The Denver Broncos want Eyioma Uwazurike to continue to step up and give them more production this season.
The Denver Broncos didn’t make any huge changes on defense, but they do have one player they want to step into a new role. Defensive end is Eyioma Uwazurike is being asked to provide at least some of the production provided by John Franklin-Myers, who left the Broncos to join the Tennessee Titans in free agency and finally get paid.
It’s a big ask, and it’s no small task, either. The Iowa State product is learning at a whole new level now, and both Franklin-Myers and defensive tackle Zach Allen have been showing the 6’6”, 325 pound lineman how to use his unique size and athleticism to get angles, leverage and results.
“It’s not just knowing how to do moves against people,” Uwazurike said in a piece written by Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post. “It’s knowing, ‘OK, this guy likes to set this way. This guy likes to shoot his hands this way. This center leaves this little bit of air here when he does this. Then this is where we need to attack at.’
“Every week we’re switching up moves and going based off what certain teams did. It’s different than doing one-on-ones in practice. Learning from them and watching them do that last year, that was everything.”
Allen is particularly meticulous in that regard, as he gets to a level of details that Erazurike had barely considered before.
“Zach, the notes that Zach takes, he knows the opponent’s middle name,” Uwazurike said. “He knows everything about them. He dissects everything down on how to pass-rush vs. a certain person, a certain team, how the o-line slides.
“They definitely school you when it comes to studying. It’s been good to learn.”
Urazurike has been putting his lessons to good use. He’s been disruptive in training camp against both the run and the pass, according to Parker, and the other linemen have noticed.
“The leap he’s taking right now is pretty scary,” defensive tackle D.J. Jones said recently, calling Uwazurike, “unblockable.”
There are also several players on defense who are up for extensions, including Riley Moss, Ja’Quan McMillian and safety Brandon Jones, with Marvin Mims Jr. heading up the list on offense.
The 28-year old Uwazurike isn’t high on the priority list at the moment, but he’s not particularly worried about that. As Gabriel noted, he’s focusing on what makes him valuable.
“All I can do is learn and — I feel like what I’m doing now in camp, learning from the guys in front of me and all that, that’s what’s going to help me get to that point,” Uwazurike said. “Money is made here. Money is made in practice and in the film room. That’s my main focus. If I do all of that right and play as hard as I can, then whatever comes for me is whatever comes for me.
“That’s all I can do. That has to be the mindset.”
