Broncos Linebacker Is Getting A Bad Reputation For His Hits

The first name that comes to mind when you see the word “linebacker” paired up with “bad reputation” and Denver Broncos in the same sentence is Jonathon Cooper, but Cooper has actually been fine on the field so far. Instead it’s linebacker Alex Singleton, who was fined for the third time this season for his hit on Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold during the Broncos’ 17-14 overtime win over Seattle back on Oct. 15. 

It’s a strange development for Singleton, who’s had the ultimate good-guy reputation across the league. He also has a reputation as a tackling machine with a serious moter, and indeed, he’s still leading the league in tackles. 

This week’s levy will cost him $23,882, according to Sam Jane of the Denver Post, even though it wasn’t penalized. But the league later ruled it unnecessary roughness, hence the fine. 

It was a strange play, too. Darnold held the ball waiting for a receiver to come open, and he did get hit hard, but it was linebacker Jonah Elliss who came up limping and had to hop off the field on one foot. 

The replay shows that the league was right to fine him. Singleton obviously led with his helmet as he hit Darnold in the midsection, although he was able to keep from landing directly on Darnold, which almost always draws a penalty. 

Singleton’s other two fines happened in the first two weeks of the season. He was docked $11,493 in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs, then $17,911 the week after that against the Jacksonville Jaguars, although that fine was rescinded on appeal. 

Three things are possibly true here. Leading the league in tackles draws a lot of attention, and after the Week 1 fine it’s likely that the league is doing a complete review of all of Singleton’s tackles. 

The second part of his is the beatdown Darnold took against Denver. He was hit 18 times in the game, which also probably earned a full review of everyone on the defense from the league. 

Finally, there’s the desperation level of the Denver defense, which is high. Broncos defenders have been emphasizing turnovers every since coach Sean Payton began harping on it at the end of last season, and now they know they’re not going to get a lot of help from their offense. 

That means risking some marginal hits to force a turnover, and that may have been part of why Singleton made a play that’s typically very out of character for him.