The Denver Broncos have already seen a couple of their inside linebackers suffer injuries in the first few practices of training camp, and while it doesn't appear that either Alex Singleton or Drew Sanders will miss extended time into the regular season, it should be alarming that both are already dealing with ailments.
The reason for that is that injuries to the inside linebacker position, or lack thereof, were one of the biggest questions facing this team heading into the season. With Singleton and Dre Greenlaw slated to be the starters, both players are coming off significant injuries that kept them off the field for the majority of the 2024 season.
In the case of Sanders, injuries are threatening to put a damper on his entire young career.
The Broncos should already be considering outside options as most of the players that make up the depth behind those three names are young and came to the league as undrafted free agents. As good as this defense has a chance to be, the coaching staff should not be willing to take that chance.
Whether it be as a free-agent signing or a trade, the Broncos should consider acquiring one of these four players.
Denver Broncos inside linebacker options outside the organization
Ja'Whaun Bentley, Free Agent
Ja'Whaun Bentley was a fifth-round pick in the 2018 draft of the New England Patriots, where he played for seven seasons. He was released this past March and is still looking for a new team.
Bentley has over 500 career tackles to go along with 10.5 sacks and he can be a menace in defending the run. He is still just 28 years old and if the Broncos are looking for an insurance policy in the event that either Singleton or Greenlaw misses some time, he's a better option than the injury-plagued Sanders or Justin Strnad.
Kwon Alexander, Free Agent
This is probably the least exciting option on this list, but he would also be the easiest to acquire.
Kwon Alexander was actually signed by the Broncos last September to add depth to the unit and he played in three games for the team. But the Broncos kept moving him back and forth from the active roster to the practice squad and while he was on the practice squad, he was stolen by the Detroit Lions, where he finished the season.
He will turn 31 in August and his best days on the field are behind him, but he's an experienced veteran that did spend time in Vance Joseph's defense.
Cole Holcomb, Pittsburgh Steelers
This is an interesting option for the Broncos, who would need to acquire Cole Holcomb via trade.
A fifth-round pick of Washington in 2019, Holcomb signed with the Steelers following the 2022 season but he's played in just eight games for the team after suffering a horrific knee injury during the 2023 season.
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Holcomb missed the rest of that season and all of 2024 but has returned to the practice field for the Steelers this year. The Steelers now have Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson as their starters and could be willing to move Holcomb, a true wild card, for next to nothing.
Troy Reeder, Los Angeles Rams
Troy Reeder has quietly put together a nice career after going undrafted out of Delaware in 2019. Now in his second stint with the Rams, he may be relegated to a smaller role as the Rams seem excited by free-agent acquisition Nate Landman.
That could open the door for the Broncos to come in and make a deal for the experienced Reeder without having to give up much in the process.
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