Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos' Starting Linebacker COMPETITION Is HUGE OTA Storyline

Episode Date: May 20, 2026

The Denver Broncos starting linebacker competition will be one of the biggest storylines as the team prepares for OTAs. When Broncos OTAs begin, Justin Strnad and Alex Singleton are familiar faces, bu...t they could lead a new look room featuring Jonah Elliss, Red Murdock, Taurean York, Levelle Bailey, Karene Reid, and Jordan Turner.   Cody Roark and Sayre Bedinger debate who will start or compete to start, and who could revamp the entire depth at linebacker going into 2026 and whether or not York could be the next undrafted player to make the roster.   Cody Roark is a credentialed beat reporter for Mile High Sports and covers the Broncos daily in person. Sayre Bedinger is the site expert for Predominantly Orange. Both bring Broncos Country the most in-depth and objective coverage of the Denver Broncos.   WANT MORE DAILY DENVER BRONCOS CONTENT? For all of the latest Denver Broncos news today --   Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms 🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-broncos/   Locked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft, & More 🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/leagues/nfl/   📲 Cody Roark Twitter / (https://twitter.com/codyroarknfl) 📲 Cody Roark Instagram / (https://instagram.com/codyroarknfl) 📲  Sayre Bedinger Twitter / (https://twitter.com/sayrebedinger)   Everydayer Club   If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. one 📲 https://lockedonbroncos.supercast.com/   TEXT LINE: Support the show and interact with us on Denver Broncos rumors, News, Game Previews, Q&A's, and more. 📲 https://joinsubtext.com/c/lockedonbroncos 📲 TEXT: (720) 580-5759   📢 Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Square If you’re starting a business, or running one that deserves better tools, Square helps you sell, manage, and grow without slowing down. Right now, you can get up to $200 off Square hardware at https://square.com/go/LockedOnNFL.   FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now new customers can bet just five dollars and get one-hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets if your first bet wins. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started — Play Your Game.   Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast.   Gametime Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase.   FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 The Denver Broncos linebacker room looks similar, but there are a lot of new faces as well, which makes things interesting for a potential revamp of the position. You are locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast. Part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. What's up, Broncos country? Happy hump day. Cody Orks there, Bedinger here for another episode of the shows. We're previewing the Broncos linebacker position going into OTAs.
Starting point is 00:00:34 The linebacker room, it will look entirely different in 2026 if Sarah and I's predictions pan out to be the way that they are. More importantly, we're going to take a look at players like Taurine York, Red Murdoch, how they can come in and revamp this position room and what position battles are actually going to be taking place at linebacker this summer. We're going to kick things off by talking about the Broncos starting linebacker roles this upcoming season. Is it set in stone just yet? Well, we're going to discuss here on today's show. Sarah, let's get into it here. obviously for the Broncos going into this offseason, you and I were highlighting in our pre-agency preview. Denver's got to find a way to address this position.
Starting point is 00:01:10 Well, Denver went the in-house route. They brought back Alex Singleton on a two-year deal. They brought back Justin Sternat on a three-year deal. And they released Drake Greenlaw. So going into this upcoming season, the room is going to look entirely different. But the biggest storyline here is the starting linebacker roles, the two spots there at Mike and Will. Are they solidified right now? Where do you stand on this?
Starting point is 00:01:32 Because I feel like there's a lot of conversation to be had about this. I think it would be nice if there was some sort of competition, Cody, but ultimately I do think the starting linebacker positions are set because why did the Broncos not go after anybody in free agency, right, other than their own guys? They went after Alex Singleton and Justin Sternad because I think they didn't really want to have this giant learning curve for somebody in the defensive system. And we saw how big of an issue that was last year for Dre Greenlaw. Now, admittedly, obviously, he didn't participate in a whole lot of the offseason program, training camp, things like that.
