Broncos ILB Situation: 3 Free-Agent Fits in 2025

The Denver Broncos are facing some dire needs at inside linebacker.

Lance Sanderson | Feb 13, 2025

Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) is tackled by Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun (53) in Super Bowl LIX between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs at Ceasars Superdome. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

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Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos had one of the best defenses in the league in 2024, largely led by Vance Joseph’s incredibly aggressive play calling in his blitz-heavy scheme. For the majority of the season, the Broncos led the league in blitz percentage, finishing the season with the fourth-highest blitz rate at 35.7 percent.

Combine that with a ridiculously high level of man coverage from the secondary, and Denver’s defense was incredibly productive in getting after the quarterback, notching a league-high 63 total sacks.

Part of what made those sack numbers a historical mark in team history was the tremendous effectiveness of Cody Barton and Justin Strnad coming from the second level of the defense. Joseph schemed up several open rush lanes from the line of scrimmage, and Barton and Strnad took advantage at will.

Going to 2025, both Barton and Strnad are free agents, while Alex Singleton, who led the team in tackles the previous two seasons, is coming off of a torn ACL that prematurely ended his campaign. The Broncos are in a rough spot at the linebacker position moving forward, and free agency has a few options that could be a top priority.

Let’s break down the linebacker room and examine those options to fill the void.

Linebackers under contract for 2025: Alex Singleton, Drew Sanders, Levelle Bailey, KJ Cloyd

Singleton is the leader in the room, but as a see-ball-chase-ball type of linebacker coming off of a severe knee injury, there are questions as to his potential effectiveness in 2025.

Sanders is a toolsy prospect but has struggled as a “positionless” player at this point in his career and is coming off of a torn Achilles from last offseason. Sanders has a wonderful athletic upside, but he's still incredibly raw at the position and has a long way to develop into a reliable backup, let alone as a starting quality player.

Bailey spent the majority of the season on the practice squad, but he has special teams ability and could land a spot on the roster if the Broncos don’t make any high level moves to upgrade the roster.

Free Agent Priority: Extremely High

With injury concerns at the top of the linebacker depth chart as it currently stands, I look to the front office to address the position rather aggressively in free agency as well as potentially bringing Strnad back as a high-quality backup and special teams stalwart. Barton could be brought back as a veteran depth piece, though his consistency is a problem and the lows outweigh the highs on his tape.

This free agency class is loaded with talent, and there are some options to add in the draft as well.

Free-Agent Fits

Zack Baun | Philadelphia Eagles

This may be the one free agent that all of Broncos Country would agree upon as a priority signing this offseason. Baun, a former draft pick of Sean Payton in New Orleans, had a breakout season as an elite blitzing linebacker with coverage versatility for the Super Bowl Champions.

Baun posted an elite 90.9 coverage grade according to Pro Football Focus, the highest of any linebacker in the league last season, allowing 68 catches on 89 targets for 510 yards and one touchdown while also holding opposing quarterbacks to a second-lowest 79.3 passer rating when targeted.

When tasked with getting after the quarterback, Baun posted the third-highest pass-rush grade (74.2) of any linebacker with at least 100 pass-rush snaps, posting 20 total pressures and four sacks.

A Defensive Player of the Year finalist, Baun would fit perfectly in the Broncos' scheme and immediately become the best linebacker the team's had since Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan roamed the second level in 2015.

Dre Greenlaw | San Francisco 49ers

Even though Greenlaw is coming off of a torn Achilles tendon suffered in Super Bowl LVIII and didn’t play much in 2024, he's one of the more coveted linebackers in free agency this offseason.

Greenlaw has sideline-to-sideline speed, insane coverage ability at the second level, and is a tackling machine. In 2022 and 2023, he posted coverage grades of 82.6 and 79.5, respectively, according to PFF. His coverage grade in 2023 ranked eighth-highest of any player with at least 330 coverage snaps.

While the injury concerns are real, Greenlaw would be an instant starter for the Broncos defense that could be an elite coverage defender at the second level.

Robert Spillane | Las Vegas Raiders

Though Spillane has some deficiencies as a coverage linebacker, his playmaking ability as a tackler is among the league’s elites. He posted the third-highest tackling grade (83.4) of any linebacker with at least 900 snaps last season, as well as the second-highest run defense grade (87.3) of those players.

What makes Spillane stand out here is his third-lowest missed tackle percentage of those players, only behind Denver’s own Barton and Bobby Wagner from the Washington Commanders. Spillane had 13 total pressures and one sack as a pass rusher, which is similar production to what Barton brought from the second level.

If Singleton isn’t able to come back from his knee injury and the Broncos don’t bring Barton back, Spillane has a similar skill set that can step in and be a stabilizing force for Denver's defense.

Free-Agent Fits

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