Broncos opt against tendering DL Jonathan Harris a contract
The Broncos made the biggest roster decision of their offseason Monday when they informed quarterback Russell Wilson of his impending release once the new league year starts next week.
They’ll spend the rest of that interval making and executing several other moves of varying sizes, shapes and impact levels.
On Wednesday, the club informed defensive lineman Jonathan Harris that he would not be tendered a contract, a source confirmed to The Post, setting him up to become a free agent next week.
An original-round tender on Harris, a restricted free agent, would have been for $2.985 million, a price Denver judged to be too steep.
Harris saw the biggest workload of his career in 2023, playing in all 17 games. He started five of Denver’s first six games and then came off the bench as a rotational player after that.
Harris, 27, has been with the Broncos since 2019.
The Broncos could be in store for a relatively major shakeup on their defensive line after struggling to consistently slow down opposing rushing attacks or pressure quarterbacks.
D.J. Jones has one year left on his contract and a cap number of nearly $13 million. He has no guaranteed money left and Denver could look to either extend him or cut him and save $9.97 million against the 2024 salary cap.
The Broncos could get
Eyioma Uwazurike back later this year from a 2023 gambling suspension, particularly after the state of Iowa last week dropped criminal case.
The only real certainty is that the group will be built around Zach Allen. After charges in his that, Denver has a busy couple of weeks ahead trying to fortify its defensive front line and could also address the group in April’s draft.