Sean Payton Highlights Important Development for Drew Sanders

Drew Sanders may have become something of an afterthought around the Mile High City, but he's still very much a priority to the Denver Broncos.

The team's 2023 third-round pick is supremely talented, but Sanders has been one of the most snake-bitten players I've ever covered. The Broncos drafted him as an inside linebacker, playing him at that position in his one and only full healthy season.

After his rookie year, the Broncos moved Sanders to outside linebacker. That's when the injury problems began, though it obviously had nothing to do with his position change. It was just bad luck.

The Broncos then moved Sanders back to inside linebacker, which is where he was playing last summer when he suffered his season-ending foot injury in training camp. Fast forward to 2026, and he's back at outside linebacker.

So Far, So Good

The good news is that Sanders managed to stay healthy throughout the Broncos' 2026 offseason, which is clearly the first step toward fulfilling the team's hopes for him. The practice format of OTAs and minicamp makes it a bit harder to get a read on front-seven players, but head coach Sean Payton likes what he has seen from Sanders thus far.

“He’s doing well out here playing an edge position. He’s instinctive," Payton said of Sanders after Day 2 of minicamp. "He’s at one of those positions [where] it’s hard to evaluate with what we’re doing right now. He can get the alignment, the assignment, all of that."

If Sanders can stay healthy, it's only a matter of time before his unique combination of size, speed, and athleticism pops on the gridiron. Fingers crossed.

"There’s a young player that, knock on wood, we feel like is really talented, and stay healthy and really get a good… This is one of the offseasons he’s coming into this portion of training camp healthy, so I’m encouraged with that," Payton said.

Payton's First Broncos Draft Class

Denver Broncos linebacker Drew Sanders | Getty Images

Sanders was part of Payton's first draft class as Broncos head coach. The Broncos have gotten two great players out of that maiden class thus far — second-round receiver/returner Marvin Mims Jr. and third-round cornerback Riley Moss — along with two good role players in sixth-round safety JL Skinner and seventh-round center Alex Forsyth. It would be a cherry on top if the team could get something out of Sanders in his contract year.

With the shake-up that Jonathon Cooper's off-the-field trouble has had on the outside linebacker room, Sanders could be an insurance policy — if he can stay healthy. Whether the Broncos choose to stand by Cooper throughout this legal trial remains to be seen, but if they do, he's staring down the barrel at a likely six-game suspension for violating the NFL's Personal Conduct Policy.

That means the Broncos need a fifth guy to emerge and really give them the confidence to move forward because that first six-week schedule is brutal. If Sanders suffers any health setback, the Broncos would still have the option to approach Von Miller, if the 37-year-old is still available.

Miller has been very public in his desire to return to the Broncos. So far, though, the team has not reciprocated an interest. Sanders may have something to do with that.

We'll know more when training camp hits in late July. The pads will go on soon after, and it probably won't take us long to find out whether Sanders can avoid the injury bug in Year 4.

Here's to hoping. He's a talented kid. He's just go to stay on the field.

As a Bronco, Sanders has appeared in 21 games, 17 of which were his rookie year, including all four of his career starts. He has tallied 32 tackles (17 solo), a sack, and a forced fumble.

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