Denver Broncos 53-man roster prediction post-2023 NFL Draft
Denver Broncos post-draft roster predictions
Defensive line: 5 - 33/53
- DJ Jones
- Zach Allen
- Mike Purcell
- Eyioma Uwazurike
- Matt Henningsen
Admittedly, I'm not sure you want to go into an NFL season with just five defensive linemen on your active roster, but then again, the Broncos have had six for the last handful of years and one of them was consistently listed as a healthy scratch weekly.
The group here starts with two of the biggest acquisitions the team has made in free agency over the last couple of seasons. DJ Jones and Zach Allen have come over from the 49ers and Cardinals, respectively, to give the Broncos a really solid top-end duo on the defensive front.
Mike Purcell is coming off of a bounce-back season for the Broncos, and is entering the final year of his deal with the team. If he's able to stay healthy, he's a proven commodity at this point who knows how to clog lanes at the line of scrimmage.
Behind those three guys, however, the Broncos' defensive line is a question mark. Purcell and Jones may not be in the starting lineup together, and one of the starting defensive end spots on this team seems likely to go to one of Matt Henningsen or Eyioma Uwazurike, both Day 3 picks in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Uwazurike came to Denver pretty highly touted out of Iowa State, and a lot of people had third-round grades on him before he lasted into the early portion of round four for the Broncos. We saw glimpses of him as a rookie, but frankly, we saw quite a bit more of the sixth-round pick Matt Henningsen.
Henningsen was in the rotation from Week 1 to the end of the season and his ability to crack the rotation as a sixth-rounder didn't come as a surprise given his reputation coming out of Wisconsin as one of the hardest workers on the team. Believe it or not, Pro Football Journal actually named Henningsen a 2nd-team All-Rookie selection in 2022.
We know the defensive line is going to play in waves, but don't be surprised if the top four on this group in snaps this coming season are: Jones, Allen, Henningsen, and Uwazurike. The Broncos seem to be putting quite a bit of faith in the young guys.