After using a third-round pick to select Arkansas inside linebacker Drew Sanders in April’s draft, the Denver Broncos now have six ILBs on the 90-man offseason roster: Josey Jewell, Alex Singleton, Jonas Griffith, Sanders, Justin Strnad and Seth Benson.
Jewell and Singleton are returning as the team’s starting inside linebackers with Griffith and Sanders projected to serve as the top backups. Strnad and Benson will be competing for reps this summer as well.
Denver also has Ray Wilborn listed as a “linebacker” on their offseason roster. It’s unclear if Wilborn will play primarily as an inside linebacker or outside linebacker this season.
Broncos’ (Projected) ILB Depth Chart
ILB1: Josey Jewell
Entering his sixth season with the Broncos, Jewell is coming off a 128-tackle, 2.5-sack campaign last year. He remains the team’s top inside linebacker.
ILB2: Alex Singleton
Singleton stepped up last year and played in 17 games, earning 12 starts. After leading the team with 163 tackles in 2022, Singleton is projected to start across from Jewell again in 2023.
ILB3: Jonas Griffith
Fans are excited about Sanders, but Griffith shouldn’t be overlooked. Griffith has earned 12 starts over the last two seasons, totaling 92 tackles. He will likely get rotational snaps on defense and star on special teams this fall.
ILB4: Drew Sanders
Sanders projects as a future starter for the Broncos but, barring injuries, he is not expected to be a Week 1 starter in 2023. He’ll have opportunities to get on the field as a rookie, though, and Sanders will likely earn more playing time quickly.
ILB depth: Justin Strnad, Seth Benson, Ray Wilborn
Strnad, Benson (an undrafted rookie) and Wilborn will likely be competing for spots on the practice squad this summer.
