Tag: nose tackle

Broncos offseason roster: No. 93, DL D.J. Jones

D.J. Jones knocked down six passes and totaled 34 tackles and two sacks in his first season with the Broncos. He’ll aim for more in 2023.

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Broncos Wire’s 90-man offseason roster series continues today with a look at seventh-year defensive lineman D.J. Jones.

Before the Broncos: Jones (6-0, 305 pounds) was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL draft out of Ole Miss. He totaled 126 tackles (including 23 behind the line), nine quarterback hits and seven sacks in five years (61 games) with the 49ers to begin his career.

Broncos tenure: Denver signed Jones as a free agent to a three-year, $30 million contract in 2022. In his first season with the Broncos, Jones totaled 34 tackles, six pass breakups, four quarterback hits and two sacks in 15 games last fall. Jones changed his jersey number from 97 to 93 this offseason.

Chances to make the 53-man roster: Jones is a lock to make the team and he’s essentially a lock to start on the defensive line this season. The biggest question is what his primary position will be. Denver can line Jones up either as a defensive end or as a nose tackle in its 3-4 defense.

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Broncos sign DL Tyler Lancaster after cutting Brandon McManus

Tyler Lancaster totaled 110 tackles and 1.5 sacks in 59 games (21 starts) with the Packers.

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The Denver Broncos have already filled the roster spot that was opened up by the release of kicker Brandon McManus on Tuesday.

The Broncos signed defensive lineman Tyler Lancaster on Tuesday, the team announced. Following that move, Denver’s 90-man offseason roster is now full once again.

Lancaster (6-3, 313 pounds) entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Northwestern with the Green Bay Packers in 2018. After four seasons in Green Bay, Lancaster joined the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022. He suffered an injury last August and was ultimately cut by the Raiders last September.

Lancaster totaled 110 tackles and 1.5 sacks in 59 games (21 starts) with the Packers. He now lands in Denver, presumably to compete for rotational playing time as a nose tackle.

The Broncos will eventually have to make a cut to make room for an incoming kicker to replace McManus. Whether that incoming kicker will be Brett Maher or somebody else remains to be seen.

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Broncos offseason roster: No. 97, DL PJ Mustipher

PJ Mustipher joined the Broncos as an undrafted free agent after totaling 144 tackles and three sacks in 49 games at PSU.

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Broncos Wire’s 90-man offseason roster series continues today with a look at rookie defensive lineman PJ Mustipher, No. 97.

Before the Broncos: Mustipher (6-4, 315 pounds) was a high school team captain at McDonogh School in Maryland and earned an invite to the Under Armour All-America Game as a senior before attending Penn State.

Mustipher was a two-time captain at PSU, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2021 and 2022. In five years (49 games) with the Nittany Lions, Mustipher totaled 144 tackles (10.5 behind the line), three sacks, two forced fumbles and one pass breakup.

His brother, Sam, is a center with the Baltimore Ravens. The old Mustipher played with the Chicago Bears from 2019-2022 after playing collegiately at Notre Dame.

Broncos tenure: Mustipher signed with Denver as a college free agent after the NFL draft. He will compete for a spot as a rotational defensive lineman this summer.

Chances to make the 53-man roster: Mustipher will face an uphill battle to make the active roster, but he’ll have a fighting chance. If he doesn’t make the 53-man roster, Mustipher will likely be a top candidate for the practice squad.

Broncos offseason roster: No. 98, DL Mike Purcell

Mike Purcell joined the Broncos in 2019 after playing spring football in the AAF. He’s now entering his fifth season in Denver.

Broncos Wire’s 90-man offseason roster series continues today with a look at eighth-year defensive lineman Mike Purcell, No. 98. 

Before the Broncos: Purcell (6-3, 328 pounds) was born and raised in Highlands Ranch, Colorado and played college football at Wyoming. After going undrafted in 2013, he signed with the San Francisco 49ers. 

Purcell played the first two years of his career under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, serving mostly as a rotational defensive lineman. After three years with the 49ers, Purcell bounced between the Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs from 2017-2018.

After falling out of the NFL, Purcell played a season in the Alliance of American Football with the Salt Lake Stallions in 2019. After playing in the AAF, Purcell finally got another chance in the NFL after previously being cut nine times by six different teams.

Broncos tenure: In 2019, Denver decided to sign Purcell primarily as a camp body for training camp. Fangio was serving as the team’s head coach at the time and he later recalled telling then-general manager John Elway, “Be careful. You might like him.” Fangio was right. 

