One of the top position groups that helps Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton sleep at night is the defensive line. Paton noted earlier this offseason that the offensive and defensive lines were the two highest-graded units on the team last season, and the Broncos not only brought everyone back but added to those position groups.
The Broncos used a third-round pick on Sai'vion Jones out of LSU after re-signing DJ Jones on the defensive line, in particular, where the team already has enviable depth across the board. Zach Allen and John Franklin-Myers played as well as we have seen in their professional careers last year and Jones is now on a second three-year deal in Denver.
George Paton has said that defensive lineman Malcolm Roach was quietly one of the most important additions the team made last season as well.
We also saw the emergence last season of young Jordan Jackson, a sixth-round pick of the Saints out of Air Force in 2022 who ended up on Denver's practice squad in 2023.
Eyioma Uwazurike could finally be cut by Broncos in 2025
Another former draft pick who got a second chance with the Broncos this past year was Eyioma Uwazurike, a fourth-round pick back in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Iowa State. Uwazurike played sparingly as a rookie, but showed enough promise in his opportunities that the Broncos stuck with him through a gambling suspension handed down by the league.
Uwazurike was suspended for an entire calendar year -- not just a season's worth of games -- by the NFL for betting on NFL games, including games in which he played.
The Broncos didn't believe that Uwazurike's serious offense was enough to end his NFL or Broncos career, so he was brought back in 2025. And he got a shot to play. Uwazurike only played 63 snaps but he did play, which was thought to be highly unlikely after his year-long suspension in 2023.
The 2025 offseason presents a different challenge for someone like Uwazurike, however. The Broncos obviously have a plethora of options on the defensive line this season and the intrigue of a young player like Uwazurike is fading a bit faster.
Interestingly enough, both Over The Cap and Spotrac have Uwazurike as being under contract for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. That might complicate the discussion ever so slightly regarding his potential to make the team in 2025, because I assumed he only had one year left on his deal, like most everyone else.
No roster cuts are a foregone conclusion, by any means, but it does feel like Uwazurike is entering a clear make-or-break training camp with the odds stacked against him.