Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos TOP THREE Training Camp Position Battles

Episode Date: July 4, 2025

The Denver Broncos report for training camp in a few weeks and three specific position battles will help define the Broncos 2025 season. Who emerges at the nickel between Jahdae Barron and Ja'Quan McMillian for the Broncos defense? Will J.K. Dobbins or RJ Harvey start for Sean Payton and the Broncos offense at running back? Will Alex Singleton return as the starter next to Dre Greenlaw? 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://link.chtbl.com/LOBroncos?sid=YouTube Locked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNFL Follow on Twitter: @CodyRoarkNFL and @SayreBedingerFollow the show on Twitter: @LockedOnBroncos Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime. FanDuelRight now, new customers can get $150 in BONUS BETS when your first $5 BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNFL at monarchmoney.com/lockedonnfl for 50% off your first year. 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.

With training camp coming up, the Denver Broncos will have three position battles that will define their 20, 25 NFL season. We'll break that down and more here on today's episode, Locked on Broncos. 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? Welcome into another episode, Lockdown Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Lockdown Podcast. Eric Greenough, it's your team every day. A special shout out and thank you to all the everydayers out there in Broncos country. Thanks for tuning in making us your first listen.

However, you choose to do so. If you're not yet every day, erie, become one. Hit that subscriber or that follow button wherever you get your podcast or on YouTube. So you never miss out on all the best Broncos news, content coverage, analysis, and more every single day all year long. I'm Cody Roark, Broncos reporter from all high sports. And I'm Sarah Bedinger, site expert at predominantly orange.com. And we're going to go through today the top three. three training camp position battles that will take place when the Broncos take the field during the month of July.

We'll start off with the nickel battle between Jaquam Macmillan and Jaude Barron. And whoever wins this job, what does it mean for the other player? We'll dive deep into that. Plus, there is an extensive running back battle here for the Broncos, but the primary touches, we believe are going to boil down to J.K. Dobbins and R.J. Harvey. And then we'll go on and talk about the inside linebacker position. Who will start next to Dre Greenlaw? will be the return of Alex Singleton or will be Justin Sternad or could Drew Sanders throw his name into the mix there?

We'll break all that down and much more on today's episode of the show. Sarah, let's start off with probably what I would categorize as the most talked about position battle right now for the Broncos, at least on the defensive side of the ball. It has to be Jaude Baron the Broncos first round draft pick in the 2025 NFL draft and J-Quann-McMillin, a returning starter from the last two seasons. There's a lot of discussion and a lot of discussion. debate about this one here. And I find like this is the one that I feel like no matter what happens, the Broncos are going to be in a good spot with either of these guys as the starter. How do you feel

about this? Where do we kick things off? I think that this is one of those position battles that everyone kind of assumed after Jada Baron was drafted, that it's just a foregone conclusion that Jada is going to play and J-Quon is taking a back seat, right? But not so fast, right? Cody, I think that's the thing that we got to take a look at here is not that Jada is not ready to play in the NFL, not that he's not going to be good enough, but keep in mind as well that even the great Pat Sertan, the reigning defensive player of the year, even he was, I believe, the fourth corner on the Vic Fangio's defense as a rookie, Cody. And that didn't last very long. Obviously, we saw him get onto the field rather quickly. But J. Kwan MacMillan is a fascinating,

fascinating player because even with getting a little bit grabby last season, Cody, I think, you know, he took a huge step forward overall as a player. Now, 101 targets into his coverage, a quarterback rating allowed of 85.7. That was better from the 96.8 that he had last year. Average depth of target was down by 0.1 yards from 7.2 to 7.1. His mistackle rate was down more than 5%. I just think that there's maybe something here that, okay, this guy is an improving, ascending young player. Is this as much about the Broncos seeing the long term implications of Jayquan playing well as it is about his struggles last year as a second year starter? Because to me, it might be leaning more towards the former to where the team is saying, hey, we may not be

able to pay literally everybody on this defense, right? And Jayquan is producing at a high level. We have to make sure that we are covered in case we have to make a tough decision at that position. Yeah, and they've had kind of cost control on his contract the last couple of years as an exclusive rights free agent. He's obviously signed his tender so he can come back. Look, he's got a lot of aspirations and goals. And one of the Jay Max's biggest goals here is to be a pro bowl cornerback. And I would say in his first couple of seasons, I think that there's validity to that because, sir, you know how hard it is. And we've highlighted this before. Playing inside the slot inside the nickel in today's NFL is one of the toughest jobs,

