If the Denver Broncos are looking for any bulletin-board material headed into training camp, here it is.
Despite having arguably the NFL’s dominant defense over the last 2 seasons, there are still doubts, with Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport calling out a worst-case scenario for the Broncos in 2026.
“Defensive tackle John Franklin-Myers is gone,” Davenport wrote. “Edge-rusher Jonathon Cooper could face league discipline after multiple off-field incidents … and any suspension would be a major blow to Denver’s pass rush. The Broncos linebackers are tough and experienced, but they aren’t elite talents. It’s not that hard to envision at least a minor backslide defensively this year, and for a team with its sights set on the Super Bowl, any step in wrong direction is cause for concern.”
The Broncos tried to find an elite inside linebacker outside of their own halls before the 2025 season with a 3-year, $31.5 million free-agent contract for Dre Greenlaw — a player they cut after just 1 disappointing season.
Denver doubled down on players already on the roster at inside linebacker in 2026, re-signing Alex Singleton (2 years, $15 million) and Justin Strnad (3 years, $18 million), who slot in as their starters.
Justin Strnad: 1st Opportunity as Full-Time Starter
The Broncos are finally going to allow Strnad to become a full-time starter in 2026, giving him $10 million in guaranteed money in his new deal.
Strnad, 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, was a 5th-round pick (No. 178 overall) by the Broncos in the 2020 NFL draft out of Wake Forest and missed his entire rookie season with a wrist injury. In the 5 seasons since, he has played in 83 out of 85 regular-season games, including 16 of 21 career starts in the last 2 seasons as the Broncos have become an elite defense.
“The Broncos are bringing back a key member of their defense,” The Athletic’s James Palmer wrote on his official X account on March 8. “LB Justin Strnad is returning to Denver on a 3-year deal worth 18 million with 10 million guaranteed. 5.1 million is guaranteed at signing per sources. A smart player that had options elsewhere.”
The deal for Strnad came just 1 day before the beginning of the free agency cycle.
“Denver is doing work before free agency to keep their guys,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote.
While Strnad started 5 games in 2021, he didn’t start another game until 2024, but he’s started 8 games each of the last 2 seasons. He had career highs of 73 tackles, 8 TFL, 3.0 sacks, and 3 pass deflections in 2024 as the Broncos snapped an 8-year playoff drought.
In 2025, Strnad had 58 tackles to go with 4.5 sacks, 5 TFL, 8 QB hits, 3 pass deflections, and his 1st career interception.
Alex Singleton Leader of Defense for Broncos
While cornerback Patrick Surtain II and edge rusher Nik Bonitto are the headline-grabbing players on Denver’s defense, Singleton is the unquestioned leader.
“The Denver Broncos are keeping the band together so far, with the early stages of free agency–better known as the legal tampering period–yielding a significant returnee, veteran linebacker Alex Singleton,” Heavy’s Josh Buckhalter wrote on March 9. “Singleton has been with the Broncos since 2022. He has earned his way into being a back-to-back team captain over the past two seasons. The former undrafted free agent will look to reprise his role in 2026.”
Singleton, 32, just completed a 3-year, $18 million contract with the Broncos and has $20.6 million in career earnings. In 2026, he played in 16 regular-season games. He also had 135 tackles — the 5th time in the last 6 seasons he’s cracked the 100-tackle mark. The only time he didn’t was in 2024, when he tore his ACL in the 1st quarter of a Week 3 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — a game he still somehow finished.
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