Tag: Seth Benson

Broncos’ updated ILB depth chart after losing Jonas Griffith

Broncos rookie Drew Sanders might be in line for more playing time following the Jonas Griffith injury.

After losing Jonas Griffith to a season-ending torn ACL, the Denver Broncos signed Austin Ajiake to add some more depth at inside linebacker.

Alex Singleton and Josey Jewell remain the team’s starters at ILB. Behind them, rookie third-round pick Drew Sanders has a good chance to emerge as the top backup ILB following the Griffith injury.

In addition to Sanders, the Broncos also have fourth-year special teams contributor Justin Strnad, undrafted rookie Seth Benson, the newly signed Ajiake and Ray Wilborn (although it’s still unclear if Denver plans to use Wilborn primarily on the inside or on the outside).

Here is our projected updated ILB depth chart going into the first week of preseason.

ILB1 Josey Jewell Drew Sanders Seth Benson
ILB2 Alex Singleton Justin Strnad Ray Wilborn Austin Ajiake

The Broncos are expected to release an official depth chart ahead of their preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals sometime this week.

Broncos roster series: No. 57, ILB Seth Benson

Seth Benson totaled 254 tackles and five sacks in 41 games at Iowa before signing with the Broncos this spring.

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Broncos Wire’s 90-man offseason roster series continues today with a look at rookie inside linebacker Seth Benson, No. 57.

Before the Broncos: Benson (6-0, 231 pounds) played college football at Iowa, earning second-team All-Big Ten recognition as a fifth-year senior in 2022 after totaling 91 tackles, one sack, one interception and one fumble recovery last fall. Benson won the Hawkeyes’ Team Hustle Award for his contributions on special teams last year and he will undoubtedly be competing for a special teams role in Denver as a rookie.

Benson finished his college career with 254 tackles (13 behind the line), five sacks, three pass breakups and two interceptions in 41 games.

Broncos tenure: Denver signed Benson as an undrafted free agent in May. He will make his Broncos debut during preseason this summer.

Chance to make the 53-man roster: Denver has a crowded inside linebacker depth chart that already includes Josey Jewell, Alex Singleton, Jonas Griffith and Drew Sanders. Benson will face long odds to make the 53-man roster as a rookie, but he might be able to land on the practice squad.

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Check out these highlights of new Broncos LB Seth Benson

Seth Benson will aim to impress this summer after joining the Broncos as an undrafted free agent.

After selecting Arkansas inside linebacker Drew Sanders in the third round of the NFL draft, the Denver Broncos added additional depth the linebacker room by signing Iowa’s Seth Benson as an undrafted free agent.

Benson (6-0, 231 pounds) totaled 95 tackles, one sack and one interception in 13 games with the Hawkeyes last fall. He is buried on the team’s depth chart behind Josey Jewell, Alex Singleton, Sanders and Jonas Griffith, but Benson should be a strong candidate for the practice squad if he is not able to make the 53-man roster this summer.

Denver might opt to carry five inside linebackers on the active roster this year to have more depth for special teams. If the Broncos do carry five ILBs, Benson could make the cut. His competition this summer will include Justin Strnad and Ray Wilborn.

Benson’s highlights from his time at Iowa can be seen in the above video.

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Broncos announce undrafted free agent signings: Meet the 15 players

Learn more about the 15 undrafted free agents the Broncos signed following the 2023 NFL draft.

After selecting five players in the 2023 NFL draft (and adding a sixth player through a draft-day trade), the Denver Broncos have filled their 90-man offseason roster by signing undrafted free agents.

The Broncos signed 15 UDFAs after the draft, including two running backs and two defensive linemen. Those are two notable positions given that Denver did not select a running back or a defensive lineman during the draft.

The Broncos also brought in tight ends, wide receivers, offensive linemen, linebackers and defensive backs. Undrafted players often face long odds to make the 53-man roster, but Denver has a strong history of uncovering UDFA gems.

Here’s a look at the 15 UDFA signings the Broncos made in 2023.

Broncos’ updated ILB depth chart following the NFL draft

After drafting Drew Sanders, the Broncos have great inside linebacker depth on paper.

ILB1 ILB2 Depth
Josey Jewell Alex Singleton Justin Strnad
Jonas Griffith Drew Sanders Ray Wilborn
Seth Benson

There are no surprises on the Denver Broncos’ projected inside linebacker depth chart following the 2023 NFL draft.

Josey Jewell and Alex Singleton are both returning as projected starters, and the team has quality depth behind them. Drew Sanders joins the club as a third-round pick out of Arkansas and while he projects as a future starter, he seems unlikely to start over Jewell or Singleton in Week 1.

Jonas Griffith is also back after starting eight games as an injury fill-in last year. Having Sanders and Griffith, arguably two starting-caliber LBs, available as backups is great for the team’s depth.

Last year, Denver carried four inside linebackers on its initial 53-man roster. If that’s the plan again this year, Justin Strnad, Ray Wilborn and undrafted rookie Seth Benson would be the odd men out. They could all be candidates for the practice squad, though.

The Broncos will set a 53-man roster in late August.

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Seth Benson signs with Denver Broncos as undrafted free agent

Former Iowa linebacker Seth Benson is joining Riley Moss in the Mile High city. Benson signed with Denver as an undrafted free agent.

Former Iowa linebacker Seth Benson has his professional landing spot. Like cornerback Riley Moss, Benson is headed for the Mile High city. The 6-foot, 231 pound linebacker signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Denver Broncos.

Benson was a mainstay for Iowa’s defense over the past three seasons. The Sioux Falls, S.D., native started 34 games over the last three seasons and played in 50 games over the course of his Hawkeye career.

