Broncos' LB Karene Reid an 'Undrafted Rookie to Watch,' per CBS Sports

The Denver Broncos have a storied history of finding diamonds in the undrafted rough. From Super Bowl champions, like Rod Smith, Chris Harris, Jr., C.J. Anderson, and Shaq Barrett, to record-breaking Pro Bowlers, like Phillip Lindsay, Denver's undrafted legacy is arguably the NFL's most stalwart.

Each year, the Broncos sign a crop of free agents who didn't hear their name called in the draft. At least on undrafted rookie has made the team's 53-man roster out of training camp in 20 of the past 21 years.

Who could this year's undrafted find be? CBS Sports' Chris Trapasso taps former Utah Utes linebacker Karene Reid as the player to watch.

"Utah stays sending quality, well-coached defenders to the NFL. While Karene Reid doesn't have the drafted label of many of his Utah contemporaries, he had a fantastic four-year career there with 238 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, three interceptions and 10 pass breakups," Trapasso wrote. "He proved to be capable from his freshman season onward. I love that he's built more like a safety than a throwback linebacker at 6-foot and 231 pounds. Reid is coming off some final season injuries, but if healthy, he has the smarts and tenacity to make a name for himself on this loaded Broncos defense, particularly with Dre Greenlaw still not 100% from his Achilles tear in the Super Bowl two years ago."

For an undrafted rookie to crack an NFL roster out of camp, both the player and the circumstances have to be favorable. Trapasso did well to lay out Reid's measurables and resume, so let's examine the circumstances.

Lay of the ILB Land

Reid's quest to make the roster this summer will be significantly impacted by the lay of the land at linebacker. In a perfect world, the Broncos' starting inside linebacker duo is set: the aforementioned Greenlaw and Alex Singleton, both of whom have very recent and ongoing injury concerns.

In Greenlaw's case, he had the recent Achilles tear that Trapasso mentioned, and he suffered a quad injury not long after signing with the Broncos, which has kept him out of the offseason training program thus far. He has been at the facility, and while the Broncos expect him to be ready for training camp (late July), it is a question mark.

Singleton suffered an ACL tear in Week 3 last season, and has experienced no setbacks in his recovery. It would appear he's been cleared on some level to participate in practice, as he was out there during Thursday's OTA session open to the media. But he'll still be recovering from that ACL for the next year, even if he's able to be fully cleared to play and start come the regular season.

Behind the projected starters, the Broncos re-signed Justin Strnad, an experienced guy who stepped into the starting role last year in relief of Singleton, to a mixed bag of results. However, the Broncos brought Strnad back because defensive coordinator Vance Joseph trusts him, so push will have to come to shove to knock him off the roster.

Then we have Drew Sanders, the Broncos' 2023 third-round pick. Despite injuries and positional transitions that have impeded his momentum, the Broncos have stated publicly their belief in his future as a starter.

We might see him a lot this year, even if Greenlaw and Singleton stay healthy, because Sean Payton views Sanders as a "pressure player," even from the stacked linebacker slot. Plus, Sanders simply has that propensity and knack for being around the ball and making plays. He's raw, but it's a valuable trait.

Going deeper, Reid will have to eclipse 2024 undrafted rookie Levelle Bailey, who made the initial 53-man roster out of camp, thanks, in large part, to his magnificent performance in the preseason finale, which included a 94-yard pick-six. The Broncos like Bailey, but he's the epitome of unproven.

Fellow undrafted rookie JB Brown will also have something to say about the inside linebacker competition. A vocal player, Brown wasted little time making his voice heard upon being signed by the Broncos, talking about "taking someone's job." And then there's fellow undrafted rookie out of Michigan State, Jordan Turner.

While the Broncos don't have a completely stable inside linebacker corps replete with proven production, there are a lot of bodies. And if Denver's savvy penchant for mostly avoiding the injury bug at the collective scale holds true in 2025, the top-four guys will be a near-lock: Greenlaw, Singleton, Sanders, and Strnad.

Depending on how the special teams roster math shakes out, the Broncos could carry five inside linebackers. But the bottom line is, in order for a talented undrafted rookie like Reid to guarantee himself a spot on the 53-man roster, he'll need to leapfrog either Sanders or Strnad, which won't be easy to do, and stand out in the third phase.

Bottom Line

The obstacles in Reid's path, honestly, are no different than the challenge every undrafted rookie who's ever made an NFL roster out of camp has faced. At the end of the day, the only 'controllable' within Reid's grasp is his own comportment and performance, so if he takes care of business, earns the attention of the coaches during training camp, and makes some timely plays in preseason action, Trapasso's words could be prophetic.

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That's a lot of 'ifs.'