There’s toughness and then there’s Alex Singleton.
The Denver Broncos linebacker tore his ACL during the team’s 26-7 win over the Tamp Bay Buccaneers last Sunday. Singleton suffered the season-ending injury early in the game and still managed to play all 57 defensive snaps.
On Wednesday, head coach Sean Payton confirmed Singleton’s injury after Wednesday’s practice, saying Singleton injured his left knee on safety Brandon Jones’ interception of Baker Mayfield in the first quarter, the eighth snap of 57 that the linebacker played that day.
Singleton was seen limping off the field, but he completed the contest. He leads Denver with 31 tackles this season, and told the team’s medical staff he had knee soreness. An MRI conducted on Sunday after the game showed Singleton’s ligament was torn and that he would be out for the year, Payton said.
“First time; I’ve had players who had ACLs … but never seen one where he felt like he could have played another game that night,” Payton said, via Zac Stevens of DNVR. “Kind of remarkable … never seen anyone play, obviously, that long after the injury.”
“He was just as surprised,” Payton said. “We saw him in the training room after the game; he reported some soreness. … I think all of us were [surprised].”
With the loss of Singleton, who led the Broncos in tackles in both 2022 (163) and 2023 (177), fellow Denver linebackers Cody Barton, Justin Strnad and Kristian Welch could receive more playtime going forward.
The Broncos will travel to MetLife Stadium to face the New York Jets in Week 4.