I think that you can have for any defensive player. I think it's tougher than outside cornerback just because you get more condensed formations where you're going to get twins or you're going to get trips to one side, but they're all going to be bunched together. And when you're in a man coverage call, you are going to have to communicate with the guys behind you as to who's picking up what. The way that wide receivers and offensive coordinator scheme up these releases from these bunch formations. It's designed to create confusion. And when you're playing inside the slot,

you're going to probably have to play in more space on the field than anybody else, right? You're going to cover more ground across the field. And I think that's why communication defensively is so important, especially when we see all these crossing patterns in today's game. All that to be said, I think Jay Mack, you know, even though he had probably not his best year, I think up to his standards last year. I didn't think he had a bad year by any means. But I think what the Broncos are looking for here, Sarah,

is what you mentioned. Okay, worst case scenario. All right, we eventually, maybe his price tag goes on. We can't pay everybody because right, you got to pay Riley Moss here soon at the cornerback position. J-Max is obviously going to be due for a contract here in the next year. So the idea of that is, okay, worst-case scenario, we bring in a guy like Jada Baron, elite premium talent at a position that we value very

much in today's game. And the idea is that, okay, hey, these guys could both play at, you know, in 2025. But maybe if J-MAC gets a better offer or, you know, somewhere else and he goes elsewhere, okay, well, J-Dade slips right in and plays, I think primarily, sir, both J-Dade and J-Mack are going to play no matter well, right? Even if J-Mack wins the job, J-M-A-Dade is going to play, I think, quite a bit. And there's times where, look, you could be flexible defensively. You could go in your dime package where dime is six defensive backs, nickel is five defensive backs. But in your dime, who's to say you can't put Jadae and J. Mack both in the slot and you can have Riley and Pat on the outside.

And then you could switch up. You could either have a covered safety there alongside Brandon Jones or it could be Talano, Oufanga, it could be JL Skinner. You could be very creative with your personnel in the dime with these guys. And I think the one thing that is going to separate these two here, Sarah, in terms of this competition. I think in the preseason, how they both do, because this is the strength of theirs. I think Jadae and J-Quon are great tacklers for what they're able to do from that nickel position that they played. Obviously, Jadae at Texas, J-Mac here in the NFL. And I think they

have really great ball skills as well. So I think this is going to be one that's going to go down to the wire here for training camp. But regardless, both of these guys will be on the 53-man roster. Yeah, it's kind of a win-win-win situation, right? If you watch the office, it's like the ultimate conflict resolution. Win, win, win. You want to have that sort of situation because these two guys, competition is going to bring out the best in both of them.

And if it brings out the best in both of these guys, that benefits the Broncos on the field. And it also benefits J-Quan Macmillan in terms of getting that new contract and getting as much money as possible. Slot corners in the NFL aren't compensated as well as outside corners, which like you mentioned, Cody, based on the degree of difficulty of their job,

does not really make much sense, especially because they're still playing, you know, 65 or more percent of the snaps. I feel like one of the biggest reasons why maybe the fan base is a little bit down on Jayquan Macmillan or maybe some folks are kind of writing him off right now is that his impact wasn't felt as much in a short condensed like window as it was back in 2020. When he came in in 23, first of all, it was out of nowhere. And second of all, it was like one turnover after another after another. And then there's a tackle for loss.

