At this point, Denver Broncos defender Drew Sanders is pretty much open to anything as long as it involves him actually playing in football games.
After missing 30 out of 34 regular-season games over the last 2 seasons, including all of the 2025 season with a foot injury, Sanders will try out a new role in 2026, although it’s 1 he’s already familiar with.
“Per sources, Drew Sanders is changing positions and going back to OLB this year,” DNVR’s Zac Stevens wrote on his official X account on Monday morning.
If Sanders is healthy, it would give the Broncos formidable depth at edge rusher behind 2-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year finalist Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper, who signed a $60 million contract extension in 2025.
Broncos Flip-Flopped Jonah Elliss & Drew Sanders
The Broncos’ tinkering with backup positions on defense is symbolic of what the bigger picture is in Denver, where they will have the NFL’s elite defense for the 3rd year in a row.
Sanders moving positions represents a flip-flop of sorts with another Broncos standout, with reports that edge rusher Jonah Elliss was moving from edge rusher to inside linebacker.
“(Broncos head coach) Sean Payton said Jonah Elliss is going to take some snaps at ILB,” The Denver Post’s Luca Evans wrote on X.
Elliss, 6-foot-2 and 248 pounds, has played his first 2 seasons as an edge rusher in a crowded position group for the Broncos that features not only Bonitto and Cooper, but also up-and-comer Que Robinson.
Sanders Seemed Primed to Make Impact in 2025
With presumed starters at inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw and Alex Singleton both recovering from serious injuries and likely to miss most, if not all, of the Broncos’ preseason training regimen in 2025, Sanders seemed primed to earn a spot on the roster in the offseason.
Sanders, a 2023 3rd round pick (No. 67 overall), missed all but the final 4 games of the 2024 regular season with a torn Achilles tendon suffered in April 2024 after playing all 17 games as a rookie.
“Drew Sanders is one of Denver’s more intriguing figures this offseason,” The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider wrote in May 2025. “The 2023 third-round pick has struggled to find a consistent role through position changes and an offseason injury last year. But he’s healthy and firmly slotted into the inside linebackers group, and he has the athletic talent to be an impactful player at the position for Vance Joseph. He could be in line for his most consistent string of reps since arriving in Denver.”
CFP National Title, All-American Honors in College
Sanders, 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, was a 5-star recruit and played 2 seasons at Alabama, where he won a College Football Playoff National Championship as a freshman, then became a full-time starter as a sophomore.
He transferred to Arkansas for his third and final college football season, earning All-American and All-SEC honors in 2022 with 103 tackles and 9.5 sacks. Sanders cemented his draft stock by running the 40-yard dash in 4.66 seconds at the NFL scouting combine, along with a 37-inch vertical leap.
“(Sanders) plays with good technique in take-ons and has plenty of pursuit range, but he’s still finding his footing with his run fits and tackle consistency,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in 2023. “He’s a tough out for interior protection as a blitzing linebacker and has natural rush talent to hunt quarterbacks off the edge. Sanders’ athletic gifts, versatility and toughness could help him become a highly impactful playmaker with Pro Bowl upside.”
Report: Broncos Make Position Switch for Former 3rd Round Pick