ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — With injuries striking their inside linebacker position the past week, the Broncos are planning to visit with veteran Mark Barron, multiple sources told 9NEWS.
Barron is currently going through the pre-entry COVID-19 process. Once he has three negative tests in a four-day period, he can visit with the Broncos on the fifth day.
Barron was a first-round draft pick, No. 7 overall, out of Alabama by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2012. He was a strong safety then but was later shifted to linebacker and is now listed at 6-foot-2, 230 pounds.
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He has also played for the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers. In his 8-year career, Barron has 15 interceptions, five forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, 12 sacks and 710 tackles.
Those numbers add up to defensive playmaker.
Although he is two months shy of his 31st birthday, Barron, if he winds up signing with the Broncos, would give the team an inside linebacker with the speed to cover a tight end and running back.
In the past week, the Broncos lost fifth-round rookie linebacker Justin Strnad to a season-ending wrist injury and veteran starter Todd Davis is down with a strained left calf.
Strnad was going to get a chance to eventually become the Broncos’ third-down linebacker. The Broncos are hopeful Davis can be ready to play Game 1 against Tennessee on September 14. However, Davis suffered a strained right calf in training camp last tear and his recovery took longer than expected as he missed the first two regular-season games.
Two other Broncos inside linebackers, Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell, are considered best as in-the-box tacklers.
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