And then there's a big time sack. And so he was just doing all these different things in such a short period of time during that Broncos winning streak last season or two seasons ago, excuse me. But last season, he's a full time starter or a full time player. And you're not quite making the same level of, oh, my gosh, like this guy is a turnover machine, right? It was a little bit more of a struggle. He had a few more penalties than people would like.

He gave up some big plays after the catch, you know, things like that. And so to me, I do think this is a win, win, win situation for these guys. And the idea has to be discussed. Like, not that it's going to happen, but there's a lot of teams that need corners around the league. I mean, a lot, a lot of teams that need corners. And if the Broncos feel super good about Jada Baron after training camp and Chris Abrams Drain and the other guys they have for Dev, does J-Quan, then become a trade candidate.

You not that you want to always trade from a strength, but at the same time, maximizing the value of your roster, getting those guys out onto the field. I mean, they're going to have the luxury of options. And I guarantee you they'll have teams calling. Yeah,

I just think with who the Broncos play this year, the amount of really good wide receiving groups, not just so like wide receiver ones that this team will face this year. I think there are a handful of teams that have very deep wide receiver rooms. I just think you need as many guys as you can, quality guys. I mean, I feel like unless there's an offer that just absolutely blows you out of the water at this point, I think you got to keep these guys in the mixture. But this is the one position group I'm excited about here for training camp competition.

I might be a little biased being a DB guy, but it is what it is. But we're also very excited. On the offensive side of all, the most talked about the most watch position battle, we anticipate here for training camp will be between J.K. Dobbins and rookie sensation R.J. Harvey. who comes away with the starting job. We'll discuss that here on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. Today's episode of Lockdown Broncos is brought to you by game time. Have you ever decided at the last minute to head to a ballgame with friends or family? Maybe it's game day and you suddenly realize like you would rather be in the stands than watching on TV, right?

That's exactly where game time comes into play. It's the easiest way to grab last minute tickets without the stress. And with the money that you save on tickets, you can then splurge on food, drinks, merch, other things that make games fun, or even invite a bigger group to come with you. GameTime makes that possible. Well, I just used GameTime recently to go see Metallica, my off-time favorite band. And of course, the one thing that I liked about is I got to see exactly what my view from my seat was going to look like inside of the GameTime app with the panoramic view feature on top of that because it was last minute. Prices were also a little bit lower as the concert got a little bit closer.

So I snag tickets to Metallica and I rocked out all my little bit. long and you can rock out too for concerts or your favorite sporting events. So take the guests, we're going to buy in concert and show tickets with game time. Download the game time app, create an account and use code locked on NFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, create an account and redeem code L-O-C-E-D-O-N, NFL for $20 off. Download the game time out today. Last minute tickets, lowest price guaranteed.

More so than just the distinction of being RB1 in the Denver Broncos offense. There's competition for touches up and down the depth chart. Going into Broncos training camp here in just a couple of weeks, Broncos country, pretty soon football season is going to be in full swing. So we appreciate you all for rocking with us every single day during the dog days of the off season where you know your boys, Cody and Sarah got you covered with all things Denver Broncos. Hit subscribe if you haven't done so already so you don't miss a single episode of the show. And Cody, this is where I think the discussion about training camp competitions gets really

fascinating because running back is a layered conversation. It's a competition for the top spot on the depth chart. It's a competition for who's going to have the most touches, who's going to be featured on third downs, who's going to be featured in the passing game. Will the Broncos keep three? Will they keep four? Could they do more? I mean, there's so many different aspects of this competition that are going to heat up over the course of training camp, the preseason, joint practices with the Cardinals. It's going to be a lot of fun to watch. But obviously, the conversation starts. with who is going to be the starter. Is it going to be J.K. Dobbins or R.J. Harvey.

