Elijah Wilkinson will be asked to step up this season, just as he was last year.
When starting right tackle Ja’Wuan James went down last season, Wilkinson — the backup swing guard/tackle — replaced him. James ended up dressing for just three games in 2019 and Wilkinson started 12 contests as an injury fill in.
This year, Wilkinson will be asked to fill in again after James decided to opt out of the 2020 season. If James had decided to play, Wilkinson would have competed with Garett Bolles for the starting left tackle job.
Given that Wilkinson has spent his career at guard and right tackle, Bolles would have been the clear favorite on the left side. Now Wilkinson will be the clear favorite to start on the right side.
“I thought Eli made a lot of progress last year throughout the season,” Broncos coach Vic Fangio said during a Zoom conference call on Aug. 4. “He ended the last game and a half where he hurt his ankle.
“As it relates to Eli, it’s a good thing for him personally because now he gets to go back to the position that he spent 800-900 snaps at last year and all the practice that goes with that. From his perspective, it’s a good thing.”
Wilkinson was penalized six times and allowed eight sacks last season, according to STATS LLC. Denver will need him to improve on those numbers for the offensive line to take a step forward in 2020.
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