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Broncos Starter Receives NFL Punishment & Bad Injury News at Same Time
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- Broncos Starter Receives NFL Punishment & Bad Injury News at Same Time
Denver Broncos defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike. Getty
If you think you're having a bad day, please take a second to consider what Denver Broncos starting defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike went through on Saturday.
Not only did Uwazurike learn he was going on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, but he also learned the NFL was fining him for his actions in a Week 8 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
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"The Broncos placed DL Eyioma Uwazurike (shoulder) on IR," The Athletic's Nick Kosmider wrote on X.
Uwazurike, 6-foot-6 and 320 pounds, was also fined $6,366 by the NFL's Gameday Accountability Committee for a facemask against the Kansas City Chiefs in Denver's Week 8 victory.
Uwazurike Becomes Surprise Starter for Broncos
After playing all 17 games in 2025 with just one start, Uwazurike has become a surprise starter for the Broncos in 2026 with seven starts in eight games.
ESPN's Bill Barnwell projected Uwazurike as one of the NFL's top backups in 2026.
"Uwazurike's role will expand after the departure of John Franklin-Myers , but the former fourth-round pick was another unheralded defensive tackle who had his best year as a pro in 2025, generating 3.5 sacks across a career-high 409 snaps," Barnwell wrote on July 21. "While he's already 28, Uwazurike's best football could still be ahead."
Uwazurike Seemed Poised for Breakout Season
ESPN's Ben Solak singled out Uwazurike as Denver's top "breakout candidate" as he continues to repair his reputation following a year-long gambling suspension in 2023 .
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Uwazurike has been the answer for the Broncos as they try to replace John Franklin-Myers, who left for a 3-year, $63 million free-agent contract with the Tennessee Titans .
"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," Solak wrote on July 8. "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 bull rush 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."
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Broncos Starter Receives NFL Punishment & Bad Injury News at Same Time appeared first on HEAVY .