Benson leaves Iowa City with career marks of 258 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, five pass breakups, five sacks, and two interceptions. Benson finished with triple-digit tackles in 2021, registering 105 tackles on the season.

Benson is another one of Iowa’s great development success stories. After arriving as a two-star signee per 247Sports and Rivals, he morphed into one of the Hawkeyes’ key defensive figures.

Now, Benson will stick to stick in Denver. Here’s a look at some of his best moments at Iowa through these sensational photos.

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Reactions from the Iowa Hawkeyes’ Pro Day attended by all 32 NFL teams

Jack Campbell, Lukas Van Ness, and others headlined Iowa’s Pro Day in front of NFL scouts. The results and reactions from the day.

The Iowa Hawkeyes are nearly certain to have at least a heaping handful of players joining NFL teams in just over a month when the 2023 NFL draft rolls around.

Iowa’s Pro Day was an opportunity for other players to do their part in making that number swell as they look to get on NFL team’s radars.

Lukas Van Ness and Jack Campbell, the Hawkeyes’ two biggest names leading up to the draft, took part in the event that was attended by many NFL scouts, personnel, and teams.

In addition to those two, other Hawkeyes put on a show today to impress teams. Monte Pottebaum, Riley Moss, Kaevon Merriweather, Sam LaPorta, Seth Benson, and John Waggoner tested throughout the day.

The NFL draft is just over a month away and this is one of the final times that teams will see these players work out aside from pre-draft visits to their facilities so it places extreme importance on the results. Here are the results and reactions from the Iowa Hawkeyes’ 2023 Pro Day.

Jack Campbell, Seth Benson two of top five highest graded linebackers this season, per PFF

Pro Football Focus has listed Iowa’s Jack Campbell and Seth Benson as two of their top five highest graded linebackers this season.

We know the Iowa Hawkeyes are “Tight End U,” but they are rapidly growing their case to take over the name of “Linebacker U” as well. Their duo of Jack Campbell and Seth Benson manning the middle has been dominant this season.

Campbell and Benson each find themselves named to Pro Football Focus‘ top graded linebackers this season. Iowa is the only school with two of their linebackers finding their way onto the list.

Joining the two is Cincinnati’s Ivan Pace Jr., fellow Big Ten member Ohio State‘s Tommy Eichenberg, and Pittsburgh’s SirVocea Dennis.

On the season, Campbell and Benson are one and two on the Hawkeyes in total tackles. Campbell leads Iowa with 89 tackles while Benson has 71. Each of them has 3.5 tackles for loss, an interception, and four quarterback hurries.

Going into the matchup against run-heavy Wisconsin, the two are going to be challenged with taking on sophomore phenom Braelon Allen in an effort to slow down him in the run game.

Not only do the two contribute greatly on the field, but they are helping develop younger players into future contributors on the team.

“You know, Jack Campbell’s been through some hard times in football, been through some hard times in life, too, so that helps those younger guys,” head coach Kirk Ferentz said when asked about Iowa’s camaraderie.

Iowa kicks off against the Badgers at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday for the Hawkeyes’ “Military Appreciation Blackout Game.” History has typically served Iowa well when the Hawkeyes bust out there American-flag-themed alternates.

Look out, Wisconsin. They’re back this weekend.

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Report card: Grading the Iowa Hawkeyes’ 27-14 home loss versus No. 4 Michigan

Michigan came into Kinnick Stadium and snapped its four-game losing streak there, winning, 27-14. Let’s dole out some report card grades.

It didn’t turn into the top-5 shocker that previous Iowa teams have been able to deliver at Kinnick Stadium over highly-ranked opponents. Instead, Michigan controlled this game from the word go.

The Wolverines (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) dropped Iowa (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten), 27-14. Pull up a chair. Class is in session once again. It’s time for our postgame report card.

Iowa Hawkeyes’ linebackers named the No. 1 group in the country

The trio of Jack Campbell, Seth Benson, and Jestin Jacobs has the Iowa Hawkeyes boasting the number one linebacker group in the country.

The talk and the hype seems to be coming to culmination one final time before the 2022 college football season kicks off. That hype is the linebacker group that the Iowa Hawkeyes will be trotting out on defense this coming Saturday in their home opener as they look to stonewall the South Dakota State Jackrabbits’ offense.

Pro Football Focus has named the trio of Jack Campbell, Seth Benson, and Jestin Jacobs as the top linebacker group in the nation entering the season. Not only that, the three of them are all in PFF’s top 25 five linebacker list which gives Iowa bragging rights as the only school in the country to have all of their starting linebackers recognized.

Not one, not two, but three Iowa linebackers made PFF’s top 25 list, the only school in the country to accomplish such a feat. Leading the Hawkeyes is Jack Campbell, whose 85.7 coverage grade since 2020 is the highest among returning Power Five linebackers.

Jestin Jacobs got off to a hot start last year with an 82.4 overall grade through Week 4, third among Power Five linebackers.

Finally, Seth Benson looked strong in coverage last year with a 79.3 grade that ranked 11th in the Power Five. – Chadwick, PFF

This comes on the heels of the Hawkeyes being a top 10 ranked team in terms of NFL talent. The trio of Hawkeyes manning the middle of the defense is a large reason why.

Jack Campbell is entering 2022 as the Preseason Big Ten player of the year. Jestin Jacobs has been labeled on of the top players with breakout potential to climb draft boards next spring. Seth Benson is entering the season looking to be the sturdy rock and, while less often discussed, just as important puzzle piece in the Hawkeyes’ defense.

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