The Denver Broncos front office believes they have a strong young nucleus as they approach what many believe to be a rebuilding year under Sean Payton. On Tuesday evening, the team re-signed one of their younger core special teams aces.
Justin Strnad re-signs with Denver Broncos
For several years, the Denver Broncos special teams unit has struggled to find a consistent groove, but one player has been a consistent standout for them during his tenure.
Justin Strnad is returning to the Broncos on a one-year deal despite reports initially suggesting he was signing with the Carolina Panthers.
He was one of the Broncos’ top special teams players last season behind Tremon Smith and has been a depth option at inside linebacker for the past few seasons. Even with Denver signing Cody Barton in free agency, Strnad should compete with Barton and Jonas Griffith for the starting job.
Special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica and legendary coach Mike Westhoff identified Strnad as one of their core four special teams players, and he took the role and ran with it.
Despite finishing with five tackles, Strnad is a player who plays his alley and zones well on kickoff and punt. Consistently, he maintains his alley and often forces opposing ballcarriers into the path of their gunners, where he, Tremon Smith, and Riley Moss shined.
This move rounds out what is expected to be one of the final moves the team makes for free agency. Denver is now gearing up for the NFL Draft as they begin to host potential prospects on official visits.
Quarterback is the hot topic for Broncos Country as the team hopes to find their franchise selection for the future, but bringing back a core young player like Strnad will help Payton and the Broncos in various areas, with the potential for him to have an elevated role defensively this season.
Currently, the Broncos inside linebacker group features Alex Singleton, Jonas Griffith, Cody Barton, and Justin Strnad. It’s unclear at this time whether or not the team plans to move second-year linebacker Drew Sanders back to his off-ball linebacker role or keep him at edge rusher, but this will likely be discovered before the draft begins and media gets to talk with Payton and general manager George Paton.