Yeah, I think really it's going to boil down to these two guys as the starter here. I think there'll be two subcategories here that will highlight in the Broncos running back competition. First off, let's dive into who we think can be the starter here. I think that you're going to see an Apple opportunity here for R.J. Harvey to maybe earn this job, but the Broncos brought in J.K. Dobbins, because when healthy, he is a proven starter. He's a quality producer at the running back. position and he's a guy I think that could be effective for them in key areas like the goal line,

whereas the Broncos didn't have a lot of success on the ground. I mean, Sarah, even go back to 2023 when Javante came back from his injury. I know he's not on the team anymore, but I think this was a trend that is important to highlight because this carried over into 2024, short yardage situations goal line. Jvante struggled. J.K. Dobbins, this is where he excels and where he'll be the biggest boost here to the Broncos offense, regardless if he's the starter or if he's not. I think goal line situation is short yardage.

We will see him here. Potentially R.J. Harvey, too. But for J.K., he's proven, he's got the proven experience factor to the equation here. Now, the biggest question for him is, can he pick up Sean Payton's offensive scheme quickly? Because there's a lot that you have to learn. There's a lot you have to know in terms of what Sean wants from the running back position and how that expands beyond just the running game, right? It's the past catching game as well out of the backfield.

We'll see that with J.K. But that's where I think R.J. Harvey will come in and be the wildcard. I mean, Sarah, his explosiveness, his change of pace, I think his vision that he has here. It's everything that the Broncos offense has been lacking in the last handful of years at this position exclusively. When I look at a guy like R.J. Harvey, I think he can be your starter. But I also look at him as the one guy that is your potential home run hitter from this position. And the Broncos haven't had a guy like this in quite some time. I know they have had guys like speed, you know, with speed like obviously Jal McLaughlin,

but RJ Harvey is a legit home run hitter here for this Broncos offense. And that's where I think this competition will boil down to. Can the rookie pick it up a lot quicker than the veteran who's learning a new system? I do think it's going to boil down between these two guys. How do you see this kind of shaping out in your eyes? I think you're 100% spot on there, Cody. It's really a situation of what's the situation, right? That's the funny part about it is situationally, you feel like you can use a number of different guys.

It's almost like your running backs in the NFL these days can almost, they can be used kind of like relief pitchers in baseball to where you feel like, hey, this guy's good against left-handed hitters. This guy's good against right-handed. This guy who's batting his struggles against sliders. Like, what are you trying to exploit from the defense that you're facing? Do they struggle outside the tackles to make plays? Do they struggle between the tackles? Do they struggle with speed? Do they struggle with power?

I feel like you can really exploit whatever defense you're playing. And to your point, Cody, about finishing at the goal line or around the goal line, I feel like that's an area this team is going to be substantially improved because last season, Javante Williams had eight carries inside the five for one yard. I mean, that's crazy. And you don't see a lot of guys racking up yards from inside the five, right? I think the leaders are usually somewhere around the 25 to 30 total yards. But I mean, what does that say on eight carries inside the five to have one yard and one touchdown?

That's a huge problem for your offense being able to close out drives. I know folks wanted to say, well, last year the Broncos offense was lucky to finish in the top 10 in scoring because they played the Chiefs backups. And the defense scored a couple of touchdowns for them. It's like, no, they were lucky that they didn't finish. Other teams were lucky. The Broncos didn't finish top three. or top five in scoring because they couldn't cash in on the short yardage or the tight red zone, inside the 10, inside the five.

You've got to have guys who can situationally upgrade your team in that way. J.K. Dobbins does that. RJ Harvey even does that as well, Cody. I just feel like there's so many different ways this running back group can be utilized situationally to make this team better in 2025. I agree with you. And look, Broncos, country, want to hear from you. Make sure you comment or you mentioned to us on social media,

who you think will win the starting job between JK. Dobbins, RJ Harvey, that's what we anticipate it'll boil down between those two guys here. But let's get to the other subcategory here. Who will be that other primary back here behind those two guys, right? Jalil McLaughlin, Audrake Estimate, Blake Watson, Tyler Biday, entered training camp as the options there. Whereas right now on paper, Jalil McLaughlin is the favorite. And he's got the most important thing that Sean Payton is looking for out of anybody right now at that running back room. And that is the trust factor.

