Tag: Elijah Wilkinson

Broncos OL Elijah Wilkinson had ‘minor clean up’ on left foot

Broncos offensive lineman Elijah Wilkinson should be healthy in time for training camp.

Denver Broncos versatile offensive lineman Elijah Wilkinson had left foot surgery this offseason, the 25-year-old offensive lineman revealed on his Instagram page on Sunday.

“I have received some questions on my foot,” Wilkinson wrote. “Minor clean up from last season and will be ready to go when camp opens. Excited to get going.”

Wilkinson (6-6, 329 pounds) suffered an ankle injury late last season after starting 12 games at right tackle as an injury fill-in for Ja’Wuan James. He has started 19 games in his career, splitting time between guard and tackle.

Wilkinson received a second-round tender this offseason and he is set to compete with Garett Bolles for the starting left tackle job this summer. If he doesn’t win a starting job, Wilkinson will likely be the top backup swing guard/tackle in 2020.

In 19 starts, Wilkinson has been penalized six times and has allowed 11.5 sacks, according to STATS LLC. After earning $3.259 million on a one-year tender this season, Wilkinson will be an unrestricted free agent in 2021.

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Great day at the shop today @allstarbarbers303. I wanna give a HUGE s/o to @jammin1015 and their team that came out to support and make this event possible. I also wanna give another HUGE s/o to @pabloscoffee for allowing us to come and pop up in their parking lot! And last but not least shot out to my team for holding it down out there for All-Stars‼️‼️‼️ Giving free cuts all day with 0 complaints… you guys are the real MVPs‼️‼️‼️Thank you to everyone for coming out and supporting – look forward to seeing you again. I have received some questions on my foot. Minor clean up from last season and will be ready to go when camp opens. Excited to get going. Now come get your haircut!

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Should the Broncos sign a veteran offensive tackle?

Jason Peters and Kelvin Beachum are available. Should the Broncos sign one of them?

The Broncos did not engage in trade talks with the Redskins about left tackle Trent Williams because Washington’s asking price was too high. Denver also opted to not select any offensive tackles in this year’s draft.

So, as of now, the Broncos are poised to have Garett Bolles and Elijah Wilkinson compete for the starting left tackle job this offseason.

That’s not exactly an ideal scenario given that Bolles has struggled with penalties throughout his career and Wilkinson is a swing guard/tackle.

Are there any other options?

On Sunday, The Gazette‘s Woody Paige tweeted that he believes Denver will bring in a free agent veteran offensive tackle. Paige pointed out that Kelvin Beachum (31) played under offensive line coach Mike Munchak with the Steelers and Jason Peters (38) is also available. Cordy Glenn (31) remains a free agent as well.

Would any of those players be a better option than Bolles? Last year, Bolles was penalized 10 times and allowed four sacks. Beachum was penalized seven times and allowed four sacks in three fewer games.

Peters was penalized nine times and allowed three sacks in the same amount of games as Beachum. Glenn only started five games last year and he wasn’t penalized at all but he did allow three sacks.

Simply judging from the numbers, it doesn’t appear that any of those free agents would be much of an upgrade.

Should the Broncos take a shot on one of those veteran tackles? Voice your opinion by voting in the poll below:

[polldaddy poll=10543717]

Broncos say Elijah Wilkinson and Garett Bolles will compete at left tackle

Elijah Wilkinson and Garett Bolles will compete for the Broncos’ starting left tackle job this offseason.

The Denver Broncos selected two offensive linemen in the draft but neither of them were an offensive tackle. During a post-draft Zoom conference call with reporters on Saturday evening, Broncos general manager John Elway said Elijah Wilkinson and Garett Bolles will compete for the left tackle job this offseason.

“It’ll be an open competition at the left tackle with Eli and Garett Bolles,” Elway said. “We just didn’t feel like we were in a situation to where we could add to that. I think with where we were and what our game plan was, the tackle never fell for us as far as something we thought that there was a player there that could help us at that position.

“We still feel like we can be very competitive with the tackle situation that we have and the open competition. The best player is going to play.”

Wilkinson has been Denver’s top backup swing tackle/guard over the last two seasons. He filled in for an injured Ja’Wuan James at right tackle last year and allowed eight sacks in 15 games (12 starts), according to STATS LLC.

Bolles has been the Broncos’ left tackle since 2017 and he has struggled with holding penalties and inconsistent performances. If he doesn’t beat out Wilkinson for the left tackle job this offseason, Bolles will probably be nearing the end of his tenure in Denver.

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4 players have signed tenders with Broncos so far

The Broncos have three players who haven’t signed their tenders yet.

After signing wide receivers Diontae Spencer and Tim Patrick to exclusive rights free agent tenders, the Denver Broncos also signed nose tackle Mike Purcell and offensive lineman Elijah Wilkinson to tenders, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.

Unlike Spencer and Patrick, who received league-minimum ERFA offers, Purcell and Wilkinson received second-round tenders worth $3.259 million, keeping them with the team at least through the 2020 season.