Starting point is 00:02:08 So that makes things difficult to grasp and pick up all the different aspects of the defense when you're not out on the field practicing. There's only so much that you can do when you're on the sideline and kind of trying to be, you know, doing whatever you can mentally without doing things on the field physically. But we saw the negative downside of that. Vance Joseph talked about it during the season. Dre himself talked about it after the year where he's like, you know, it was kind of like trying to learn Spanish. And basically it was just difficult to do and difficult to acclimate to. So that's why I think Alex Singleton, Justin Sternad,
Starting point is 00:02:43 they're going to be the starters for this coming season. Now, packages at the position, I think, could be interesting to see. But still, you don't have anybody who has anywhere near what those guys bring to the table in terms of experience, in terms of just kind of proven starter capability. there's really nobody right now who it would be a shocker in training camp and the offseason if somebody did come in and contend for one of those spots. Well, in the challenge, at least in my opinion here that I'm looking at this position, I just don't think this defense, I don't think you need to do all these different packages,
Starting point is 00:03:19 specifically at inside linebacker. I think you've got to keep the guys who were starting on the field as much as possible. Last year, the Broncos, and this was a problem when Drey Greenlock came back from his injury and was healthy. The Broncos were rotating Dre. They were rotating Justin. And sometimes I can impact just, I'd say, guys getting comfortable in the roles that they have, especially with everything ever changing, the things that you mentioned with Dre and the complexities of this defense. So to me, that goes to our next storyline here at linebacker. Denver obviously in the off season moving Jonah Ellis from edge to off ball. And he still has the flex capability being able to play outside linebacker. But right now, Sean Payton said the focus is for him to get reps at off ball linebacker. For this position switch to happen, it makes me question whether or not the starting jobs are truly solidified, right? So why switch a player in Jonah, who's very good, was your top rotational guy at outside linebacker last year? Why move him off that entirely? And I understand you want to see more Q Robinson.
Starting point is 00:04:17 You like Dandre Tielman. Don't get me wrong. I understand that. But Jonah went healthy was very, very good at outside linebacker. So making him switch right here to a point where he may not even play many snaps unless there is truly a competition. for one of those starting jobs. That's where I am going into this whole offseason wondering, is it really set in stone or is there actually a potential three-way competition?
Starting point is 00:04:39 Because keep in mind, going back to last offseason, the Broncos did re-sign signed Justin Sternad, and they told him specifically, even after they signed Drey Greenlaw, they said that he's going to have a chance to compete for the starting job with Alex and with Drew Sanders. So I don't think that's entirely off the table. Now, Drew's not at that position more. the name is now Jonah Ellis, Alex Singleton.
Starting point is 00:04:59 Now, is that where the competition is going to be? I don't know. Well, to your point, I mean, it makes no sense to move Jonah Ellis positions only to see his snaps decrease or to get him less involved in the defense. That's not what you want. Yes, Q Robinson is talented. Yes, Dondrey Tillman is talented. But Jonah Ellis might be the best out of all three of them.
Starting point is 00:05:23 So you don't move him to a different spot. if the plan isn't to get him on the field. So I don't know, Cody. I'm confused as well because I saw the recent video that Jonah Ellis posted on his social media that he's looking like he's practicing coming off the edge as a pass rusher. It doesn't look like he's working on dropping into coverage, which Nick Benito said he's one of the best guys on the team at doing exactly that. It doesn't look like he's, you know,
Starting point is 00:05:51 working from a linebacker stance and kind of read and reacting. It looks like he's practicing. coming off the edge, getting after the quarterback, rush in the passer. And you can do that from the linebacker spot. But it looks to me like from the videos, if you go search his name out there right now, you can see the video that I'm referencing. It looks to me like he's practicing playing off the edge. So I don't know.
Starting point is 00:06:14 And obviously it's not like he's not going to ever do that again. I don't think that's the intent with this whole thing. But his situation and the unknown, even though we do know what Sean Payton said, hey, he's going to do some work at inside linebacker this off season. The focus and the discussion and the draft strategy, quite frankly, seems to indicate that they're serious about moving him there. I'm now confused because we see him working as a pass rusher in these videos. And maybe it's an old video.
Starting point is 00:06:41 I have no idea. But all I know, Cody, is that with Jonah Ellis, the switching him positions or whatever they're doing with Jonah, it can't be to get him on the field less. We need more Jonah Ellis. not less of him going forward. And that's exactly what Sean Payton said as well. This is an opportunity for us to get one of our better players on the field that we feel
Starting point is 00:07:02 like. And so in that regard right there, Sean kind of gave us the answer that maybe Jonah is going to compete for a starting job here. Maybe it's not completely set in stone. So time will obviously tell when it comes to Jonah, this position switch. I think he's too good of a player to not be playing. And more importantly, he's going to play special teams for you. I'm curious to see how it all pans out.
