Running back J.K. Dobbins had been saying for months he wanted to remain with the Broncos and that will happen.

So will the return of linebacker Alex Singleton. But linebacker Dre Greenlaw won’t be back.

Dobbins broke the news of his return Monday by posting a photo of himself on social media in a Broncos uniform with the caption “#Home.” A source said the often-injured Dobbins will re-sign with Denver on a two-year, $16 million contract that could be worth as much as $20 million with incentives and includes $8 million guaranteed. With guarantees being front-loaded, the Broncos, if needed, easily could move on from the deal after one season.

Also Monday, a source said Singleton will return to the Broncos on a two-year, $15.5 million deal that includes $11 million guaranteed. With the Broncos having brought back Singleton and having agreed Sunday to re-sign linebacker Justin Strnad, a source said they will release Greenlaw after one season with the team.

Defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers, as expected, has left the Broncos as a free agent. He agreed to a three-year, $63 million deal with Tennessee that includes $42 million guaranteed. Denver never seriously considered bringing Franklin-Myers back due to his expected hefty price tag.

Monday was the first day of the free-agent negotiating period, and the Broncos did not agree to any reported deals with outside free agents. They have preferred so far to lock up their own free agents, with deals reached on six players Sunday and Monday. While Denver’s own free agents can re-sign at any point, Franklin-Myers can’t sign his deal until Wednesday’s first day of the NFL’s new league year.

Dobbins played last season on a one-year deal with a salary-cap number of $2.065 million. He rushed for 772 yards in the first 10 games before being lost for the season following foot surgery.

Singleton, 32, returns for a fifth Denver season. He played in every game last season with the exception of sitting out Nov. 16 against Kansas City following testicular cancer surgery.

The Broncos on Sunday agreed to re-sign Strnad to a three-year, $18 million contract after he had been their top reserve inside linebacker. After the Broncos locked up Singleton, they decided to part with the injury-plagued Greenlaw. So Denver’s starting inside linebackers in 2026 are expected to be Singleton and Strnad.

With Greenlaw having been on the books for a nonguaranteed base salary of $7.47 million, the Broncos will save $6.023 million on the salary cap with his release and will have dead money of $4.333 million due to the signing bonus he received last March as a marquee free-agent signee. Greenlaw played in just eight games in 2025, missing six with a quad injury, two with a hamstring injury and one due to an NFL suspension. He had missed all of spring drills with an original quad injury and then all of the preseason and the first six regular-season games with a different quad injury.

The Broncos looked at some of the top free-agent running backs but sources said price tags were too high. Among the top two backs available, Kenneth Walker left Seattle to sign a three-year, $43.05 million deal with AFC West rival Kansas City and Travis Etienne left Jacksonville to sign a four-year, $52 million contract with New Orleans.

Dobbins is in line to again be the starter with second-year player RJ Harvey as the top reserve. However, it’s not out of the question the Broncos could take a running back in the April 23-25 draft.

A source said Monday the Broncos still have interest in re-signing free-agent running back Jaleel McLaughlin, although he could move on with Dobbins being back. The Broncos elected not to tender McLaughlin as a restricted free agent because they considered the lowest tender amount of $3.55 million to be too high. So any possible deal with McLaughlin would be for less than that amount.

The Broncos have been looking at possibly signing a free-agent wide receiver. Sources said they reached out to express interest in Green Bay’s Romeo Doubs and San Francisco’s Kendrick Bourne. While Doubs remains on the market, Bourne agreed to a two-year, $10 million deal with Arizona.

Dobbins and Singleton became the fifth and sixth free agents the Broncos agreed to re-sign over the past two days. On Sunday, they reached deals to bring back tight ends Adam Trautman and Nate Adkins and quarterback Sam Ehlinger in addition to Strnad. Trautman officially signed his three-year, $17 million deal Monday.

Remaining unsigned is safety P.J. Locke, who was a starter in 2024 before going to the bench in 2025. He did start the final four games of the 2025 regular season and Denver’s two playoff games after Brandon Jones was lost for the campaign with a shoulder injury.

“I’m not disclosing any information right now,” Locke said when reached by The Denver Gazette on Monday and asked how matters stand in free agency.

The departure of Franklin-Myers was no surprise. The Denver Gazette reported Thursday that the Broncos had not held contract discussions with him and his exit was expected.

The newspaper reported in July that Denver had no plans to extend his contract before last season, and that lack of interest continued.

The departure of the defensive lineman, entering his ninth NFL season, is expected to net the Broncos a fourth-round compensatory draft pick next year. He played the past two seasons for Denver on a two-year, $15 million deal and recorded a career-high 7.5 sacks in 2025.