The Denver Broncos have now had a handful of training camp practices ahead of the 2025 season and the biggest talking point thus far has been at the inside linebacker position.
Much of that talk has been negative as Drew Sanders has already gone down with a serious foot injury and Alex Singleton broke his thumb on a play that will keep him out of practice until at least next week. For a team looking to make sure that injuries won't be an issue at that position this season, it didn't need any of that.
There are some options for the Broncos to consider to protect against these injuries, but one player already on the roster is doing his best to handle that... second-year linebacker Levelle Bailey. Undrafted out of Fresno State last year, Bailey had a tremendous summer for the team but failed to make the 53-man roster a year ago. However, he was re-signed to the practice squad and ended up getting called up to the main roster, playing in 10 games.
With Singleton out this week, Bailey has been getting first-team reps at inside linebacker alongside Dre Greenlaw and if you check out reports from camp, he has been tremendous.
Good stuff here from @CodyRoarkNFL on today’s practice. Levelle Bailey continues to stand out in his extended reps at linebacker. pic.twitter.com/UBRepDxNtn
— Mile High Sports (@MileHighSports) July 30, 2025
Behind Singleton, Greenlaw and Bailey, the Broncos have Justin Strnad and a trio of exciting undrafted players, but the team does need to consider having more experience available. That said, if Bailey has picked up where he left off last summer, that's exciting for the team. It's also interesting that it's Bailey — not Strnad — taking first-team reps with Greenlaw.
READ: Broncos pre-training camp 53-man roster projection
The Broncos should get Singleton back soon and as long as there are no other setbacks, he and Greenlaw will likely be the team's starters. But Bailey may not only be solidifying a spot on the 53-man roster, he may be showing the coaching staff that if anybody trips up, he's going to be the next man up.
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