The Denver Broncos signed free agent defensive lineman DJ Jones after trading away Shelby Harris to the Seattle Seahawks earlier this offseason, but Jones won’t be a like-for-like replacement for Harris.
Harris was a defensive end in Denver’s base 3-4 defense and Jones is more of a nose tackle, similar to the position that Mike Purcell has played with the Broncos. So to help replace Harris up front, Denver used a fourth-round pick to select Iowa State’s Eyioma Uwazurike, a strong candidate to play DE.
“I think [Uwazurike will play] the ‘4I’ position — the ‘d-end’ position,” general manager George Paton said last week. “We weren’t good enough in stopping the run last year, so we want to get a little bit more size upfront. He along with Matt [Henningsen] we feel like can help in that area — help our depth up front where we can stop the run when we need to.”
Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett mentioned that Uwazurike has the flexibility to play everywhere on the defensive line, and the rookie confirmed that himself during a conference call with reporters.
“I’m comfortable being moved all around the d-line — I’ve played every position on the d-line, so it’s just all second nature for me at this point,” he said. “I’m just ready to see how that improves over the years. I feel like the better that gets, the more useful I’ll be.”
Dre’Mont Jones and DeShawn Williams seem to be the early favorites for the two starting DE spots, but Uwazurike will be able to carve out a rotational role right away and a starting job will be within his reach before long.
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