Starting point is 00:07:21 But they also revamped the linebacker depth as well. They're bringing back Jordan Turner, LaVelle Bailey, Corrine Reed, but I'm also looking at their additions of Red Murdoch in the NFL draft. Toreen York, one of their undrafted rookie free agents, who if you look at his story, if he wasn't undersized, he had a draftable grade. And the Broncos, they got him as an undraft guy. Imagine they had a draftable grade on him as well.
Starting point is 00:07:44 This is a storyline to watch because these guys could come in and completely change the outlook of the depth of this room and maybe even the upside of it down the road. One thing that we discovered in the pre-draft process was that a lot of the starting linebackers that we see in the NFL have the lowest average NFL range when it comes to like average draft position, so to speak. Out of any position on a roster, I think it was, you know, interior offensive line and off ball linebackers were kind of at the bottom of that list, right? And so that's not to say, well, you know, we don't care about the position, but it's it does mean that you can find guys later. And I think a lot of times in the NFL, that is the case. You don't have to spend necessarily first, second round pick at the linebacker position in
Starting point is 00:08:30 order to find guys who can be future starters for you. I mean, case in point, right? I mean, Justin Sernad, Alex Singleton, where did those guys come from in the NFL draft, right? So I think that's a great example right there of how players can develop. And I love that the Broncos got Red Murdoch and Tori and York for this position because what do we know about those two guys? Well, they've played a ton of football. first of all. Second of all, I mean, at least in York's case, we're talking about a guy who wore
Starting point is 00:08:56 the green dot when he was 18 years old at Texas A&M, a defense full of huge professionals. That's big time stuff. And so the mental processing aspect of playing this position is probably, I would say, in today's NFL, equal importance as being athletic because, yes, you want to have guys who can fly around the field. Yes, you want to have guys who aren't getting constantly torched in man coverage if you have to put them in man coverage. But more, more than anything, you need linebackers who are smart. You need linebackers who can process at a high level, who can be the Sherlock Holmes of the defense,
Starting point is 00:09:30 where they're 10 steps ahead of everybody else because they see everything happening in their mind before it unfolds on the field. That's what makes Alex Singleton a long-time starter at this point. That's what's helped Justin Sernad become a starter up to this point. And I think that's what we're going to see with guys like Red Murdoch and Tori and York is, man, they can contribute because they process at such a high level.
Starting point is 00:09:54 And that's going to be beneficial, especially in this defense. You need that. Vance needs those types of guys. And I'm excited to see it all play out here because coming up next, Brockos country, we're going to take a look at some position battles we think are actually taking place here at linebacker between certain players. We're going to highlight the strengths, the weaknesses and how we think it may go here on today's episode of the show.
Starting point is 00:10:12 Today's episode of the show was brought to you by our friends over there at Indeed, workplace chaos, deadline stacking up, your inbox is overflowing. And the one position that you have to feel is still sitting open. When the pressure is on and you need the. or I hire, this is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. Indeed sponsor jobs helps you reach the people who actually fit what you're looking for in a candidate, the skills, the experience, and the location. So you're not just hoping the right candidate stumbles across your post. And in the minute that I've been talking to you, companies like yours made 27 hires on Indeed,
Starting point is 00:10:39 according to Indeed data worldwide. So if you're hiring, spend less time searching and more time interviewing candidates who check all your boxes with Indeed sponsored jobs with less stress, less time, and more results. When you need the right person to cut through the chaos, This is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. And listeners of this show, you'll get a $75 sponsored job credit. So get your job the premium status that it deserves. Indy.com slash podcast.
