When the Denver Broncos named D.J. Jones a captain before the 2025 season, Broncos Country was surprised.

Eyioma Uwazurike wasn’t surprised at all.

“It’s a surprise for everybody that’s not in the locker room, for sure,” the defensive lineman told DNVR.

Nose tackles don’t get much attention, but they play one of the NFL’s most demanding positions. Every play is a brawl with a 300-pounder on the other side. Every inch matters.

“He’s not doing any easy downs. He’s in the middle of the defense every play,” Uwazurike said. “I feel like the nature of that position, the nature of being there for so long, you just gain this tough spirit. He’s been in a lot of fights. That’s somebody everybody’s going to respect.”

Jones provides a blueprint for Uwazurike. Jones is a nose tackle. Uwazurike thinks he’s at his best in that same spot. While Uwazurike is listed as six inches taller than Jones, he still uses the 10-year vet as his blueprint for playing the position.

Jones’ experience is part of what makes him so valuable.

“He’s got so much film out there that you can see him play against every style, every offense, how he attacks and this and that,” Uwazurike said. “I’ve picked his brain a hundred times.”

Away from the field, the conversations can be about anything. Uwazurike sees the same person in both settings, someone teammates trust enough to approach and respect enough to follow.

Jones describes that influence simply.

“I was just myself,” he said. “I was just being myself, being what I can be for my teammates, for this team.”

That leadership will travel with Denver to San Francisco on Sunday, Oct. 4, when Jones, safety Talanoa Hufanga and right tackle Mike McGlinchey return to face their former team. The Broncos, 2-1, visit the unbeaten 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, bringing back three players who began their NFL careers in San Francisco and have since established themselves in Denver. Jones and Hufanga as captains, and McGlinchey as one of the team’s most-respected voices.

Jones spent five seasons with the 49ers before joining Denver in 2022. McGlinchey followed in 2023 after five seasons in San Francisco, and Hufanga arrived in 2025 after four. They shared the 49ers’ locker room in 2021, when Hufanga was a rookie. 

Hufanga will return as the AFC’s reigning Defensive Player of the Week. Against the Rams last Sunday, he intercepted two fourth-quarter passes, returned one 66 yards for a touchdown and added a drive-ending sack in Denver’s 30-26 comeback victory. His pick-six gave the Broncos their first lead. His second interception sealed the win. The award was the first Player of the Week honor of his career. 

“I was kind of shocked,” Hufanga said. “It is my first time, so I’m very blessed.”

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