Broncos have a focus on inside linebacker at Combine — but Paton still wants to re-sign Singleton and Strnad

INDIANAPOLIS — For the Broncos, inside linebacker is a “must-have” right now, simply because the two players who started there in their two playoff games are both unrestricted free agents.

And that led to an extensive round of interviews at the NFL Scouting Combine this week. Ohio State’s Sonny Styles, Missouri’s Josiah Trotter, Oregon’s Bryce Boettcher, Georgia’s CJ Allen, Cincinnati’s Jake Godly and Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez all are among the linebackers who sat down for formal interviews with the Broncos this week.

And yet that doesn’t mean that free-agents-to-be Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad are off the Broncos’ radar.

Even with inside linebacker representing one of the strengths of this year’s draft, as Broncos general manager George Paton noted this week, the focus on adding an inside linebacker doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to retain Strnad and Singleton, two players with a combined 10 seasons of experience in a Broncos uniform.

“We’d love to have them back,” Paton said. “Regadless of what’s in the draft … we see those guys as Broncos. If we let those guys leave, what are we do–”

Paton cut himself off before completing the phrase, but his point was clear: building a team — HIS type of team — involves keeping players and people like Singleton and Strnad. The former, the Broncos saw blossom into a team captain. The latter is a draft-and-develop standout, cultivated over six years that didn’t see him take a linear path, but ultimately ended with him representing exactly what the club wants to do in terms of a sustainable roster-building process.

Strnad is the last member of the 2020 draft class remaining on the roster.

“Those are good dudes, and that doesn’t mean we can get them [back], right? I mean, everyone’s watching tape,” Paton said.

AMONG STRNAD, SINGLETON AND GREENLAW, THE BRONCOS HAVE A TOUGH CHOICE

And that’s simply because Strnad should have opportunities to start elsewhere. Getting him back in the fold for 2026 almost certainly involves a chance to be on the first team, and if that happens, he’s starting alongside either Greenlaw or Singleton.

If that’s Singleton, then Greenlaw could be a cap casualty; the Broncos could save $6,023,332 with $4.333 million of dead money by cutting or trading him — and that’s not even with a post-June 1 designation, per Over the Cap. But if Strnad is re-signed and Greenlaw returns as a starter, Singleton should draw interest on the market.

The other possibility is for Greenlaw to be a reserve behind Strnad and Singleton and rotate in for some snaps. Greenlaw backed up in the postseason when he was coming off the late-season hamstring injury. But a cap figure of $10,356,666 for a reserve is exorbitant.

Sure, you can’t have too much depth, but at the same time, the roster isn’t built in a vacuum with only one position dealt with at a time, and the Broncos have some other items on their checklist — including potential extensions for restricted-free-agents-to-be Ja’Quan McMillian and Alex Palczewski, to name a pair of players.

From a distance, using the draft to fortify inside-linebacker complement seems logical. This is the best crop of players at the position in years. The Broncos should have multiple quality options when their turns arrive in the draft.

But Paton acknowledged the lengthier time frame the position requires for being ready to contribute in the NFL, too.

And so, while the Broncos seem poised to add an inside linebacker in the draft, that doesn’t appear to change Paton’s desire to bring back his veterans at the position.

“It is a balance, and you do develop your plan. So, it is a good question,” Paton said.

“But with some players, man, you just want to get [them] back regardless of the strength [in the draft].”

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