Friday Faceoff: What is a potential weakness for the Broncos in 2025?

Kyle Fredrickson, Broncos beat reporter

Answer: Inside linebacker

The Broncos are projected to start two inside linebackers who combined to miss 29 games last season due to injury. Will Alex Singleton and Dre Greenlaw fully recover to be dominant in 2025?

The answer might determine the ceiling for a talented defense.

Give general manager George Paton credit for being aggressive in free agency. Denver needed help up the middle of the defense. Enter: Greenlaw. The 28-year-old inside linebacker spent the last six seasons with the 49ers. He’s accustomed to the spotlight with 12 career playoff game appearances. But a torn Achilles tendon in Super Bowl LVIII derailed most of last season.

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Singleton, 31, was voted as a team captain in 2024 by teammates. The ex-CFL star proved that he belonged as the signal caller on Denver’s defense. But a torn ACL in Week 3 against the Buccaneers ended his season. Justin Strnad finished the year in his place.

Greenlaw and Singleton are full participants in training camp. But how are they mentally? The next few weeks will be critical to build chemistry playing together for the first time. That learning curve might be steep with both players coming back from significant injury.

The Broncos are stacked at virtually every other position on defense. But one weak link is enough to get exploited by the NFL’s best offenses. Denver won’t make a deep postseason run unless Singleton and Greenlaw are at their best.

That creates a possible weakness at inside linebacker.

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Evan Rawal, Avalanche beat reporter