ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — There were not raised eyebrows or eye-diverting head shakes but welcome embraces for Eyioma Uwazurike upon his return to the Broncos last month.
“Oh yeah for sure. It’s been good,’’ Uwazurike said Friday at his locker. “Everybody welcomed me back with open arms. I mean I can’t be more thankful for that. The teammates definitely seemed happy to see me, coaches. It was good to get the rust off and get back on the field. It felt really good.”
Uwazurike’s interview with 9NEWS on Friday was his first since he was reinstated by the NFL from his 54-week gambling suspension. A Broncos fourth-round draft pick in 2022, Uwazurike played sparingly as a rookie defensive lineman. Just as he was making the move for significant playing time in his second season, the NFL found he had violated its gambling policy. Asked about his time away and the reason for it, Uwazurike said: “I addressed that already and glad to be back and moving forward.”
He did issue a statement upon his return Aug. 6 as the team was beginning its third week of training camp:
“I am grateful to the Denver Broncos and the National Football League for giving me the opportunity to resume my NFL career. I’ve learned from this situation and taken steps to ensure it will never happen again.
"It is a privilege to play in the NFL, and I hope others can learn from my mistake. I will not take this second chance for granted and am fully committed to making a positive impact with the Broncos both on and off the field."
The 6-foot-6, 320-pound Uwazurike stayed in shape during his suspension but he admits he was plenty rusty upon his return. Head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton thought enough of Uwazurike’s potential, though, to keep him on their active, 53-man roster — even if it wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s on the game-day inactive list early in the season given his extended time away.
“I’ve been doing this forever so it’s all like muscle memory,’’ Uwazurike said. “It’s all about getting in shape. It’s like riding a bike. You don’t forget how to do that but I’d say getting the rust off and getting back in playing shape to play a game has been the biggest challenge coming back. But since then, everything has been pretty smooth.”
It doesn’t hurt Uwazurike he gets to hang out everyday with a position group full of grown men. Adult defensive linemen like Zach Allen, John Franklin-Myers, D.J. Jones, Malcolm Roach and Air Force product Jordan Jackson.
“A lot of good vets, people to look up to, people to learn from,’’ Uwazurike said.