Starting point is 00:11:01 Just go toindid.com slash podcast right now. Support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indy.com slash podcast terms and conditions apply. Need to hire. This is a job for Indeed, sponsor jobs. The Denver Broncos linebacker depth sort of represents this overdogs mentality that Boe Nix introduced to all of us last year. And you know what? There's plenty of opportunity for these young players to step up and earn
Starting point is 00:11:26 spots on this team. And in the rotation, we're going to talk about that coming up on today's episode, Locked on Broncos. But really quickly, we want to say thank you to all of you every dayers out there in Broncos country. Thanks for making us your first listen of the day every single day. And if you want an ad-free version of the show, check out the everydayer club at lockdownbroncos.com. Cody, let's talk about the youngsters at the linebacker position. We talked a lot this offseason about the 2026 NFL draft class and 2026 free agency and pretty much went through every name that was possible talking about the Broncos using their top pick in this year's draft at linebacker. We talked about if it wasn't their top pick, it's got to be one of their top two or three. Well, they waited until the Mr. Irrelevant selection, the last pick of the seventh round, last pick of the entire NFL draft before they even took Red Murdoch.
Starting point is 00:12:15 And then I think that strategy helped them land Tori and York as well, Cody, because ultimately if you take somebody at the top of your draft class at that position, maybe you're not recruiting the best possible undrafted free agent linebacker. But I think what the Broncos have done now is they've created a lot of intrigue amongst late round guys, former undrafted guys to round out the depth at a critical position. Because you know what? I mean, they're one injury away from who, I don't know who's going to be playing. And so it starts with those two rookies coming in, I think, as the most talented backup options.
Starting point is 00:12:50 Yeah, well, let's take a look at that, too, if we project what these position battles are going to be. I've got Tori and York. Look, I've got Red Murdoch making the team here, plain and simple. I think he and Jonah Ellis will be the third and the fourth linebackers right now if I had to pick in the depth order. Justin Sternad, you know, we'll get into that in a little bit. But I think Red Murdoch is a roster lock here. But the question is, is Denver going to keep five inside linebackers? I think that's the case.
Starting point is 00:13:14 So for me, I'm looking at Tori and York, and I'm saying him versus Corrine Reed versus Jordan Turner versus Lavel Bailey for that last spot. And I'll be honest with you, I think York's got a really good opportunity to take advantage of that and to make some hate with that. And it doesn't mean it's the end of the road for guys like Corrine Reed. I just think that York is a far better player than Reed in terms of where he's at production wise at the college level. I think obviously Reed's going to have the experience of having an NFL season under
Starting point is 00:13:43 his belt playing special teams for the Broncos last year. Jordan Turner shined in the preseason last year for Denver, got some special teams reps. Lavelle Bailey has been on the roster the longest of the undrafted guys right now. But the unfortunate thing is that he has not been able to find a way on the field, even when he's made the 53-man roster after his rookie season, last year, even with injuries, these guys couldn't make the field for the Broncos defensively. So I think that there are plenty of spots up for grabs. I think it'll be York versus Karenne Reed, Turner, Lavelle, Bayle,
Starting point is 00:14:13 and I think that right now, if I had to predict it, I've got the favor going towards York because of his football instincts. I think he's too talented of a player, especially to go through the waiver process, which he would be subjected to. But then again, stranger things have happened. We've seen that.
Starting point is 00:14:27 We've talked about that year after year with certain players. Like, I don't know, this guy might be too good. And, you know, from the preseason to training camp, you can't risk letting him go to waivers because some other team might snag him. Nine times out of 10, it really doesn't happen. So, but that's my prediction. How do you see this one going out between the, the group of undrafted guys here.
Starting point is 00:14:45 I completely agree with you, Cody, because I think that, and this is going to sound bad the way that I'm going to put this, but I think all 32 teams have their own version of a Jordan Turner, of a Lavelle Bailey, of a Karenne Reed, right? They have those players that, okay, we identified this guy as an undrafted free agent. He might not have been coveted by every other team, but he's somebody that we really liked and we've done a lot of research on, but we feel like, you know, he's a better asset for our practice.
