LB Alex Singleton Happy He Didn't Get 'Screwed' by Broncos
The Denver Broncos went to great lengths to keep the 'Bash Brothers' together. In the wake of both Josey Jewell and Alex Singleton eclipsing the 100-tackle mark last year, the Broncos' front office faced a loose-end situation at inside linebacker.
Singleton — a career journeyman — was a free agent entering 2023, but the Broncos made relatively short work of re-signing him when the new league year opened. Denver's leading tackler, so used to getting passed over, was relieved when the Broncos stepped up to the plate with his three-year, $18 million deal.
“I didn’t really know," Singleton reflected on Tuesday. "Until there was numbers talks and a contract put out there, it was a waiting game. But once they sent over the first contract it was, ‘Alright, we’re staying in Denver. Cool. Let’s just finish it up.’ And they did it pretty quickly on the first day. I was stressed because, like I said, it took eight years, so I’m used to getting screwed, kind of. So it was nice to not to have that happen.”
Jewell was likewise pleased that the linebacker partnership he forged last year would remain intact.
“That’s awesome. It’ll be fun this year," Jewell said last week. "I’m excited to play beside him again and actually get some reps in the preseason, getting some reps in the OTAs with him, and a guy I’m going to play with. It’s going to be fun. It’s been good so far. We can do a wink and a nod and he knows when to go, and I know when to switch it, and stuff like that. So it’s been fun to be able to understand each others’ brains and when we’re going to do things.”
Both linebackers shined last year, but Singleton's numbers were jaw-dropping, especially when you consider that he only started 12-of-17 games and didn't garner consistent playing time until Week 5. He finished with 163 tackles (101 solo), six tackles for a loss, and a forced fumble. It was the third time in as many years that he eclipsed the 100-tackle threshold, the previous two coming in Philadelphia.
Jewell was excellent in his own right. After garnering a new two-year, $11 million contract in the spring of 2022, which came on the heels of a 2021 season mostly lost to injury, he did his part to repay the Broncos' faith in him with a career year. He totaled 128 tackles (70 solo), seven tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions.
Jewell once again enters a contract year, and he'll have to sing for his supper. The Broncos hedged against any potential setbacks with either veteran by investing a third-round draft pick in Drew Sanders this year.
However, with a little luck by way of the injury bug, the Broncos' top two linebackers are poised to have another productive campaign together. Only this time, it'll be in Vance Joseph's hybrid scheme.
“It’s huge," Singleton said of reuniting with Jewell. "We’re together all the time. It’s kind of weekends, dinners, it’s kind of everything. [We] know what each other are thinking, especially on the field, and it’s easy for us to play off each other. When you’re with a guy—it feels like a lot longer than the short time we’ve had together, which is huge. Just these five, six weeks now that we’ve had, every rep, every install, we’ve sat next to each other for a year and half. So even before we were playing together, we always talked about stuff, whether it was from the same perspective or a different perspective on the field. It’s just always kind of aligned, so it’s awesome to be able to do it now full time. We’re excited to once these three days are over, come back, put pads on, really get it going, and get ready for Week 1.”
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