Broncos roster review: Defensive lineman Elijah Garcia (2024)

The Denver Broncos top three defensive lineman heading into training camp are D.J. Jones, Zach Allen, and John Franklin-Myers. Who the backups will be for their 2024 season remains to be seen, but third-year player Elijah Garcia will have an opportunity to earn a role on the team’s final 53-man roster.

The Broncos originally signed Garcia from the Los Angeles Rams’ practice squad in 2022 and he made two late season appearances for the team that year. He was one of last year’s top camp performers and put together a quality preseason and earned himself a reserve role for Denver last year.

However, he was a healthy scratch for most of the season and only saw 31 defensive snaps in three games the entire season. While Garcia didn’t see much time on the field last year, his off the field efforts earned him one of the team’s five Community Ambassador Awards. With the Broncos making a handful of additions to their defensive line, Garcia is going to have to kick his game up a notch if he wants to make the team in 2024.

Player Profile

Age: 26 | Experience: Third Year | College: Rice

Height: 6’5” | Weight: 302 pounds | Bench Press: 25 reps | Arm Length: 35”

Vertical Jump: 30 inches | 10-Yard Split: 1.76 seconds | 40-yard dash: 5.01 seconds

2023 Statistics: Appeared in only three games and registered 5 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, and 1 quarterback hit.

How defensive lineman Elijah Garcia fits with the Denver Broncos

Garcia attended Rice University and went undrafted in 2022. He earned first-team All-Conference USA honors after notching 67 tackles, 5 sacks, and 33 quarterback pressures as a senior in 2021. Scouts, coaches, and teammates lauded his passion for the game, non-stop motor, and football character that made him one of the Owl’s team leaders.

In his five seasons at Rice, he was a starter for three of them. Additionally, he had some of the highest total snap numbers defensively regardless of position. It didn’t matter where he played on the line, he barely went off the field and was a focal point on their defensive unit. Hard work and hustle are definitely plus marks for him.

Moreover, Garcia’s long arms, size and physicality stand out on tape, and he does possess above average athleticism. While his tape in the pros is limited, based off what I saw last year, he needs to play with better leverage and not allow opposing offensive lineman to get underneath him and latch on to his pads. That’s hard to do for taller players, but if he is able to improve upon that and generate better quickness with his initial first step off the line of scrimmage, I feel he could develop into a solid rotational player.

Final thoughts

Garcia was one of the players who surprised last year throughout camp, preseason and in his limited reps last season. Given how the Broncos’ defensive trench unit struggled last year, I’m a bit surprised he didn’t get more in-season opportunities to try and develop.

His size can’t be taught and his versatility to play both end and defensive tackle go in his favor, but the competition is a lot stronger on the defensive line than last year. He will be competing alongside the likes of Malcolm Roach, Angelo Blackson, Matt Henningsen, Rashard Lawrence and Jordan Jackson for one of the final spots on the roster.

I don’t think he is a sure-fire bet to make the final roster, but definitely would merit practice squad consideration for further development if he didn’t. Perhaps Denver’s switch to a more upfront and attack-style defense under Vance Joseph will help simplify his assignments and accentuate some of his traits.

Either way, I’m really hoping that the added depth will help iron sharpen iron and make Denver’s defensive trench game more formidable for the coming season. Of the many camp battles to watch, who reigns supreme as Denver’s platoon trench defenders is definitely one to keep your eye on.