Broncos Starting LB Alex Singleton Provides Injury Progress Report

The Denver Broncos defense suffered a major blow following the team's Week 3 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when starting inside linebacker Alex Singleton was lost for the season with a torn ACL. On the heels of former long-time starter Josey Jewell's free-agent departure to Carolina, the onus of expectation fell on Singleton to carry the mantle in the middle of the defense.

Cody Barton's arrival was a boon, but the two were still getting their groove together as Denver's starting linebacker duo when Singleton went down. Justin Strnad entered the equation in relief of Singleton, producing solid play to stanch the bleeding, initially, before eventually being a primary missed-tackle culprit down the stretch.

With Barton taking a deal with the Tennessee Titans, the Broncos need Singleton back. We heard from Singleton back during the Super Bowl with an encouraging injury update, and he later posted a video of himself sprinting in March. Earlier this week, though, he provided further insight into whether he'll be good to go for the Broncos' regular season.

“I still can’t technically fully say, but let’s just say that there should be no worries about ’49’ playing this year,” Singleton said via DNVR's Zac Stevens. “I’ll be out there.”

In other words, Singleton hasn't been cleared by the team doctors but that's because the Broncos haven't had a reason to. The team has held some offseason meetings but the voluntary workouts and organized activities won't really start — for the veterans — until May 27-29.

But make no mistake; Singleton feels good and every indication is that his recovery is on schedule. And says he's met with Broncos vice president of player health and performance Beau Lowery daily before starting treatment at team headquarters.

“It’s good. I feel like I’m on schedule. It’s feeling really good,” Singleton said via Stevens. “I’m working my way into doing things with the guys, which has been the most important thing to kind of be on that timeline with everyone else during the offseason. I’m able to do that. Full speed ahead for me. We’re going to just keep attacking this like everything else. Excited for this season.”

The Broncos signed Singleton in 2022, and after being thrust into a starting role, he produced a 163-tackle season. The Broncos then signed him to a three-year, $18 million extension.

Alongside Jewell, Singleton went on to notch a career-high 177 tackles in 2023 (106 solo), to go along with two sacks and two fumble recoveries. He was poised to perhaps reach even greater heights in 2024 before he suffered that ACL injury, totaling 31 tackles in three starts, the last of which he played hurt with that knee, only discovering after the Bucs win that he'd torn a ligament.

Turning 32 this coming December, the clock is ticking for the former Montana State star. NFL cliches about age abound, like 'Father Time remains undefeated,' which is true. But the biggest obstacle that even world-class athletes must contend with as time marches on is how it affects the healing process.

Even basic bumps and bruises take longer to heal at 31 years old than they did at 21. That fact is only compounded by severe injury, such as a torn ligament in a knee.

However, the all-smiles Singleton has one year left on his contract, and if the injury bug throws up no further obstacles, he'll line up next to what will be easily the most talented linebacker he'll have ever played alongside in new Broncos free agent Dre Greenlaw. Alas, Greenlaw has a serious injury history, which the team was aware of when it signed him, and a recent offseason quad injury might have Broncos fans a little apprehensive, but it shouldn't prevent him from participating in training camp or cost him any regular-season availability.

Even without Singleton and Jewell last year, the Broncos fielded a top-10 defense, both in scoring and total yards, and led the NFL in sacks. If the stars align, Singleton returning to his starting spot next to Greenlaw should give the Broncos a massive boost against the run and over the middle in coverage. That's never been Singleton's strong suit, but it is one of Greenlaw's.

Combined with the additions of Greenlaw, free-agent safety Talanoa Hufanga, and first-round cornerback Jahdae Barron, Singleton's return to the field could be the cherry on top for Vance Joseph's unit. There's a reason why the Broncos are predicted to field the NFL's top defense in 2025.

We'll look forward to future Singleton updates as the Broncos' offseason morphs into training camp, and the cleats really hit the grass.