Broncos Wire’s 90-man offseason roster series continues today with a look at second-year linebacker Drew Sanders, No. 41.
Before the Broncos: Sanders (6-4, 233 pounds) started his college career at Alabama but struggled to get consistent playing time in a stacked defense. He then transferred to Arkansas ahead of his junior season and had a breakout year. Sanders earned first-team All-American honors in 2022 after totaling 103 tackles (13.5 behind the line), 9.5 sacks, five pass breakups, three forced fumbles, one interception and one fumble recovery in 12 games with the Razorbacks.
Broncos tenure: Denver picked Sanders in the third round of last year’s NFL draft. He played in all 17 games last fall, including four fill-in starts at inside linebacker. Sanders ended his rookie season with 258 snaps on defense (23%) and 297 snaps on special teams (64%). He was a candidate to move to outside linebacker full-time in 2024 before tearing his Achilles.
Chances to make the 53-man roster: Complicated. Sanders will likely begin the season on injured reserve and then become a candidate to return to the active roster once healthy. The Broncos have hinted that he could switch from ILB to OLB full-time this year, but we won’t know for sure until Sanders recovers from a torn Achilles.