Starting point is 00:15:13 squad. All 32 teams have players like that at pretty much every position, right? And I think that for Broncos country, it's easy to get into, you know, deep into the weeds on some of this roster building and who's going to clear waivers and who's not. And you start to think like, well, you know, Karen and Reid had a nice interception in the preseason. And, you know, Jordan Turner had a sack and LaVelle Bailey had an interception. And so like because of that, then all other teams are going to see that and they're going to want to pluck those guys off waivers. That's not the case. Every team has their players that they want to get through waivers just like that. So that doesn't, I'm not trying to disrespect those guys either, but I think when it comes to as a
Starting point is 00:15:52 prospect, Tori and York and Red Murdoch are just on a different level of where those guys were at coming out. Yes, they have the experience in the defense. Yes, they have a leg up in that regard, having learned the defense, and they're going to be able to, you know, move maybe at a little bit faster speed right away. But as prospects, and that does matter with, contract control with all these other factors. And because of the fact that Tori and York was coveted after the NFL draft, it's going to be much tougher for the Broncos to say, hey,
Starting point is 00:16:23 we're going to try to slide him through waivers. I think it would require a really rough preseason or training camp or, you know, injury for one of those two guys to ultimately stick around in Denver if they're not making the final 53 man roster. That would be the only way, Cody, is if they show those major signs of struggle because they're just on a different level as prospects, even compared to some of those other undrafted free agents the
Starting point is 00:16:47 Broncos already have. Yeah, that's fair. And the next position battle, Jonah Ellis versus Alex Singleton versus Justin Sternat for the potential starting job. We can look at Justin's contract. It's three years in terms of the language. Singleton's two years. I think the easy assumption would be Justin Sternat as a starter.
Starting point is 00:17:06 And here's the thing, too, Justin, before the offseason even began in our end of the year interviews after the ABC championship game said, he wants. to go somewhere where he's going to start. Like he would come back to Denver only if it means that he's going to start. Well, he came back to Denver. He was the first free agent move that the Broncos made this offseason. Is it really more so Alex Singleton spot on the line in this situation with Jonah? That's where I'm curious because right now I think the one position battle we are going to watch is between these three guys.
Starting point is 00:17:35 Yeah, and it's interesting to think about because Alex, I believe, has the highest average annual salary of all of them. So that's the thing that I look at. But at the same time, everybody in Broncos country seems to be trying to, and I say everybody. I don't mean literally everybody. I know there's some of you out there who are, you know, you've always been in Alex Singleton's corner.
Starting point is 00:17:55 And we've grown to love him as well since he was originally signed. And we were very critical of that signing here on the show. But I think that he's the player that a large percentage of the fan base is kind of trying to figure out a way to replace. And he's kind of like the cat with nine lives. Like he just keeps coming back out there. And he makes a huge, like he made a huge play in the divisional round victory against the Buffalo Bills. And yes, he had some slipups in that game as well.
Starting point is 00:18:20 But he forces a football on James Cook. Yeah, it's football. You're not going to play perfect game. Force a fumble on James Cook. Remember the past breakup he had last year. I just think that, look, there's a lot of reasons why you could, you could justify because of age, because his speed, because he's not as good in coverage or because, you know, he's not taking on blocks as well and missing tackles. There's a lot of different reasons why I think the fan base is maybe justified in being super critical of Singleton,
Starting point is 00:18:50 who is a full-time starter and one of the best defenses in the NFL. But I would also say, like, be careful what you wish for because at the same time, it can always get worse, right? But if the goal is to get Jonah Ellis on the field, Cody, my mind or my heart, I guess. I don't know if it's one or the other, whichever one it is, is telling me, that the best combination should be Justin Sternad and Jonah Ellis. In terms of athleticism and playmaking and physicality and upside and future potential, that's what makes the most sense to me.
Starting point is 00:19:24 One, Jonah, where he's at a disadvantage is the experience. That's really it. Like all the things that you just mentioned, he has the Avenger. We saw what life was like without Alex Singleton after he tore his ACL. We were all gutters. Like, man, the Broncos just lost, you know, the captain of their defense. And then we were talking about guys like Cody Barton struggling, you know, and just the linebacker rotation there was just rough for the Broncos when they were trying to figure that out.
Starting point is 00:19:48 But Alex Simleton reminds me a lot of the song by Alice in Chains, Rooster. They come to snuff the rooster and he still comes back every single time. Like that's the thing. And Alex plays with his hair on fire. And I think as long as he's got that experience, he's healthy, I think he can help this Broncos defense. I think people look at it and they're like, ah, it's just not the sexy pick for a starting linebacker. And a lot of the frustration that fans have with Alex is like, well, he can't guard tight ends. The Broncos in this scheme, tight ends are not the linebackers responsibility unless they're
Starting point is 00:20:19 dropping to a soft spot on the defense, the middle hook or a deeper hook to curl. That's really it, especially when they do some of their Tampa, too, looks. Alex Singleton will get some death 15 to 20 yards down the field around the middle of it. But they're matched up primarily against running backs out of the backfield. They play a lot of match concepts. So I think a lot of people don't understand the coverage concepts in which the linebackers are in sometimes. And they're like, oh, that guy got burned. That guy is to blame there.
