It’s no secret that the Denver Broncos are a little light at inside linebacker this year, and as it always seems to happen, that’s where the team has also had to deal with some injuries during the preseason.
A surprise cut to Levelle Bailey, plus an ankle injury requiring IR time for Drew Sanders, means those two won’t be on the field for the Broncos in Week 1 against the Titans. But those are just the backups. The team’s starters, Alex Singleton and Dre Greenlaw, are mostly ready to go.
Singleton dealt with a thumb injury during training camp that required surgery. The 31-year-old fourth-year Bronco came back quickly from the setback. Singelton had over 100 tackles in four of his last five seasons in the league. Last year, his season was cut way short when he tore his ACL just three weeks into play. So the Broncos want to play it smart with the tackling machine.
Likewise, Greenlaw came over from San Francisco this offseason and is a monster when healthy. But he was coming off an Achilles injury and only played two games last year. On top of that, he was dealing with a torn quad and then had a small tweak in that area during camp. The Broncos are also being careful with him.
“Alex is coming back off an injury, and Dre is coming back,” Sean Payton said on Thursday. “We gotta be smart and look at pitch counts and be ready to play some younger players. We’re not just going to throw them out there for 70 plays in Week 1.”
That means Justin Strnad and surprise roster maker Karene Reid could get some real time against Tennessee. Further, the injuries at the spot are also the reason the Broncos are carrying three linebackers on their practice squad.
“We’ve got more linebackers than we’ve ever had when you look at active and practice squad,” Payton said, confirming that they’ve kept more linebackers around because of the injury concerns.
So look for Garret Wallow, Jordan Turner or Levelle Bailey to possibly get elevated to the main roster for the opening game.