Two Broncos Sleepers Poised for New Starting Role in 2025

Just like we saw in 2024, the Denver Broncos will need in-house players to step into starting roles in 2025. Here are two sleepers.

October 13, 2024: Denver Broncos defensive tackle Malcolm Roach (97) celebrates his fumble recovery with teammate Denver Broncos defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike (96) in the second half of the football game between the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers. The play was wiped out by a defensive holding call. | Derek Regensburger / IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

The Denver Broncos are officially in offseason mode after an early playoff exit capped off a successful season. While the Broncos only have 13 unrestricted free agents ready to hit the open market and a decent amount of salary-cap space to spend, they're going to find it difficult to fill all the needs on the team in one fell swoop.

The Broncos' first target has to be adding playmakers to the skill positions. If the team wants to do it right, it will take a sizable portion of Denver's spending cash.  

To maximize the Broncos' offseason, there must be some in-house players who make the next step into starting roles, as we saw with several players in 2024. But who is poised to follow suit in 2025?

Here are two Broncos flying under the radar.

Eyioma Uwazurike | DL

The defensive line is going to be a need next season with the impending departure of D.J. Jones in free agency. The Broncos seem set in the group after they brought in two key players in the offseason: Malcolm Roach and John Franklin-Myers.

Roach may be the next man up for the nose tackle spot, but don’t forget about Uwazurike. Both Roach and Franklin-Myers have a single year left on their respective contracts, so plans for the future need to be made now. Uwazurike's continued presence on the roster would indicate the Broncos have higher hopes for him than what we've seen so far.

Uwazurike was drafted when Nathaniel Hackett was the head coach in 2022, and then he was suspended for the entire 2023 season due to serious gambling accusations. Many thought that he'd never suit up in the Orange and Blue again, yet he was back on the team in 2024, and even though he returned late in training camp, he got snaps on defense in four games.

Furthermore, Uwazurike's rookie season looked promising. The fourth-round draft pick needed to develop and he did.

After only playing in two of the first four games, Uwazurike received significant snaps on defense in six of the Broncos' final seven contests. Uwazarike has the height, weight, and athleticism teams drool over, and he could continue to rise into a starting-caliber player.

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Levelle Bailey | ILB

Aug 25, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos linebacker Levelle Bailey (56) returns an interception for six points in the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The next position group that will see an overhaul is off-ball linebacker. Cody Barton and Justin Strnad are both unrestricted free agents and Alex Singleton is going to attempt a return from an ACL tear at 31 years old.

The Broncos got by after Singleton's injury with Strnad and some in-season pickups who aren't likely in the future plans. Remember, this unit was exposed as a weakness in the playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills.

The Broncos could very well replace Barton, Strnad, and Singleton in the offseason, a large task in one offseason. That's where Bailey comes in.

He was a surprise rookie who had a great preseason and made the Broncos' initial 53-man roster. Bailey played mostly on special teams through the regular season, but he brings something to the table that is often lacking from the Broncos' other inside linebackers: coverage ability.

That has value in a passing league, especially with dynamic tight ends who typically make mince meat of the usual linebackers on the Broncos' depth chart. As an added bonus, Bailey has a knack for making big plays when the team needs it late in the game.

The rookie's 94-yard interception return for a touchdown in the 2024 preseason finale is evidence of his playmaking ability. As Broncos legendary linebacker Karl Mecklenburg once told me, “Big plays in the fourth quarter are what makes a team great.”

Bailey has yet to play meaningful snaps on an NFL defense, so this is a projection based on his college experience translating to professional football. With the potential of the Broncos' inside linebacker crew having a full makeover, Bailey has a chance to slide into one of the starting roles.

Bottom Line

This free agency period will be interesting for the Broncos. The team has to improve if it wants to have any chance of achieving its goal of contending for a Super Bowl.

There are still some lingering effects of the Russell Wilson dead-cap hit, and the Broncos will need to spend wisely. Again, though, to make the most of the 2025 offseason, this team will need a few in-house players to step into starting roles next season, and these sleepers could be two of them.

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