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The Broncos will be without one of their defensive linemen for at least the 2023 season after he gambled on NFL games.
Denver Broncos defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike has been suspended indefinitely for betting on NFL games, the league announced Monday.
This story will be updated.
After limited playing time as a rookie in 2022, Broncos defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike will aim to win a bigger role this summer.
Broncos Wire’s 90-man offseason roster series continues today with a look at second-year defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike, No. 96.
Before the Broncos: Uwazurike (6-6, 320 pounds) spent five years at Iowa State, totaling 146 tackles (34.5 behind the line), 15 sacks, three pass breakups, two fumble recoveries and one defensive touchdown in 55 games. Coaches voted Uwazurike to the All-Big 12 First-Team in 2021.
Broncos tenure: After a productive tenure with the Cyclones, Uwazurike was selected by Denver in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft. He struggled to win playing time as a rookie and was inactive for nine games last fall. In the eight games he did play, Uwazurike totaled 17 tackles, two quarterback hits and one pass breakup.
Chances to make the 53-man roster: Following the departure of DeShawn Williams this offseason, Uwazurike is likely a lock to make the team, and he’ll even get an opportunity to compete for a starting spot. Uwazurike seems like a longshot to win a Week 1 starting job, but if he takes a step forward in Year 2, the defensive lineman could be a player to watch for this summer.
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The Broncos could use another veteran defensive end to shore up their defensive line depth chart.
| DE | NT | DE |
| Zach Allen | D.J. Jones | Matt Henningsen |
| Eyioma Uwazurike | Mike Purcell | Jonathan Harris |
| Elijah Garcia | PJ Mustipher | Jordan Jackson |
| Sione Asi | Haggai Ndubuisi |
After not selecting any defensive linemen in the NFL draft, the Denver Broncos’ defensive end depth chart has a few question marks as the team prepares for the start of organized team activities this month.
Dre’mont Jones left the club in free agency and the Broncos replaced him with Zach Allen, but Denver does not have an obvious replacement for DeShawn Williams, a 15-game starting last year who also left during free agency this spring.
Unless the Broncos are planning to have D.J. Jones play as a defensive end with Mike Purcell starting at nose tackle, the DE spot across from Allen could be a weak spot going into the 2023 season.
Right now, Henningsen seems to be the favorite for the job given that he played in all 17 games last season (Uwazurike was only active for eight games in 2022). Harris could also be a sleeper option to watch.
Denver might consider signing a veteran defensive lineman before training camp to shore up the team’s d-line depth this summer.
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Do you agree with our early grade for the Broncos’ 2022 draft class?
As the 2023 NFL draft looms on the horizon, Broncos Wire is taking a look back at the Denver Broncos’ 2022 draft class. Who made a difference? Who do the Broncos need to see more from going forward?
The Broncos drafted three players who appeared in last year’s East-West Shrine Bowl.
The East-West Shrine Bowl is not college football’s biggest all-star game, but talent can be found in Las Vegas. Just ask the San Francisco 49ers, who selected quarterback Brock Purdy with the final pick in the 2022 NFL draft after he helped the West defeat the East 25-24 in last year’s Shrine Bowl.
The Denver Broncos also came away from last year’s draft with three players who played in the Shrine Bowl — two defensive linemen and one offensive lineman.
The Broncos used a fourth-round pick to select Iowa State DL Eyioma Uwazurike (East), a fifth-round pick to select Washington OL Luke Wattenberg (West) and a seventh-round pick to select Wisconsin DL Matt Henningsen (East) last April.
The 2021 East-West Shrine Bowl was canceled because of COVID-19, but Denver added five players from the 2020 edition: DL McTelvin Agim, OLB Derrek Tuszka, RB LeVante Bellamy, CB Parnell Motley and OL Darrin Paulo.
The Broncos will now look to find more talent at this year’s all-star game. The East-West Shrine Bowl will be nationally televised at 6:30 p.m. MT on NFL Network on Thursday evening.
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The Broncos promoted OL Quinn Bailey to the 53-man roster and elevated OL Netane Muti and LB Harvey Langi to the game-day roster.
The Denver Broncos made several practice squad moves ahead of Sunday’s showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs.
First, the Broncos promoted offensive lineman Quinn Bailey from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. Denver then elevated fellow offensive lineman Netane Muti and inside linebacker Harvey Langi to the game-day roster from the practice squad.
Bailey is now on the active roster while Muti and Langi are set to revert back to the practice squad on Monday.
Bailey and Muti can provide more depth on the offensive line this week if guard Dalton Risner (shoulder/back) is not cleared to play. Risner is listed as questionable on the team’s injury report.
Elsewhere on the injury front, the Broncos announced Saturday that defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike has been added to the injury report due to an illness. Uwazurike is now listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs.
