The Las Vegas Raiders' four-win campaign in 2024 was even more brutal considering the other three AFC West teams all won 10 or more games and made the playoffs. As a result, the Raiders entered this offseason with the understanding that they had plenty of ground to make up in the division.
Pete Carroll and John Spytek are seemingly the best leadership tandem the team has had in recent memory, and Geno Smith has the potential to be the best quarterback since Rich Gannon. Various other strong additions to the roster have increased the confidence in the building and the fan base.
Improving is just one piece of the puzzle, as the Silver and Black also need to be better than their divisional counterparts if they want to make waves. The Denver Broncos are in a bit of hot water at one key position in training camp, which helps, but unfortunately, it is due to a string of injuries.
Broncos linebacker corps riddled with injuries after one week of camp
On Sunday, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirmed that Broncos linebacker Drew Sanders suffered a foot injury, which will sideline him for at least the start of the season. While Sanders is not a starting inside linebacker, he has been a key depth piece in Denver after being a third-round pick in 2023.
This offseason, the Broncos gave a three-year contract worth $31.5 million to former San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw. While he is one of the best in the league when healthy, he has only played in every game during one season and has suffered two season-ending injuries in four years.
Earlier in the offseason, Greenlaw suffered a quad injury that kept him out for a period of time. According to DNVR Sports, Greenlaw hurt his leg again at training camp, and while it was unrelated to his quad injury, it is another ailment for the 28-year-old nonetheless.
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Alex Singleton, who joined the Broncos back in 2022, also sustained an injury during training camp. According to reports, he broke his thumb, and while he is only expected to be out for a week, this is a pivotal time that Denver's linebacker room is missing.
With starters Dre Greenlaw and Alex Singleton out, and key backup Drew Sanders also sidelined, the Broncos have been rolling with a skeleton crew at linebacker during training camp. These reps may be valuable for the end-of-the-roster players, but it's bad news for the team overall.
Last season, Singleton played just three games, Sanders played four and Greenlaw played two. While that officially has no bearing on what may happen this season, it is concerning for Denver to see all three of these players injured once again in camp.