Starting point is 00:20:45 But it's hard. It's going to be hard to upend the guy who's been doing it for quite some time. And he's fully healthy. He's ready to rock and roll for yet another NFL season. So this one is going to be an interesting one to watch Broncos Country. Let's know your thoughts on who you think will win that competition. If there is one there between Alex Singleton, Justin Sternad, and Jonah Ellis. What is the best linebacker duo, do you believe?
Starting point is 00:21:06 Let us know here on. today's episode show. But coming up next, Sarah and I, we're going to predict what we think the Broncos linebacker room and the practice squad will look like at this position here on today's episode of the show. Game time is the sponsor of today's episode of Lockdown Broncos. In today's world, we can stream anything. We can order food in minutes. We can do everything from our phones and somehow buying tickets to live events still feels way harder than it should be. Long lines, confusing checkouts, prices jumping at the last second. It shouldn't be that complicated. And that's why there is game time because he gives it fans the advantage and makes
Starting point is 00:21:37 getting tickets fast and simple. And we already know the NFL schedule this upcoming season for your Denver Broncos. Week two will be the home opener. So if you want to come to Empower Field, where it's always rocking in a rematch against the Jacksonville, Jaggores, we'll go to the Game Time app today. You can find the best deals on tickets. You can see the full price up front. There are no surprise fees when you go to checkout.
Starting point is 00:21:57 And you can see your seat view inside of the app. So you know, the action you're going to see on the field is the best spot for you and your family. So take the guesswork how to buy tickets to every type of event with. Game Time. Download the GameTime app, create an account, and use code, lock on for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, create account, redeem code, L-O-C-K, E-D, O-N for $20 off, download the Game Time app today. How many linebackers will the Broncos carry on their active roster this upcoming season?
Starting point is 00:22:23 As OTAs approaches in the next couple of weeks, we're taking a little bit of an early preview, the Broncos linebacker position and sharing our way too early thoughts on it, and we're going to see where they measure up when the final roster is formulated at the end of August. I want to say thanks once again, Brockos Country for tuning in making us your first listening here on the Lockdown Podcast Network, the number one sports podcast network in the country. Thanks to all of you. And it's where you get your team every day. We appreciate you. Sarah, I have my linebacker room prediction kind of set in stone in the back of my mind, but I'm going to kick things off by passing the baton to you, my friend. How do you see this role playing out this upcoming season in our way too early linebacker roster prediction? Well, I think we're going to start with the two guys we've been mentioning as the presumptive starters all show. Alex Singleton, Justin Sternad. That makes the most sense. You bring those guys back both on multiple year deals.
Starting point is 00:23:14 I think that they're going to be obviously on this team. Obviously, Jonah Ellis as well, he's not going anywhere. Whether he's playing full time off the ball or whether he's splitting time between the edge and inside linebacker, we don't necessarily know that yet. But I think he's going to be one of those players on the roster. I also think I agree with you. I think, I mean, I've got a Sharpie here in my hand for those who are listening and not watching. I'm sharpying Red Murdoch on this team. I absolutely think that he's going to make the roster.
Starting point is 00:23:42 He's going to be playing special teams. I don't view him being inactive on game days. I think he's going to play and be a really fun story, obviously, as Mr. Irrelevant. And then I do have a fifth, Cody. I do. And I think it's going to be Tori in York. I think he's going to make this team. And here's one of the biggest reasons why we just got a post put out there on Tuesday from
Starting point is 00:24:01 Mike Cliss, our good friend over there at 9 News, he had the signing bonuses and total guaranteed money for every undrafted rookie. And we know this, that money talks when it comes to undrafted players. The Broncos gave Tori and York $325,000 in guaranteed cash. I want fans to go look up how much guaranteed money sixth round draft picks make. You know, when it comes to guaranteed cash, that's basically what the Broncos are saying with that number right there,
Starting point is 00:24:30 is that they're saying this guy was worth a sixth round pick financially to us. And I think he's going to be on the team. I don't know that he's going to be active every week, Cody, but I think he's going to be one of the most impressive players this off. I just have a, I just have a gut feeling. He's going to be the, you know, this is going to sound terrible, the little engine that could, right? Because he's a small guy.
