The Broncos are heading into Week 1 with one roster question that never really went away: inside linebacker.
That matters now because Denver opens the season in Arrowhead against the Kansas City Chiefs, who shockingly won just six games last year and missed the playoffs for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era. With less than a week until football starts, the Broncos’ thinner spots are going to be impossible to ignore.
To be clear, Denver still looks capable of winning the division again. But that doesn’t mean the roster is spotless, and this is the area that keeps standing out as the most obvious concern.
The biggest issue is how the Broncos handled the position this offseason. Re-signing Justin Strnad was the right call.
He’s shown he can be a dependable starter, and he’s been especially effective when it comes to getting into the backfield and creating negative plays. Since he started seeing meaningful snaps in 2024, he has handled his role well.
The rest of the picture is harder to explain.
Bringing back Alex Singleton looks like a major miss, especially with so many better options available in free agency. The market offered a strong blend of youth, production, upside, and veteran experience, and Denver still came away without a more convincing answer at the spot.
The Broncos also didn’t find much help through the draft. Red Murdock and Taurean York were added as a Mr.
Irrelvant pick and an undrafted free agent, but neither made the final roster. Murdock is back on the practice squad.
For a team that otherwise doesn’t have a major hole on defense, that makes the state of the inside linebacker group even more glaring. The Broncos’ “run it back” approach may have made sense in some areas, but at this position, it left them with a weakness that could end up haunting them during the 2026 season.
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Drew Lock, now with the Seahawks, may have already nudged that race in Denvers favor. After Sam Darnold was injured in a 2026 game, Lock came on and helped Seattle beat New England 13-10, a result that stung the Patriots even more when they threw three fourth-quarter interceptions. The Broncos still have their own date with New England in Week 17, and depending on how the rest of the season unfolds, that meeting could carry real weight in the playoff picture. [Read more 🡒]
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What stands out most is the change in mindset. Early in his career, Nix often seemed focused on avoiding the mistake; now he is clearly trying to create plays and lead the offense instead of simply keeping it afloat. He has even shown a greater willingness to challenge top defenders, which is usually the kind of step that matters when a young quarterback is trying to move from promising to dependable. [Read more 🡒]