Purcell won a spot on the Broncos’ 53-man roster that summer and he never looked back. Over the last four years, the nose tackle has appeared in 49 games, earning 27 starts. In those contests, Purcell has totaled 141 tackles (12 behind the line), nine quarterback hits and 2.5 sacks.

Chances to make the 53-man roster: Purcell, 32, should be safe unless Denver wants to create more salary cap space. The Broncos could cut the veteran with a “dead money” cap hit of just $286,765 while creating an additional $3.5 million in cap space. If Purcell is cut this summer, it would be as a cap causality, not because of his ability as a player. 

Depending on if Denver plans to use D.J. Jones primarily as a defensive end or nose tackle this year, Purcell might even be a candidate to start in Week 1. He still has gas left in the tank. It will just come down to the money.

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Broncos’ updated defensive line depth chart after the NFL draft

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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2023 NFL draft: Scouting report for Seahawks nose tackle Cameron Young

Check out the scouting report for Mississippi State NT Cameron Young, selected by the Seattle Seahawks at No. 123 in the 2023 NFL draft.

The Seattle Seahawks beefed up their defensive line with the selection of Mississippi State nose tackle Cameron Young at No. 123 overall in the 2023 NFL draft.

Here’s a look at his scouting report from NFL.com.

“Naturally powerful prospect who is able to take on capable challengers and come out in good shape despite playing with an elevated pad level,” Lance Zierlein writes. “Young plays with early hands and a heavy punch to gain positioning quickly against single blocks. He has the core power and contact balance to force double teams to work. Also, he does a nice job of fighting against wash-down blocks and maintaining gap integrity against zone.”

“He has the size, length and strength to become a proficient run defender but offers very little as a pass rusher,” Zierlein continues. “While Young will be seen as a natural nose tackle, he could see snaps as a 5-technique as well.”

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2023 NFL draft: fans happy about Cameron Young, NT

The Seahawks finally address the interior defensive line

There’s your interior defensive line help, 12’s. Despite the Seattle Seahawks’ biggest need being the middle of their defensive front, Seattle waited until the fourth round to address this position.

But address it they did with a large young man by the name of Cameron Young from Mississippi State. The Bulldog standout isn’t just a defensive lineman, he was specifically identified as a nose tackle. In this new defensive system, this is exactly what Seattle needs.

As mentioned, the Seahawks waited to take on the defensive front, but the fan reaction is overwhelmingly positive.

2023 NFL draft: Watch Seahawks nose tackle Cameron Young highlights

Check out the highlights for Mississippi State nose tackle Cameron Young, selected by the Seattle Seahawks at No. 123 in the 2023 NFL draft.

Check out the highlights for Mississippi State nose tackle Cameron Young, selected by the Seattle Seahawks at No. 123 in the 2023 NFL draft.

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Seattle Seahawks release veteran defensive tackle Al Woods

The Seahawks continue revamping the defensive line, releasing veteran defensive tackle Al Woods after his third stint in the Emerald City.

The Seattle Seahawks are busy revamping their defensive line, releasing another defensive tackle on Monday. Al Woods now joins Shelby Harris and Quinton Jefferson as former Seahawks defensive linemen.

Woods originally entered the NFL in 2010 when he was drafted by the Saints in the fourth round out of LSU. He spent his first brief stint in Seattle when he was claimed off waivers in 2011 before being waived just two months later.

He signed again with the Seahawks in 2019 but ended up missing four games that year when he was suspended for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

Woods returned for his third stint in the Emerald City in 2021 and was elected defensive team captain last season.

During the first wave of free agency, the Seahawks signed defensive linemen Dre’Mont Jones and Jarran Reed.

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15 free agent defensive linemen Broncos should consider signing

The Broncos should consider signing these 15 defensive linemen during NFL free agency this month.

The Denver Broncos have a pair of key defensive linemen scheduled to become unrestricted free agents next week.

Dre’Mont Jones (26) and DeShawn Williams (30) will be allowed to begin negotiating with other teams on Monday. Jones is the team’s most notable free agent this offseason and the Broncos have said they want to re-sign him, but it’s possible that his price might prove to be too costly.

Jones “could end up being one of the biggest winners in the open market” with a contract in the range of $18 million per season, according to a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. It remains to be seen if Denver will be willing to pay that much with limited salary cap space.

Williams, on the other hand, is older and less productive, so it should be easier to re-sign him. The Broncos will likely look to free agency to beef up their defensive line depth this month, especially if they lose Jones.

Here’s a quick look at 15 interior defensive linemen Denver should consider signing during NFL free agency, listed from youngest to oldest.