Broncos buzz: Denver linebacker Alex Singleton was fined $6,194 for an unnecessary roughness penalty against the Baltimore Ravens, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. Singleton totaled 16 tackles in Baltimore.
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The Broncos have now signed all nine members of their draft class. Let’s play some football!
The Denver Broncos are signing rookie defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike to a four-year contract, the team announced Thursday. Uwazurike is now set to earn $4,561,612 over the next four years, according to OverTheCap.com, an average of $1,140,403 per season.
The Broncos picked Uwazurike in the fourth round of the NFL draft out of Iowa State in April. Uwazurike totaled 146 tackles (34.5 behind the line), 15 sacks, three pass breakups, two fumble recoveries and one defensive touchdown in five years (55 games) with the Cyclones.
In Denver, Uwazurike will presumably get a chance to replace Shelby Harris, who was traded to the Seattle Seahawks in March as part of the Russell Wilson trade. Uwazurike will have to compete for a starting job, though.
Dre’Mont Jones and D.J. Jones seem likely to win two of the three starting spots on the Broncos’ defensive line, potentially leaving Uwazurike to compete with DeShawn Williams and Mike Purcell (among others) for the third starting gig.
Even if Uwazurike doesn’t begin his rookie season as a starter, he will likely be a key rotational player for Denver this fall.
The Broncos have now signed every member of their 2022 draft class.
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Broncos defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike will wear No. 96, previously work by Shelby Harris in Denver.
Ahead of rookie minicamp this weekend, the Denver Broncos announced jersey numbers for their 2022 NFL draft class. Here’s the list, courtesy of the team’s official website:
OLB Nik Bonitto: No. 42
TE Greg Dulcich: No. 80
CB Damarri Mathis: No. 27
DE Eyioma Uwazurike: No. 96
S Delarrin Turner-Yell: No. 32
WR Montrell Washington: No. 12
C Luke Wattenberg: No. 60
DE Matt Henningsen: No. 91
CB Faion Hicks: No. 29
Uwazurike choosing to wear No. 96 is fitting given that he will be among the candidates to replace Shelby Harris, who wore No. 96 with the Broncos from 2017-2021. Harris was traded to the Seattle Seahawks as part of the trade for quarterback Russell Wilson earlier this offseason.
Denver is expected to sign 13 more undrafted rookie free agents, but the team will have to make some corresponding moves to make room for the UDFAs on the 90-man offseason roster. Those 13 signings will likely become official soon, followed by number announcements for those additional rookies.
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Touchdown Wire gave the Broncos a ‘B’ grade for their 2022 NFL draft class. Do you think that’s fair?
After selecting nine players in the 2022 NFL draft, the Denver Broncos received a “B” grade from Doug Farrar and Mark Schofield on Touchdown Wire.
Denver opened the draft by selecting Oklahoma outside linebacker Nik Bonitto and UCLA tight end Greg Dulcich. Here’s what Farrar and Schofield had to say about those two picks:
Bonitto is an athletic, explosive and agile pass rusher who can step in and contribute immediately off the edge in pass rushing situations. With the addition of Randy Gregory and the presence of veteran Bradley Chubb, Bonitto is likely a rotational pass rusher as a rookie. With Dulcich, the Broncos added a solid move tight end, and perhaps a perfect compliment to Albert Okwuegbunam when Denver turns to 12 personnel packages.
Touchdown Wire also had good thinks to say about fourth-round pick Eyioma Uwazurike, a defensive lineman out of Iowa State:
[Uwazurike] is one of the better run defenders in this defensive line class, and the Cyclones aligned him all over their defensive fronts. His length and upper-body strength will translate well to the next level.
To view the complete grades for every NFL team, visit Touchdown Wire.
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The Broncos selected Iowa State defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft on Saturday afternoon.
The Denver Broncos selected Iowa State defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike in the 4th round of the 2022 NFL draft on Saturday afternoon (116th overall).
Uwazurike (6-6, 316 pounds) got on NFL scouts’ radar in 2019 after receiving an honorable mention All-Big 12 notice. He totaled 32 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in 13 starts for the Cyclone that season.
For an encore, Uwazurike earned an honorable mention notice again in 2020. Last season, he earned a first-team notice, posting 42 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and nine sacks in 13 games (10 starts).
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein compares Uwazurike to Corey Williams, a nine-year defensive tackle drafted that appeared in 126 games (74 starts) in his career.
Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling ranks Uwazurike, 24, No. 18 out of 27 defensive linemen. Uwazurike is ranked No. 222 ( a 5th round grade) on Draft Wire’s top 300 prospects as well. So, the football cognoscenti view the pick as a reach.
In Denver, however, Uwazurike, a Detriot native, is a five-technique lineman poised to replace Shelby Harris. The former projects to be a good backup with the potential to develop as a starter. Time will be our judge.
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