The first Bronco was busted for sports betting.
The NFL announced Monday afternoon that it is suspending Broncos defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike, 25, for the duration of the 2023 season. He will be eligible to apply for reinstatement next summer.
“We were informed by the NFL today that Eyioma Uwazurike has been suspended by the league indefinitely for violating its gambling policy,” the Broncos said in a press release. “Our organization fully cooperated with this investigation and takes matters pertaining to the integrity of the game very seriously. The Denver Broncos will continue to provide all members of our organization with the necessary education, resources and support to ensure compliance with the NFL’s Gambling Policy.”
Uwazarike will no longer count toward the Broncos’ 90-man roster. The team has reportedly agreed to terms with kicker Brett Maher, 33, but the Broncos haven’t made the signing official. The move will bring the roster back to the 90-man limit when official.
Uwazarike was a fourth-round draft pick of the Broncos in 2022 after a first-team All-Big-12 senior season at Iowa State, in which he posted 12 tackles for loss and nine sacks. At 6-foot-6 and 316 pounds, Uwazarike was among the top nose tackles in the draft.
Uwazurike’s role with the Broncos grew slowly during his rookie season. He didn’t participate in the first four weeks of the season but played Week 5 against the Colts and Week 7 against the Jets. He recorded one tackle over those two appearances.
Uwazarike played in each of the Broncos’ final six games as a rotational lineman. His four pressures during that stretch tied with Mike Purcell for the ninth-best on the team, and his two quarterback hits tied for second behind Jonathon Cooper. He ranked sixth on the team in run stops during that stretch.
Uwazarike figured to be a part of the Broncos’ 2023 defensive line rotation, although he was unlikely to steal a starting job from Mike Purcell. His size and quick feet gave him an opportunity to carve out a role either as a run stuffer or as an interior pass rusher.
Uwazarike is the 11th player suspended for sports betting in the past two years. He is the fifth of those players to be suspended for at least a year, which is the punishment for betting on NFL games.
In June, Broncos head coach Sean Payton told reporters that he spent 20 minutes during a team meeting explaining the league’s sports betting policies. He blamed the league for making the policy so complicated.
“If you’re a teacher and half your class get a D, you better look at yourself,” Payton said. “It’s not the policy, but it’s the implementation, the understanding, and the educating of the policy. I presented a week and a half ago, and now someone officially will present. Hopefully, it won’t be from that eight-page handout we received because that was more confusing after I read it than it was before I looked at it.”
The most substantial penalties are for betting on NFL games, but players can also be punished for various other offenses, including placing bets on other sports while on a team bus or at a team hotel.
Without Uwazarike, the Broncos have a shallow defensive line room. Zach Allen and DJ Jones, two of the Broncos’ biggest free-agent additions over the past two years, are locked into starting jobs. Mike Purcell, 32, will probably start at nose tackle again this season.
Behind those three, questions emerge. Jonathan Harris, 26, started a handful of games last season. Matt Henningsen, a seventh-round pick in 2022, broke into the defensive line rotation before Uwazurike last season. Undrafted free agent PJ Mustipher out of Penn State was among the Broncos’ major free-agent additions. Elijah Garcia, 25, appeared in two games for the Broncos last season. Jordan Jackson, Tyler Lancaster and Haggai Ndubuisi will also compete for jobs.
The Broncos will probably carry six defensive linemen into the regular season, and at least three jobs are up for grabs. The defensive line competition could be the most heated in training camp, which begins Friday.
