Broncos linebacker 'doing well' handling pressure role

Perhaps Sean Payton wasn't clear last time.

The coach reiterated again at the start of organized team activities last week that the Denver Broncos view Drew Sanders as an inside linebacker going into his third season.

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"[T]he vision is clear: inside linebacker," Payton said last Thursday. "We think he’s a pressure player. So, obviously, there’s ways where you can pressure that guy from a stacked position, or to an outside position. He’s doing well handling it.”

Three months ago, Payton made similar comments about Sanders at the NFL combine.

The Broncos had considered moving Sanders to outside linebacker last spring, but he settled into an inside position last fall, and the team plans to keep him there. Sanders was healthy for the team's final four games in 2024, and he totaled one sack (as an inside linebacker).

Sanders (6-5, 233 pounds) is now entering his third season in the NFL. He's in good health with no uncertainty about his position. That could perhaps make him poised for a breakout campaign, and the 24-year-old defender might even be a sleeper to win a starting job this summer. He will be a top name to watch at training camp.