Jalil's a guy who doesn't fumble the football. He protects the football. He does things the right way. And this is a guy who's just an extremely hard worker and he's efficient with his touches. That's what makes it a lot harder, you know, if the Broncos are looking at guys like Adric Estimate. And this boils down to the question, how many running backs do they actually keep here on the 53? That's the mystery right now.

But right now, Jilulow Flathlin has the advantage over guys like Audrake Estimate. And I would say guys like Tyler Bade and even Blake Watson will have the advantage overestimate at this point right now going into training camp. How much do you feel like special teams is going to play a factor here, Cody, because I know that that wasn't really a huge part of the conversation last year with running backs. The Broncos kept four guys and they had at 1.5 running backs on the roster. And that wasn't even with Michael Burton being on the 53.

So you have plenty of history here to look out with Sean Payton in terms of he wants to utilize the guys that he has. and I think he believes that they can, I feel like he legitimately believed last year that Badegh could emerge as his number one back, unfortunately suffered the injury against the Jets. And I think we saw how much he likes him based on the fact he brought him in for that game against Buffalo when he was coming off the injury, which surprised both of us. So to me, I wonder how much the special teams factor in?

We've talked about Blake Watson as a potential secondary return man. Do you think, do you think Jalil could go back there and do that? that? I mean, is that something that with his ball security, his speed, his vision, I feel like that may be an area where he could be an underrated asset as well. Yeah, 100%. I will tell you that during the Broncos offseason program, we saw, you know, not necessarily Blake Watson because he was on the side field. He suffered some sort of injury. Tyler Badee and Jalue MacLoughlin were fielding kick returns in terms of their special teams units there. Like they were getting reps there, catching the football. So I think 100% yes. And it goes back to even like what Sean Payton was talking about Pierre Thomas. Remember he mentioned that Pierre had a return.

What was it in the NFC championship game or in the Super Bowl that got them to like near the 50 R line or something like that? He said, wow, that was just like a difference maker. I think about that. Special teams will be a huge determining factor. And this is where Audra Kessmay has the complete disadvantage because he's not going to be a returner for you. He just doesn't have the speed there, though he's got the physical bulky upper body. I truly think now, like with the Broncos edition, of R.J. Harvey's there. I think it puts a guy like Blake Watson probably a little bit more

closer to the shelf than anything because I know teams were interested in taking him last year off the practice squad Demer to bring him up to 53. But the addition to Harvey and J.K. Dobbins changes that outlook, that entire room here. So I don't necessarily think Blake Watson is necessarily the safest, nor is Audrake Estimate. Whereas I think Tyler Badegh, I feel like could be an explosive returner alongside Marvin Mims on kick return. I think Julelea McLaughlin has the chance to do that as well. Those two guys have a chance there. And I think that's what we'll separate over all this running back room. So who knows how it's going to go. And once again, Sean Payton told us, don't count. He said,

you're going to be wrong. So maybe we will be wrong. We'll see where things are at here. But that's the, that's the idea of training camp. We're going to see these guys on a day-to-day basis, preseason production, and then roster cuts after that third and final preseason game here. Who knows how this one's going to play out here? Broncos country, make sure you let's know your thoughts on how you think the running back room will shape out here for the Broncos starter, rotation, how many backs they keep. Make sure you let us know. We appreciate you. But the next biggest training camp competition battle that we're going to have our eyes on is

at the inside linebacker position. Who starts next to Dre Greenlaw? Better and Alex Singleton has some competition. We'll tell you who it is here on today's episode of the show. The inside linebacker position is going to be one of the more important pieces for the Broncos defense if they hope to have sustainable success here in 2025. Health is going to be paramount. here. And while there are questions at this room going into training camp here, the biggest one is

who starts next to Drake Greenlaw, the Broncos key offseason free agent acquisition. We'll dive deep and all that here on today. Show Broncos Country. Thanks to all the everydayers out there for tuning in and rocking with us. As always, make sure you're subscribed. So you never miss out on what's going on with your favorite team. Sarah, this is, I feel like the most important position battle on the defensive side of the ball here. And there's so many questions, even though we know who one starter is, so much of the success and sustainability of this room right here is going to be health, which right now you look at that room, there's not a lot of confidence in the health factor, I think being something that happens here.

