Zack Baun made a lot of sense for the Denver Broncos — if he had hit the open market. Of course, that won’t happen now that the 2020 third-round pick of the New Orleans Saints will stay with the Philadelphia Eagles.
But the inside-linebacker market still has plenty of options for the Broncos — who appear set to change the room with Cody Barton and Justin Strnad both set to become unrestricted free agents and Alex Singleton heading into the final year of his deal as he prepares to return from a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
NICK BOLTON, KANSAS CITY
Perhaps the biggest name on the market, Bolton remains effective at the core of Kansas City’s defense, but some of his peripheral indicators have dropped over the course of his career, and questions linger as to whether he will be as effective without a future Hall of Famer like Chris Jones wreaking havoc in front of him. Bolton is the safest option. Much like right tackle Mike McGlinchey, a contract for him might end up being a slight overpay analytically, but if there is a price on stability after years of struggle, it will be worth the cost.
NOTABLE NUMBER: Last season, 44.5 percent of Bolton’s tackles resulted in stops as charted by Pro Football Focus, which ranked second among 84 inside linebackers with at least 300 snaps.
DRE GREENLAW, SAN FRANCISCO
Shut down after just 34 snaps last season, continued concern in the wake of the Achilles tendon rupture he suffered in Super Bowl LVIII could keep his price down. At the time Greenlaw played in December, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan noted that Greenlaw had soreness and fatigue. Another few months of rest ought to help him, but if the Broncos added him and placed him alongside Singleton, they’d have two inside linebackers returning from injury.
NOTABLE NUMBER: In his last full season, Greenlaw was one of just three linebackers to rank in the top 15 of run-stop rate and passer rating allowed in coverage per data compiled by Pro Football Focus among 83 inside linebackers with at least 300 snaps.
JAMIEN SHERWOOD, N.Y. JETS
A converted safety who added weight since breaking into the league to reach 234 pounds, Sherwood is a blend of speed and aggression, with the ability to go sideline to sideline, blitz and hold up well in coverage. The best could still be yet to come for him, given his relative newness to the position after making the transition.
NOTABLE NUMBER: Was one of just six inside linebacker among the 84 with at least 300 snaps to rank in the top 25 in both passer rating allowed and pressure rate in the pass rush, per Pro Football Focus data.
TYREL DODSON, MIAMI
Seattle waived Dodson in November because of his struggles against the run, but he quickly bounced back, landing with the Miami Dolphins and playing so well that he was the AFC Defensive Player of the Week in the penultimate week of the regular season.
Notable number: Dodson was first among 84 ILBs (minimum 300 snaps) in passer rating allowed in coverage, with opposing quarterbacks posting a 72.5 rating when throwing in his direction per PFF data. But Bolton also ranked 17th among those 84 ILBs in percentage of tackles that resulted in stops.
LAVONTE DAVID, TAMPA BAY
At the age of 35, he still brings sturdiness and leadership at the core of a defense, but there are signs that time is catching up with him. But he’s still effective on blitzes, ranking 32nd among 84 ILBs in pressure rate, and his 5.5 sacks in 2024 represented his highest tally in 11 years.
Notable number: David’s missed-tackle rate of one every 6.45 chances last year was the worst of his career and was 72nd of 84 inside linebackers.