Starting point is 00:24:52 He is. And he is, that's why he went undrafted because he's got short arms. He's a smaller player. He's undersized by NFL standards. And that's, you know, considering some smaller guys end up making it. He's undersized among the undersized. But with that in mind, this guy's just too smart. He's too physical and he's going to have a chip on his shoulder.
Starting point is 00:25:12 I've got those five guys making the team. That's the exact group of guys that I have as well in terms of practice squad. I've got Jordan Turner, Corrine, Reed, returning to Denver's practice squad. I think for LaVelle Bailey, I think he'll probably end up signing with another team's practice squad at the end of the year at the end of the preseason versus returning to Denver. Just because I think for him, he wants an opportunity. I don't know if that's going to come here in Denver, right? Because initially, when the Broncos were negotiating with him, the sign as an undrafted rookie free agent, they were competing against a handful of other teams in the Broncos.
Starting point is 00:25:45 And Sean Payton were like, we're really trying to convince him to choose Denver. Well, now the circumstances over the last two years have really changed, I'd say in the perception of a guy like Lovel Bailey, which is interesting because really last training camp, he was the one guy getting first team reps next to Justin Sternad and Alex Singleton when Drake Greenlaw was dealing with his injury. So it's weird how much can change here in the NFL and how you just couldn't get those opportunities to be on the field during the season. I'm not sure. Like once again, I'm not sure if there's anything going on behind the scenes.
Starting point is 00:26:16 I doubt it. LaVelle's such a nice guy, great locker room guy as well. So I just think it's the opportunity of other guys just performing better at this point. But there's going to be a chip on his shoulder. So I've got those five guys making it as well. I'm with you with York. And here's interesting thing. I caught up with Torian after Broncos rookie minicamp,
Starting point is 00:26:34 just kind of one-on-one and introduced myself, heard his story a little bit. And the one thing that I talked to him and I told him about, I said, hey, like the Broncos, and he probably already knew this. He didn't need me to tell him this. But I was saying that this team has a history of undrafted guys just coming out and emerging.
Starting point is 00:26:50 I said, you got obviously have all the tools and the traits to do that. I'm sure that was a selling point that the Broncos had when they were talking to him, trying to get him as an undrafted guy, but just reiterating like, It doesn't matter that you went undrafted. You're going to get the opportunity to go out there and make some play. So I'm excited to see him more on the field, especially as we take the field in OTAs in the month of June. June 2nd is when OTAs begins.
Starting point is 00:27:11 They'll go June 2nd, third and fourth. John Peyton typically gives us the third day of practice. So we may not see June 2nd, that official practice to start or the second one. We may be present for that third one here. That's kind of how Sean has done at the last handful of years. But there's a lot of buzz. There's a lot of excitement about this Broncos line. backer room. And I think it's going to look entirely different in 2026 than what we saw last year.
Starting point is 00:27:35 And I do think Justin and Alex will be a big part of it. But now with Jonah taking a little bit of a bigger role, I think Red Murdoch is going to be a Sharpie guy, as you mentioned, and Torrene York, I think those guys are going to change the dynamic of this room to where I actually feel a little bit better about it in comparison to years past. But then again, it is still probably the biggest question mark surrounding this team. Broncos country, let us know right now how many linebackers you're going to keep on the Broncos active roster. If you had to give a prediction, that's way too early here today and who those names are on on today's episode, Locked on Broncos.
Starting point is 00:28:08 But I'll wrap up today's episode of the show, Broncos Country. For all you every dayers out there, tomorrow's episode, the show Sarah and I, we are sitting down. We're previewing the tight end position. Evan Egram on the last year of his deal. Adam Trotman returning on a three-year deal. But what does that mean for guys like Dallon Bentley, Justin Jolie, rookie additions? And on top of that, guys who are returning into the mix like Nate Adkins and Lucas scroll. We're going to predict the entire tight-in position on tomorrow's episode of the show.

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.