Tag: Kyle Peko

Broncos DL Kyle Peko opts out of 2020 NFL season

Broncos defensive lineman Kyle Peko has opted out of the 2020 NFL season because of COVID-19.

Denver Broncos defensive lineman Kyle Peko is opting out of the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport first reported on Tuesday.

NFL owners and the players’ union came to an agreement last weekend about player opt-out due to the coronavirus. “High-risk” players will earn $350,000 this year if they opt-out and players not placed in that category will earn $150,000. Touchdown Wire is tracking all of the opt-outs here.

Peko’s wife, Juliana, battled Hodgin’s Lymphoma last year. That might make Kyle a candidate for the “high risk” designation.

Peko has a two-year, $1.34 million contract. He was scheduled to earn $515,000 this season but was a longshot to make Denver’s 53-man roster. The Broncos have a lot of depth on the defensive line and Peko has struggled to earn playing time since joining the team in 2016.

After signing with Denver as a college free agent out of Oregon State, Peko spent most of his first three seasons on the Broncos’ practice squad. He then had stints with the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts before returning to Denver last December.

The 27-year-old defensive lineman has totaled 13 tackles in 13 games.

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Denver Broncos depth chart prediction: Defensive line

Which defensive linemen will make the Broncos’ 53-man roster this year?

As we continue our 2020 depth chart prediction series for the Denver Broncos, today we’re going to be looking at the defensive line.

Previously, we predicted the QB, RB, TE, WR and OL depth charts.

DE NT DE
Shelby Harris Mike Purcell Jurrell Casey
Dre’Mont Jones McTelvin Agim DeMarcus Walker
Joel Heath Kyle Peko Christian Covington
Jonathan Harris

It’s pretty easy to predict the Broncos’ starting lineup. Harris and Purcell will likely keep their starting spots and Casey will presumably fill the role previously held by Derek Wolfe. It’s the backup spots that are undetermined.

Jones and Walker figure to serve as important rotational pieces and Agim is essentially a lock to make the team after being selected in the third round of April’s draft.

Last year, Denver carried six defensive linemen on the initial 53-man roster. If that’s the case again in 2020, Covington and Heath might only make the team if one of the team’s top six defensive linemen suffers an injury this summer. Peko and Harris figure to be longshots as well.

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Projecting Broncos’ DL depth chart before the NFL draft

Here’s a look at the Broncos’ projected defensive 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 defensive line depth chart as it stands right now:

DE NT DE
Shelby Harris Mike Purcell Jurrell Casey
DeMarcus Walker Joel Heath Dre’Mont Jones
Jonathan Harris Kyle Peko Deyon Sizer
Jay-Tee Tiuli

Denver has three solid starters in Harris, Purcell and Casey but none of those guys are long-term answers at their respective positions. Jones could become a reliable starter in the future but the Broncos will need two more starting defensive linemen in the coming years.

Walker has shown potential but he might be best-suited as a rotational defender. This season, Walker and Jones will provide excellent depth as defensive ends but Denver will want more help at nose tackle.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Broncos add several defensive linemen in the draft, bringing in help at nose tackle and defensive end.

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Seeking DL depth, Broncos make more roster moves

The Broncos have promoted defensive lineman Deyon Sizer from the practice squad to the active roster.

The Denver Broncos confirmed Saturday that the team claimed defensive lineman Kyle Peko off the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad and placed wide receiver Juwann Winfree (hamstring) on injured reserve.

The team also announced that defensive lineman Deyon Sizer was promoted from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. To make room for Sizer on the practice squad, Denver waived outside linebacker Ahmad Gooden. If he clears waivers, Gooden might be re-signed to the practice squad.

Sizer (6-4, 280 pounds) entered the league with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of Colorado State-Pueblo in May. He spent the first 13 weeks of the season on Denver’s practice squad. Sizer wears jersey No. 91.

The Broncos have ruled out defensive linemen DeMarcus Walker (ankle) and Adam Gotsis (knee) for Week 15 and Dre’Mont Jones (ankle) is listed as questionable on the injury report. Sizer will help provide more depth.

The Broncos’ 53-man roster and 10-man practice squad are now full.

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Broncos make 2 roster moves

The Broncos placed a wide receiver on injured reserve and signed a defensive lineman to the 53-man roster.

The Denver Broncos are signing Kyle Peko to their 53-man roster, the defensive lineman announced on his Twitter page Friday. Denver has ruled out defensive linemen DeMarcus Walker (ankle) and Adam Gotsis (knee) for Week 14 and Dre’Mont Jones (ankle) is listed as questionable.

Peko will provide some much-needed depth on the defensive line, joining Shelby Harris, Jonathan Harris and Mike Purcell as the only four healthy defensive linemen on the team’s roster going into Sunday’s game.

To make room for Peko on the active roster, Denver will place rookie wide receiver Juwann Winfree (hamstring) on injured reserve, according to multiple media reports. That’s a disappointing end to the season for Winfree, who was inactive for all but three games this year.

Peko (6-1, 305 pounds) originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Oregon with the Broncos in 2016. He bounced back and forth between Denver and Buffalo’s active rosters and practice squads from 2016-2019 before landing in Indianapolis for a brief stint in November.

The 26-year-old Peko has dressed for 11 games in his career, totaling seven tackles. He is yet to start in a regular-season game in the NFL.

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Colts add 4 players to the practice squad

The Colts make some changes to their practice squad.

The Indianapolis Colts made four additions to the practice squad, including wide receiver Deon Cain, defensive tackle Kyle Peko, running back Darius Jackson and offensive tackle Gerhard de Beer.

The news of Cain and Peko was given on Monday. Both players were waived before the Week 10 matchup with the Miami Dolphins. As they cleared waivers, the Colts decided to bring both of them back.

Jackson had an earlier stint with the Colts this season in September. He was added to the practice squad after Bruce Anderson was placed on the practice squad injured list on Tuesday.

de Beer likely takes the place of Jackson Barton, who was signed to the Kansas City Chiefs active roster this week. de Beer signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent following the 2018 NFL Draft. He also spent some time with the Green Bay Packers.