Picture this: Week 3, 2024 season, Broncos vs. Bucs. Early in the game, during an interception by safety Brandon Jones, the linebacker Alex Singleton (the team’s captain) suffered a torn ACL in his left knee. But here’s the kicker—despite a gruesome hit that eventually forced him to miss the remainder of the season after being put on injury reserve, Singleton didn’t even realize the injury initially and played the remaining 49 defensive snaps (57 overall), racking up 10 tackles.

It wasn’t until after the game that the veteran linebacker felt some knee soreness, leading to an MRI that confirmed the tear. The head coach, Sean Payton, was mesmerized by the safety’s dedication, saying that he had never seen something like that. “I’ve never seen anyone play, obviously, that long,” Payton told the media last fall. “That’s pretty remarkable.”

Fast forward to now, and with the 2025 NFL draft over, all eyes are on the Broncos’ offseason preparation ahead of the upcoming campaign. And with that, there’s just one question looming over everyone’s heads in Denver: Will Singleton return?

To answer that, the player recently sat down for an interview with DNVR, where he talked about his recovery and potential return ahead of the week 1 showdown in a few months. Less than eight months after sustaining a season-ending injury, the 31-year-old revealed that he’s on track in his recovery. “It’s good. I feel like I’m on schedule. It’s feeling really good,” the Broncos’ captain said last week.

“I’m working my way into doing things with the guys, which has been the most important thing to kind of be on that timeline with everyone else during the offseason. I’m able to do that. Full speed ahead for me. We’re going to just keep attacking this like everything else. Excited for this season.” Furthermore, the LB also confirmed that he might return before the week 1 game rolls up.

“I still can’t technically fully say, but let’s just say that there should be no worries about ’49’ playing this year,” he said with a big smile. “I’ll be out there.” Before sustaining that season-ending injury against the Bucs, Singleton appeared in 3 games, accumulating 31 tackles, including 17 solo. Now that he’s expected to return for the 2025 campaign, let’s just say the team’s captain has a lot more to do. Especially after Sean Payton and his crew just received a challenge from the Broncos legend.

Sean Payton and Co. were challenged to hit Patrick Mahomes

Back in the 2015 AFC Championship, Denver’s defense was wreaking havoc on the Patriots, especially on the NFL GOAT, Tom Brady. We’re talking four sacks and staggering 20 hits, the most by any QB in a single game in 2015. Von Miller turned Brady’s day into a nightmare with 2.5 sacks and 1 interception. Then there was DeMarcus Ware, who added seven QB hits. The result? Brutal. Brady couldn’t even complete 50% of his passes.

Fast forward to now, and we’re in a different era. Now, the Chiefs are out there building a dynasty, and Patrick Mahomes is leading the charge with 3 Super Bowl rings. But here comes the kicker—with the Broncos’ decisive 38-0 win over the Chiefs in Week 18 last season (which Mahomes sat out), the team is out there to recreate some 2015 magic against the Chiefs in Week 11 this upcoming season.

And the former Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr.just challenged Sean Payton’s defense to resurrect old-school physicality against the Chiefs QB. “Keep Mahomes in the pocket,” Harris said. “Don’t let this guy get out running, scrambling like he does late in games. And I dare one of those guys to hit him. Please. Somebody has to send a message in that game.”

Rings a bell? It kind of echoes the Broncos’ 2015 AFC Championship win over the Patriots. “With Brady, we hit this guy damn near 20 times,” he added. But again, the times have changed, considering the quarterbacks are kind of favored, penalizing late hits and helmet-to-helmet collisions. And Harris Jr. knows the risk. “You might get a penalty, right? You never know, but we used to kind of send those messages.”

It’s a gamble. Either you’re going to hit Mahomes and shift the momentum towards your team, or let Mahomes snag the game. Just like they’ve been doing for years. But either way, the Broncos must be riding high, entering the gridiron against the Chiefs in the 2025 season. With the team’s captain, Alex Singleton, ready to return, let’s see if Sean Payton and Co. can pull off some 2015 magic.