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Is inside linebacker the most concerning position for the Broncos?

Will the lack of good depth at inside linebacker come back to bite the Broncos?

For the beginning of the 2022 season, ESPN predicts that the Broncos starting inside linebackers will be Josey Jewell and Alex Singleton. This is obviously subject to change depending on preseason performances. Jewell is returning to his starting role after missing a majority of the 2021 season to a torn pectoral. During the offseason, Jewell lost his starting mate Alexander Johnson, as the team chose to not re-sign him.

The Broncos have some okay depth in Justin Strnad, Jonas Griffith, Barrington Wade, and Kana’i Mauga. We have only seen a small sample size on Strnad as he has been injured for a good portion of his career in Denver. There have been some rumblings around Broncos camp that Griffith has looked great, and could make a huge leap this upcoming season. Don’t be surprised if he ends up stealing the starting gig from Singleton.

Since 2015, Singleton has bounced between both the NFL and the CFL. He spent most of his NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles and did most of his damage on special teams. Singleton got some starts with the Eagles at inside linebacker. He even led the team in tackles in 2020. However, Singleton did find himself demoted for some games after poor play.

To be honest, Singleton as a starter worries me. If Jewell struggles to stay healthy, the Broncos should be worried. Even with everyone healthy right now, they should be a little concerned. The inside linebacker room isn’t exactly the Broncos' strongest position right now.

During the offseason, Baron Browning made the switch from inside linebacker to outside linebacker. If depth inside starts to become an issue, perhaps Browning will slide back to his former position. While we did see a small sample size of him on the field at inside linebacker in 2021, he sure did look pretty good. Maybe a Jewell/Browning pairing will make an appearance during the 2022 season.

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