The Broncos feel they have a “damn good” replacement for Ja’Wuan James

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Ja’Wuan James era in Denver began on Mar. 13, 2019 with a whopping $32 million in guarantees.

A mere 10 plays into the season, Denver’s expensive grand plan to quick-fix the offensive line was put on hold. On Wednesday, Vic Fangio announced the Broncos prized free-agent acquisition in the spring will be out at least a “couple” of weeks with a sprained knee.

The money, however, doesn’t get put on hold, the start of free agency is half a year away and the NFL Draft is even further out. So the Broncos will be forced to turn to their bench to replace their 51-million-dollar anchor on the right side.

Elijah Wilkinson, please stand up.

On the surface, the drop-off between the highly-paid starter and third-year backup seems drastic.

James was the 19th overall pick in the 1st-round in 2014. Wilkinson wasn’t even drafted in 2017. James is the second-highest paid right tackle in NFL history. Wilkinson makes a smooth $645,000. James has 63 career starts under his belt. Wilkinson has seven career starts at right guard.

Despite how it looks, Vic Fangio’s confidence is high in his new right tackle.

“I think he’s been pretty damn good all preseason, all training camp, preseason games,” Fangio said without hesitation, explaining why his confidence is high in Wilkinson. “He came in the other day and played good. Had a tough first play, got a little late off the ball, but we have total confidence in him.”

On Monday night, Wilkinson stepped right in for James after he went down at the start of the second quarter and ended up playing in the team’s final 52 offensive snaps.

His first play in, Rich Scangarello eased him back, handing the ball to Phillip Lindsay and sending him to the left. The next play was an incomplete pass. The third play was a harsh welcome to 2019 for Wilkinson.

From Oakland’s 33-yard line, the 6-foot-6, 329-pound tackle was easily beat on his one-on-one assignment by Benson Mayowa, who not only sacked Joe Flacco but forced a fumble. Denver recovered, but the 10-yard loss knocked the Broncos out of field goal range and killed their momentum.

Wilkinson did, however, bounce back. The Broncos, with Wilkinson holding down the right side of the line, put up 257 yards of offense and 16 points in the second half.

This wasn’t a surprise to the organization, either. During the offseason, Wilkinson drew significant praise from the coaching staff, his fellow offensive lineman and even the players he battles along the defensive line.

“He’s a hell of a football player,” Adam Gotsis said during training camp. “Eli’s really good. He has heavy hands, good feet. If he gets those paws on you, he’s going to lock you down. It’s been awesome to watch him grow from when he came in as a rookie as well. He’s just gotten better, better, and better. He ended up playing a bunch of games for us last year, did awesome. Came in, stepped up when ‘Big Ron’ [Leary] went out and did awesome.”

Now, at right tackle, Wilkinson will be playing alongside Leary for the foreseeable future. “Big Ron” told BSN Denver on Wednesday, he’s confident in his new right tackle because of how hard Wilkinson works, adding, “He’s part of the room.”

The money would say there’s a drastic fall off from James to Wilkinson. Their words would strongly suggest otherwise.