Broncos ILB Battle: Frontrunner in Replacing Josey Jewell Revealed

The Denver Broncos have a big hole to fill at inside linebacker with Josey Jewell gone. Who fills the vacuum?

Sep 25, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos linebacker Jonas Griffith (50) celebrates after an interception in the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Empower Field at Mile High. / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

With Alex Singleton anchoring one of the inside linebacker positions, the Denver Broncos are searching for his counterpart and a potential Josey Jewell replacement. While Cody Barton is the frontrunner, his performance might not match Jewell's.

Despite the limited options on the Broncos roster, other potential candidates could bring a new dynamic to the team. Drew Sanders would likely be the favorite if the Broncos had decided he should stay at inside linebacker instead of playing him back and forth on the outside, and if he didn’t get hurt.

While working out early this offseason, Sanders tore his Achilles, which will see him miss most, if not all, of the season. He will start on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list and can see some action near the end of the season if he can recover. The odds are that he won’t play much, and this year is essentially a wash. 

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The best option might be Jonas Griffith, who showed great promise as a starter in 2021 and 2022, but he missed last season with an injury. In 2022, he started eight games and played nine before he was sidelined with an injury.

There's now a significant concern about Grffith's ability to stay on the field. However, he did well in all aspects despite significant inconsistencies. Cutting down those inconsistencies will be vital for winning and holding onto a starting job. 

Both seasoned NFL players, Justin Strnad and Andre Smith, have been valuable assets as special teams players. However, to secure their positions on the team, they need to demonstrate their defensive capabilities.

Strnad, a fifth-round pick by the Broncos in 2020, and Smith, a seventh-round pick by the Carolina Panthers in 2018, have the potential to make a significant impact on defense if they can step up. Strnad has only played 319 snaps on defense, 314 of them in 2021, and his play was some of the worst I have ever seen. He was picked on in coverage and unreliable as a run defender, and he eventually got benched.

Despite being in the NFL longer, Smith has played 201 snaps on defense. His play wasn’t any better, but he did show improvements in limited action last season for the Atlanta Falcons. The Broncos could potentially build upon those improvements. 

Then there is Levelle Bailey, an undrafted rookie out of Fresno State, whom Sean Payton highlighted early as a starter option. Bailey quickly got the attention of the coaches, especially the head coach, and that can’t hurt his chances of making the roster or even landing a starting spot. He was a quality run defender in college, but he has to improve coverage if he wants to win the starting job, and special teams play would be a way to make the roster. 

Bottom Line: Griffith the One to Watch

Barton's experience is why many want to hand him the job, despite his consistently poor play, and why he was such a cheap signing in back-to-back offseasons. Griffith is the one to watch for the starting job, and Bailey is one to watch to land one of the depth spots. This will be an interesting battle, as this position group is among the worst in the NFL. 

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