But you're hoping and banking that what Bo Lowry and Sean Payton have done to transform the health side of things will help guys like Alex Singleton, guys like Dre Greenlock, etc. But we know Drey's going to be the starter here for the Broncos, but we don't know who the other starter is going to be, as the Broncos have indicated, that Singleton will have competition for that starting job. Yeah, and you and I did an episode about some bold predictions that we were making for the team in terms of who could lead the team in tackles, you know, and I think that I may have convinced myself that I think Alex Singleton is kind of the runaway for the other starting linebacker job.

You know, it's it shouldn't come as that big of a surprise. And I think in the off season, it's the ideal opportunity to kind of talk yourself out of guys, you know, players who have been around for a bit. you kind of get maybe a little bit of just that fatigue of like let's get let's get something new in there let's get somebody young in there let's get the breakout candidates in there and I get that and I want to see young guys break out for this team but I mean singleton he was on pace for another 170 tackle season two in a row that would have been for him and if he could go back from that ACL injury and be back to that form I just feel like having green law next to him is going to upgrade that position

so tremendously. Like when Josie Jewel was around, Cody, it felt like Singleton's abilities were enhanced in every way, right? And it's because I think you have a guy that you can lean on a little bit more on the other side. Like Cody Barton wasn't even supposed to be a full-time starter for this Denver defense. They were rotating other guys in and out. And it was, you know,

meant to be a competition. So I don't know that the same level of trust existed with Singleton and Barton as it did with him and Josie and as it can with him and Drey Greenlaw. So I think Singleton is going to be so much better with Drey Greenlaw out there that it's almost like a resurgence type of year for a guy, even though he's going to be 31, 31, 32 years old this season. Yeah, no, I think right now Singleton on paper, and I think it's if healthy, I think it will run away with it.

I think that that's just kind of where the Broncos envision. I think that's what the Broncos want. Ideally, yes, little competition. It's meant to increase your overall production. It's going to challenge whoever is not the solid starter right there. Singleton's got competition because he's coming off of injury. If Singleton didn't tear his ACL last year, Sarah, there's no competition going into training camp for his spot. And I think that's the right thing to do here by the Broncos coaching staff is, hey, we understand you're coming off of a major injury here.

And we hope you can get back to playing at the level you were previously where, you know, once again, you're 170 tackles here, wherever the football is here. And we believe the addition that we made of adding Drey Greenlaw is going to help you play more freely and make it to where maybe we could blitch you more. We could drop him back into coverage or we can vice versa. You know, I know that there people are always talking about, you know, coverage and tight ends and this and that. Drey Greenlaw was the reason they were, you know, they brought him in. It was to be effective in the middle of the field in that regard, whether it be man or his own coverage. We'll see. But for a guy like Alex Singleton, you know, you're going to have to hold off Justin Sternod who got his first starting experiences really in the NFL, like full-time.

sample size there because of the injury here. And Sternod did better than a lot of people were talking about. You know, down the stretch, I think there was just this compounded frustration with the amount of big plays given up on the middle of the field. And people are like, ah, Sternod's the reason. It was multifaceted there. We'll dive into that some other day.

Sternod is an ascending player who's obviously developing and has been able to earn a second contract with the Broncos, the third contract essentially when you talk about him resigning two years in a row. That's awesome for the Broncos. who really he's the last of the John L.A. draft class in the Mile High City here. So look at all those extenuating circumstances. And then Drew Sanders, who George Payton said at the NFL Combine, the team believes he can be a starter.

