Get to know new Denver Broncos OL J.J. Dielman
The Denver Broncos signed offensive lineman J.J. Dielman off of the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad. Here’s what you need to know about him…
If the name J.J. Dielman rings a bell for Denver Broncos fans, it’s because his cousin Kris Dielman was a nine-year veteran of the San Diego Chargers, and a Pro Bowl player at that.
The Denver Broncos announced a roster move on Saturday, signing J.J. Dielman off of the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad and onto their active roster.
Dielman replaces Trevor Siemian, who was placed on injured reserve after his shoulder injury on Thursday night.
https://twitter.com/Broncos/status/942148493728153600
Who is this guy?
J.J. Dielman – Offensive Lineman – Rookie
College: Utah
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 309 pounds
The former Utah Utes captain and starting offensive lineman was a fifth round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2017 NFL Draft (176th overall) and despite his draft status, wasn’t originally kept on the Bengals’ active roster.
I suppose that’s not a surprise, since he was signed off of their practice squad.
Dielman didn’t make the final 53-man roster out of the Bengals’ preseason, and was waived in early September.
The Broncos actually placed a claim on Dielman at that time, but were trumped by the Los Angeles Rams, who were higher in the waiver priority order at the time.
Just nine days after being claimed by the Rams, Dielman was waived and signed back on with the Bengals’ practice squad.
He only played 53 snaps on offense in the preseason for the Bengals, so the team didn’t get a great look at him on the field.
Prior to being drafted into the NFL, Dielman played college football at Utah, where he was obviously teammates with Garett Bolles, Devontae Booker, Tim Patrick, and Jeremiah Poutasi, who are all on the Broncos right now.
Apparently, John Elway really tursts the scout in charge of that particular area of the country.
Dielman started at right tackle for Utah for two seasons (2014-15) and moved to the center position in 2016. The Utes had one of the best offensive lines in college football last season, and Dielman was supposed to be a major piece of that moving inside to center.
He played in just five games before going down with a season-ending foot injury, and he wasn’t able to do workouts this offseason because of it.
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Some had projected him as high as a fourth round pick, but because of a lack of clarity of his new position and the injury he suffered, he was pushed down the board and was barely selected with a compensatory fifth rounder.
According to Pro Football Focus, Dielman allowed just four pressures on 137 pass block snaps as a center and showed out as a top 10 graded blocker in the country two seasons ago when he played right tackle.
The Broncos have obviously been eyeing Dielman for some time. If they liked him enough to put in a claim on him at the time of final cuts, this is a player they’ve obviously wanted in their system, and now they have the chance.
If Dielman can develop, he could perhaps be a more long-term option at center depending what happens with Matt Paradis, or he could just be depth and a player that can truly play all five position on the offensive line, or at least all of center, tackle, and guard.
I like this late-season move by the Broncos, getting a player that was drafted in 2017 and may be floating around for health reasons rather than his actual on-field ability.
Cincinnati obviously liked him enough to put him on their practice squad, and we know the Broncos have had success poaching guys like that in the past.