The Broncos’ sudden interest in experienced linebackers comes as a result of a significant blow. Denver will not have Alex Singleton at its disposal for the season’s remainder.
Sean Payton said Wednesday that the team’s top tackler suffered an ACL tear during the Week 3 win in Tampa. Singleton is out for the year and will undergo surgery in two weeks, via the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson. Denver has since added both Kwon Alexander and Zach Cunningham to its practice squad; both veterans may soon be moving to the active roster.
This is an unfortunate development for all parties, as Singleton anchors Denver’s ILB group post-Josey Jewell and is set to turn 31 at season’s end. The Broncos re-signed the former UDFA in 2023 and have seen him author a prolific stretch — one that helped them rebound after a rough defensive start last season. Singleton has strung together back-to-back 160-plus-tackle seasons, not missing a game during that span in Denver.
Payton said Singleton played two thirds of Sunday’s game with the tear, but knowing the injury’s severity obviously changes the team’s plans. Cunningham and Alexander join a thin linebacking corps, which lost Jewell after the six-year contributor reunited with Ejiro Evero in Charlotte. The Broncos also lost Jonas Griffith to another season-ending injury and are without hybrid linebacker Drew Sanders due to an offseason Achilles tear. Sanders may well be back before season’s end, but the team still does not have much behind import Cody Barton. Special-teamer Justin Strnad and former UDFA Kristian Welch are in place on Denver’s 53-man roster.
The Broncos have Singleton on a three-year, $18MM contract. Initially acquired to play in Evero’s defense in 2022, Singleton signed a low-end contract after the Eagles non-tendered him as an RFA. Despite Philly seeing the Montana State alum rack up 137 tackles in his second season as a regular on its defense, Singleton was not deemed a priority for a team that has not spent much at that position in recent years. The Broncos paid Singleton in 2023, doing so despite having already given Jewell a midlevel deal. After Singleton’s 177-tackle season — complete with two 20-plus-tackle games — he ended up taking Jewell’s place as the team’s highest-paid off-ball ‘backer.
Singleton, who totaled two sacks last season and has registered six tackles for loss in two straight years, does not have any guaranteed money left on his deal post-2024. Originally a 2015 UDFA, he ended up debuting in the NFL late after a three-year stay with the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders. As Singleton has made up for lost NFL time, he has encountered a high hurdle. The Broncos, who rank sixth in scoring defense and third in yardage, will also face significant questions as they are set for 14 games without their 2022 find.