Broncos may be able to answer huge question after encouraging prediction

Broncos may be able to answer huge question after encouraging prediction originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Denver Broncos re-signed nearly every player from last season’s roster that could have gotten away this season, with the exception of John Franklin-Myers. 

Franklin-Myers was an impactful piece of the defense for the Broncos. Unfortunately, it seemed to become clear last season that the team would lose him in free agency when contract extensions were given to multiple players, but not him. More or less, JFM just became too expensive for the Broncos to keep him around. 

This offseason, Franklin-Myers signed with the Tennessee Titans as a free agent. 

Whether or not the Broncos have adequately replaced has been questioned at length this offseason, despite the Broncos using their first pick in the 2026 draft to select Tyler Onyedim out of Texas A&M in the third round. However, the answer to who could sufficiently replace Franklin-Myers may have already been on the roster, at least according to a recent prediction from Ben Solak of ESPN. 

While searching for a potential breakout player on each of the NFL’s 32 teams, Solak likes Eyioma Uwazurike for the Broncos. 

“Veteran defensive lineman John Franklin- Myers was the Broncos’ lone significant departure from the loaded roster that was perhaps one QB injury away from a Super Bowl berth. Franklin-Myers is such a nifty player, with the ability to line up as both a big end and an undersized 3-technique without any apparent weakness. The Broncos have a deep room of options to replace his snaps in a piecemeal fashion but no one-to-one replacement.

Of the rotational players who impressed last season, the first one I’d be trying to get more snaps to is Uwazurike. He had a resurgent 2025 season after a 2023 season-long suspension for gambling threw a massive halt in his developmental arc. More of a true defensive tackle than Franklin-Myers, Uwazurike has a mean bullrush and a hot, hot motor that helps him make cleanup plays in muddy pockets. He can do a lot of the dirty work that made Franklin-Myers such a valuable part of the Broncos’ rotation”, wrote Solak. 

Uwazurike was a promising player when the Broncos selected him in the fourth round in 2022, but there is no doubt that the suspension threw his career completely off track. Still, he registered 39 tackles and 3.5 sacks in limited action last season, which was the first he played in all 17 games in his career. 

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With more of an opportunity, Uwazurike’s career trajectory suggests he could make a big difference for the team this coming season. Though it will likely take a joint effort from multiple players to replace what Franklin-Myers gave the team in his two years in Denver, it would be a huge boost for the Broncos if Uwazurike has a career year. 

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