Domata Peko joins cousin at Denver Broncos nose tackle position

The Denver Broncos signed defensive tackle Domata Peko to a free agent contract on Saturday, putting him in competition with his cousin Kyle…

The Denver Broncos added some intensity and toughness to their defensive line rotation when they signed veteran Domata Peko on Saturday afternoon, reportedly on a two-year contract.

Peko is a name that will ring a bell for Denver Broncos fans, aside from all the years he’s been making plays in Cincinnati Bengals colors. Domata’s cousin Kyle, an undrafted rookie free agent that made the Denver Broncos’ roster last year, was one of the only nose tackles retained from last year’s roster.

As Sylvester Williams departed for the Tennessee Titans, the Broncos were getting to work fortifying the defensive front. Peko’s play seemed to have dropped off in 2016 a bit but the Broncos are counting on one of the most durable players in the league (112 straight starts!) to be a piece of cohesion for a defensive unit that dropped off big time against the run.

Peko hinted that this might be coming. He favorited this tweet from Zack Kelberman back in February…

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Obviously, when the Broncos came calling, Peko was on the ready. His leadership on and off the field is a huge reason the Broncos are making this move. Peko is also a family man, bringing his wife and three children to Denver. He gets to mix leadership and family with the Broncos, joining his cousin Kyle in defensive line meetings.

The Broncos are hoping Peko can give them what he brought to the table in 2015, when he racked up a career-high five sacks. That may be wishful thinking, but new Denver Broncos head coach Vance Joseph knows exactly the type of player the Broncos are getting in Peko, having coached the defensive backs in Cincinnati for a couple years and benefitting from the pressure he provides as an interior defensive lineman.

The expectations are that Peko will be an emotional leader for the Denver defense, and that he can present an upgrade over Sylvester Williams, at least on a rotational basis. The Broncos paid him a contract worth $7.5 million over two years, including $3.8 million in 2017. We will also expect to see as much of this as possible:

With Peko in the fold, the Broncos have added more leadership and toughness next to Derek Wolfe and whoever is slated to start at weakside defensive end, likely Jared Crick at this point. One area of emphasis for the Broncos this offseason was obviously to get more physical up front, and perhaps with a better supporting cast in Denver, Peko can return to top form for a couple years and be a key voice in the locker room.