The truth of the matter for Denver Broncos edge rusher Drew Sanders is that this might be the end of the road.
Sanders hasn’t been able to stay healthy or even be available for the Broncos since he was selected in the 3rd round (No. 67 overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft, and The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider now has Sanders out in the cold in his latest 53-man roster projections.
In Kosmider’s model, he has the Broncos keeping 5 edge rushers: Jonathon Cooper, Nik Bonitto, Jonah Elliss, Dondrea Tillman, and Que Robinson.
Sanders missed all but 4 games in 2024 with a torn Achilles tendon and missed the entire 2025 season with a foot injury suffered during training camp.
“Will Cooper, who faces a second-degree felony charge with an arraignment date in late August, face a suspension from the NFL for violation of its personal conduct policy?” Kosmider wrote on July 31. “For now, the Broncos are operating with Cooper being a member of the roster, but they could keep extra numbers in this room as they build contingencies for a possible extended absence for the veteran edge rusher. If he can stay healthy — a moving target during his first three seasons in the league — Sanders could be a depth answer for the Broncos on the edge.”
Broncos Switched Positions for Drew Sanders
At this point, Sanders is pretty much open to anything as long as it involves him actually playing in football games.
After missing 30 out of 34 regular-season games over the last 2 seasons, including all of the 2025 season with a foot injury, Sanders will try out a new role in 2026, although it’s 1 he’s already familiar with.
“Per sources, Drew Sanders is changing positions and going back to OLB this year,” DNVR’s Zac Stevens wrote on his official X account on April 20.
Broncos Flip-Flopped Jonah Elliss & Drew Sanders
The Broncos’ tinkering with backup positions on defense is symbolic of what the bigger picture is in Denver, where they will have 1 of the NFL’s elite defenses for the 3rd year in a row.
Sanders moving positions represents a flip-flop of sorts with another Broncos standout, with reports that edge rusher Jonah Elliss was moving from edge rusher to inside linebacker.
“(Broncos head coach) Sean Payton said Jonah Elliss is going to take some snaps at ILB,” The Denver Post’s Luca Evans wrote on X.
Elliss, 6-foot-2 and 248 pounds, has played his first 2 seasons as an edge rusher in a crowded position group for the Broncos that features not only Bonitto and Cooper, but also up-and-comer Que Robinson.
The Broncos eventually moved Elliss back to edge rusher — a direct response to the issues surrounding Cooper.
Sanders Seemed Primed to Make Impact in 2025
With presumed starters at inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw and Alex Singleton both recovering from serious injuries and likely to miss most, if not all, of the Broncos’ preseason training regimen in 2025, Sanders seemed primed to play a big role.
That was after Sanders missed all but the 4 games of the 2024 regular season with a torn Achilles tendon suffered in April 2024 after playing all 17 games as a rookie.
“Drew Sanders is one of Denver’s more intriguing figures this offseason,” The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider wrote in May 2025. “The 2023 third-round pick has struggled to find a consistent role through position changes and an offseason injury last year. But he’s healthy and firmly slotted into the inside linebackers group, and he has the athletic talent to be an impactful player at the position for Vance Joseph. He could be in line for his most consistent string of reps since arriving in Denver.”
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