Purcell is projected to start in the middle of Denver’s defensive line this season and Wilkinson will likely serve as the team’s top backup swing guard/tackle. Depending on the results of the Broncos’ offseason competition — and the draft — Wilkinson could potentially win a starting job.

After getting Patrick and Spencer signed, Denver still has three ERFAs left to sign: safety Trey Marshall, offensive tackle Jake Rodgers and cornerback Shakial Taylor. Those three players are expected to sign their tenders by Friday, according to Klis.

The Broncos currently have 11 open spots on the roster.

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Projecting Broncos’ OL depth chart before the NFL draft

Here’s a look at the Broncos’ offensive line depth chart going into the NFL draft.

With the NFL draft a little more than one week away, here’s a look at the Broncos’ projected offensive line depth chart as it stands right now:

Left Tackle Left Guard Center Right Guard Right Tackle
Garett Bolles Dalton Risner Patrick Morris Graham Glasgow Ja’Wuan James
Calvin Anderson Tyler Jones Austin Schlottmann Elijah Wilkinson Jake Rodgers
Ka’John Armstrong Nico Falah Quinn Bailey

Many fans will point out that Bolles is a weak link but he has done a good job staying healthy and he still has a year left on his team-friendly contract. Denver will probably draft a tackle but the team could select a mid-round prospect to groom behind Bolles instead of drafting an early-round prospect.

The Broncos also need a longterm answer at center (or a right guard, if Glasgow ends up playing center). It wouldn’t be surprising to see Denver select another center/guard, a player similar to Glasgow.

To recap: the Broncos need help at center and left tackle on the o-line.

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Report: Broncos place 2nd-round tender on OL Elijah Wilkinson

The Broncos have placed a second-round tender on offensive lineman Elijah Wilkinson.

The Denver Broncos have placed a second-round tender on offensive lineman Elijah Wilkinson, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.

The one-year tender is worth $3.25 million. Other NFL teams will be allowed to negotiate with Wilkinson but if they sign him, they would have to trade a second-round pick to Denver in exchange for the offensive lineman.

It’s hard to imagine any team giving up a second-round pick for Wilkinson so it appears safe to assume he will return to the Broncos for the 2020 season.

Wilkinson (6-6, 329 pounds) signed with Denver as a college free agent out of Massachusetts in 2017. After spending most of his rookie season on the practice squad, Wilkinson emerged as a backup swing lineman in 2018.

Wilkinson has started in 19 games over the last two years and has allowed 11.5 sacks, according to STATS LLC. He is a versatile offensive lineman who has spent time at both guard and tackle. After Denver declined Ron Leary’s contract option, Wilkinson might be a favorite to start in 2020.

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Broncos OL Elijah Wilkinson receives bonus worth nearly 30% of his 2019 salary

Broncos offensive lineman Elijah Wilkinson has received a performance-based bonus adding an increase of nearly 30% to his 2019 salary.

The NFL will pay out $147.952 million worth of 2019 performance-based bonuses this month. Denver Broncos offensive lineman Elijah Wilkinson is among the veteran players who received the largest bonuses.

Wilkinson, who joined the team as an undrafted free agent in 2017, played 82.19 percent of the team’s offensive snaps last season, which earned him a performance-based bonus of $192,217, the league announced Thursday.

That’s an increase of nearly 30 percent to Wilkinson’s 2019 salary ($645,000).

“The Performance-Based Pay program is a collectively bargained benefit that compensates all players, including rookies, based upon their playing time and salary levels,” according to a press release from the NFL.

Only 19 veterans received larger bonuses than Wilkinson. Chiefs cornerback Charvarius Ward earned the largest bonus in the league: $654,750.

Wilkinson is scheduled to become a restricted free agent next month and Denver is expected to place a second-round tender on him, which would give him a salary worth more than $3 million in 2020.

The bonus for Wilkinson will be paid by the league, not the Broncos.

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Broncos expected to place 1-year tender on OL Elijah Wilkinson

The Broncos are expected to place a second-round tender on offensive lineman Elijah Wilkinson this offseason.

With the new league year — and the start of NFL free agency — drawing closer, the Broncos will soon begin making decisions on their six restricted free agents.

Denver will not place a tender on cornerback De’Vante Bausby but that doesn’t mean they’re not interested in bringing him back. The Broncos should be able to re-sign Bausby for less than what a tender would cost.

Denver is expected to place a second-round tender on offensive lineman Elijah Wilkinson, according to a report from KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. Wilkinson is a versatile lineman and the team plans to have him work at right guard and left tackle this offseason, according to Klis.

Second-round tenders are expected to be worth $3,278,000 this year, according to OverTheCap.com. If Wilkinson receives the tender and another team signs him to a better offer, that team would have to send its second-round draft choice to Denver.

Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic believes the Broncos will also place a second-round tender on nose tackle Mike Purcell. He has drawn interest from “many teams,” according to Jhabvala.

Wilkinson and Purcell are talented players but it’s hard to imagine any team being will to give up a second-round draft choice for either of them.

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