29 career starts, will he solidify himself in that type of role with the Broncos? If he doesn’t win the starting job, it doesn’t mean he can’t have an impact. His first four years in the NFL saw him play under 17% of snaps defensively for the Seattle Seahawks, but he played a lot of special teams. In 2019, he played 69% of the Seahawks snaps on special teams, followed by 71% in 2020, 68% in 2021, and 58% in 2022. In 2022, he also saw an increase in defensive snaps, playing 77% of snaps defensively in Seattle. As a member of the Commanders in 2023 as a starter on defense, he played 93% of the snaps while not playing a single down on special teams, according to Pro Football Reference. Compared to others on the roster, he has the most overall experience as a previous starter defensively.
Strnad is the longest-tenured linebacker on Denver’s roster, having played primarily special teams throughout his career. He’s one of the Broncos best special teams players and was highly graded internally by Ben Kotwica and Mike Westhoff for his performance as a core four player all last season. Can he finally step into the mix defensively this season? 2024 will be as good of a chance as ever for him to make the case with Jewell’s departure and competition being wide open. He was a standout player for Denver last preseason and will have every training camp practice and preseason game this year to make his claim.
Veteran Andre Smith is a name that hasn’t generated a lot of buzz just yet, but he could. He’s entering his seventh season in the NFL and has appeared in 62 career games but has only had one career start. Smith could potentially emerge as a candidate in the competition, but he’s going to compete for a roster spot with special teams primarily in mind.
Griffith is the wildcard here for the Broncos. From an athletic makeup and body type, he has the most freakishly athletic build on the roster. His 6-foot-4 height gives him the ability to see over the line of scrimmage more consistently, and he has started 12 previous career games for Denver. In 2022, he suffered a season-ending foot injury in the middle of the season that sidelined him, followed by an ACL tear during training camp in 2023. He didn’t look to be phased during OTAs and minicamp, ditching the knee brace early on and getting reps next to Singleton and rotating with Barton and Strnad. Griffith is a young player who general manager George Paton has been high on since trading for him in 2021 and is the assumed favorite to win the starting job early on, but he’ll have to hold off Barton and Strnad.
Bailey has the chance to emerge as one of the Broncos’ next undrafted finds, having played his college ball at Fresno State. When watching him during OTAs, he’s athletic, instinctual, and constantly pursues the football. He’s young and has the athletic traits that Sean Payton and Paton like from the linebacker position. If he doesn’t make the active roster, he’d likely be one of the team’s top priorities for the practice squad. Once the pads come on, he’ll be one of the under-the-radar players to watch during training camp and the preseason.
Denver Broncos personnel at inside linebacker
- Alex Singleton
- Jonas Griffith
- Cody Barton
- Justin Strnad
- Levelle Bailey
- Andre Smith