With training camp less than two weeks away, the Broncos still have a real question mark sitting in the middle of their defense: inside linebacker.
Denver brought back Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad this offseason, but the room got thin fast after the team moved on from Dre Greenlaw. The Broncos did add Red Murdock in the seventh round, yet the rest of the depth chart is made up of undrafted free agents. That leaves the team with a group that is young, light on experience and still very much open to change.
The Broncos could wait and see how that unit performs once camp gets rolling. They might also decide they’re comfortable with what they have. Still, it’s tough to look at the current setup and say more help wouldn’t make sense.
A trade is one possible path, and one name that has surfaced is a familiar one. Moe Moton of Bleacher Report noted that the Tennessee Titans could have a linebacker available in Cody Barton, who spent the 2024 season in Denver.
Barton was productive for the Broncos last year, and Tennessee may have reason to consider moving him after using a second-round pick on Anthony Hill Jr. Moton wrote:
"Under a new coaching regime, the Titans selected linebacker Anthony Hill in the second round of this year's draft, which may indicate that Barton could land on the trade block.
Linebacker Cedric Gray is a probable starter. If Hill picks up head coach Robert Saleh's scheme at training camp, Barton may be the No. 3 linebacker on the depth chart. He would likely draw interest on the trade market after logging 81 tackles (four for loss), three interceptions and 11 pass breakups last season", wrote Moton.
Barton also delivered plenty for Denver in 2024, finishing with 106 tackles, 1.15 sacks, one fumble recovery returned for a touchdown and two interceptions. If the Broncos were able to bring him back, he’d likely slot in as a No. 3 linebacker to start, but that would still give the team a lot more confidence behind Singleton and Strnad.
And the price might not be steep. The article suggests Barton could be available for a late-round draft pick, which makes the idea even more practical.
If Denver doesn’t end up signing a bigger-name veteran like Bobby Wagner or Bobby Okereke before the season begins, a Barton reunion stands out as one of the cleaner ways to strengthen the inside linebacker group.
In Other News...
Broncos Suddenly Face A Real Marvin Mims Jr. Contract Dilemma
Marvin Mims Jr. has put the Broncos in a familiar spot for a team that likes to think ahead: a young, productive player is now eligible for a new deal, and the market around him is moving quickly. Mims has already built a reputation as one of the NFLs most dangerous return specialists while still carving out a role on offense, and that combination has made him a useful case study as other receivers around the league cash in on extensions.
The tricky part for Denver is figuring out how to price a player whose value shows up so clearly on special teams, even if his offensive snap count has not yet matched the profile of a full-time receiver. With recent deals for players in a similar age and production range helping set the market, Mims appears to be in line for a meaningful raise, and the Broncos will have to decide how much they want to pay for a weapon whose best work may still be ahead of him. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Have One 2026 Contract Fans May Hate More Than Expected
The Broncos are finally past the lingering Russell Wilson dead-cap mess, which gives the front office a cleaner look at the books heading into 2026. But cap relief does not mean every expensive veteran suddenly becomes easy to justify, and one of the more interesting cases sits in the middle of Denvers defensive line.
DJ Jones is still under a three-year, $39 million deal that looked reasonable when it was signed, yet his role has shrunk and the price tag is headed the wrong way. His 2026 cap figure rises sharply after sitting at $6.6 million in 2025, and the gap between what Denver is paying and what he has brought on the field has become hard to ignore, especially after a season in which his workload was far lighter than it had been earlier in his Broncos tenure. [Read more 🡒]