Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell are penciled in as the Denver Broncos’ starting inside linebackers, but there will be competition for snaps.
Denver used a third-round draft pick on Baron Browning in April’s draft, and Justin Strnad (a fifth-round pick in 2020) is back after missing last season due to injury. Browning and Strnad might not push for starting spots at training camp, but they will push for rotational roles.
Johnson isn’t opposed to a linebacker rotation.
“Me and Josey are going to be the starting guys just from our performance and how we carry ourselves on the field,” Johnson said on June 7. “Rotation wise — we’ve been rotating pretty good with the Strnad and the other guys. The new guy [Browning] we got in hasn’t been able to rotate with us much [because of injury]. It’s more so getting out there and playing. Rotation is good.
“When you’re able to have rotation and keep your starting guys a little fresher, it carries over to being able to generate more plays and having more energy to exert on a play instead of playing 80 snaps. Playing 80 snaps in a game can wear on you and that’s when fatigue kicks in and you’re less disciplined. When you have 80 snaps per game, over time, fatigue kicks in. If we’re able to rotate more, I feel like we’ll have fresher legs on each play.”
Keeping Johnson and Jewell fresh should help both starters stay healthy and productive in Denver’s first-ever 17-game season. The two linebackers combined to total 237 tackles, 10 quarterback hits, six pass breakups, three sacks and two forced fumbles last year.
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