I mean, Sarah, I would say this is Alex Singleton's job to lose unless there's just this groundbreaking explosive transformation here by Drew Sanders or Justin Sternard that make it undeniable for them to say, hey, we're going to uproot a veteran, a team captain here, for a younger option. who maybe has a little more upside at this point. I mean, it would have to be that. I don't think that Alex Singleton's going to get upended here. And I think it's easy for people like me to, you know,

we write the articles in the offseason, like who's under make or break type of pressure? Who's like under the most pressure this offseason to win a job or they could be cut? Like the Broncos aren't at that place with Drew Sanders right now. They're just not. He has two years left on his deal. and beyond this season, I think he still has a chance to develop. Like, there's no reason to write Drew Sanders off if he doesn't win the job this offseason because it does feel like it would be really a huge hurdle to clear for him to beat Alex Singleton.

If Alex is healthy playing next to Dre Greenlaw, those guys are going to elevate what could be a number one defense in the NFL. Now, if Drew doesn't get on the field, if somebody goes down with an injury, that would be a little bit concerning to me because to me you want a guy like that to be ready to go if somebody is hurt. You want him to be at that point this year. Play special teams. Come in as needed. Be an effective blitz package player.

When we throw you on the field, we expect you to create pressure. It creates some havoc. Be a quarterback spy, things like that. But beyond being a starter, I still think there's a place for Drew Sanders on this team. And I believe that his starting potential isn't limited to whether or not. he wins a job this off season. That's one of the biggest misconceptions I think about Drew right now is that he has to become a starter in 2025 or it's done.

Like I think there's a chance that the Broncos could try to replace him next off season if he doesn't win the starting job this year. But I think next year is where you're really in that make or break situation. And that's because Alex Singleton will be a free agent after this year. He's one of those guys that we don't necessarily talk about often in terms of being in a contract year for the Broncos. Yeah. Well, and look what happened with.

Justin Sternard throughout the early portion of his care, right? Obviously, he missed all of his rookie season because he suffered a really crazy nerve injury on his hat on his wrist because he broke his wrist, but there was nerve damage there. And he almost ended up losing it. Like he almost had to have his hand amputated. I don't think people remember that there. So he missed his entire rookie season, but you look at 2021, he started in five games at linebacker, appeared in 16 games there.

But in 2022, when the Broncos finally had a fully healthy Josie Jewel and they had established, you know, obviously a guy like Alex Singleton coming on to the scene. They had those guys there. He appeared in 17 games and started in zero for the Broncos at linebacker played a lot of special teams, right? So if Drew Sanders isn't getting on the field here for Denver this year defensively, you know, unless there's a package role for him. But if he's not getting on the field defensively, Sarah,

he has to be on the field for special teams and those facets there, I think in order to justify a roster spot here. If he becomes a core four special teams player, if he doesn't win the starting job at linebacker here, I think that'll say a lot about, okay, hey, the Broncos still believe in his development. If we don't see him hardly on any special teams

or maybe one or two units and he's not getting on the field, then I would be a little bit worried. But I think Drew is too physical of a freak athlete to not be on this roster. I'm excited and I hope everything up here mentally. I hope it can click for him because if it does, this is a guy who's fast, physical. I think can have an impact here in the NFL,

but it's just about getting those things to click and be in unison at a very important time of his development at linebacker. Also considering that this wasn't his fault, the team kind of put him in a tough spot by switching him positions two years in a row. Now he's finally back at the position they drafted him to play initially in his third year. That's hard. That's hard right there, I think, for anybody to overcome. But can he do that?

That's obviously the biggest question in Broncos country. We want to hear from you. How do you think the linebacker position is going to play out here at training camp here for the Denver Broncos as Sarah and I have highlighted. the top three position battles we feel like will take place. Do you agree with our choices here on today's episode of the show? Let me make sure you let us know here, Broncos Country. We appreciate you so much.

But that will lead us into our actual training camp position previews beginning. Next week, we're going to take a look at the quarterback position and look at the biggest question surrounding that room. And we'll Denver keep three players on the 53 at QB. We'll debate and discuss that much more on Monday's episode. Lockdown Broncos, Broncos Country. Enjoy your weekend. See you next time.

Thank you.