Getting ‘tackling machine’ Alex Singleton back is big, says Vance Joseph

Denver Broncos inside linebacker Alex Singleton played only three games a season ago.

In fact, he probably should’ve played fewer, but sheer toughness kept him going.

Singleton tore his ACL against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3, but somehow finished the contest. After that his year was obviously done.

And despite some bad luck in training camp this summer, Singleton broke his thumb, all signs point toward him being on the field in Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans.

It’s a remarkable recovery from not only the ACL, but the thumb injury as well, as Singleton missed less than a week of training camp.

After practice on Wednesday, Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph was asked about Singleton’s return and praised him with some nice compliments.

Broncos DC Vance Joseph on having Alex Singelton back:

“He is my eyes and ears on the field. He can make adjustments very quickly with his experience, but he’s a tackling machine… Having him back this year is going to help our defense go to the next level.”#BroncosCountry pic.twitter.com/VSuRTnJQUd

— Denver Sports 104.3 (@DenSports1043) August 20, 2025

It’s clear that Joseph thinks of Alex Singleton as one of the leaders of his unit. And anytime a coach calls you a “tackling machine,” that’s a great sign.

Singleton had 163 tackles for the Broncos in 2022 and 177 in 2023. He had 31 in the three games he played last year, so he was keeping the pace of 10 a game or so.

Now, it’ll be about Singleton finding that chemistry with free agent addition Dre Greenlaw. The former 49ers star was back at practice for Denver earlier this week, and hopefully the two can get some game action together this weekend in New Orleans. The Broncos play their final preseason game against the Saints on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. MT.

The defense is loaded across the board, but there are health questions at inside linebacker. If both Alex Singleton and Dre Greenlaw can stay on the field for the majority of the season it feels like the sky is the limit.

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