Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
Welp.
The Broncos’ blockbuster trade for Russell Wilson already lives in infamy, and somehow it found a way to get even worse for Denver.
Eyioma Uwazurike, the only player other than Wilson to come from the trade (by way of a 4th round pick in 2022) was suspended by the NFL indefinitely on Monday for gambling on NFL games. He’s the 10th player to be caught gambling, but one of only a handful who bet on league games. Uwazurike will now miss the entire 2023 season, with potential reinstatement not coming before July 24, 2024.
Uwazurike appeared in eight games in 2022, recording 17 tackles. It was assumed he would push for a bigger role in the rotation this fall, either at one of the end spots in Denver’s 3-4 defense, or as a potential starter down the road at NT.
It’s going to require something tremendous to happen to salvage this trade for the Broncos at this point. Russell Wilson was horrific (by his standards) in his first season in Denver, finishing with career-lows in completion percentage, touchdowns, and passer rating — while finishing 13th in passing yards, barely ahead of Derek Carr. All this while becoming one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL, thanks to an extension he signed with the Broncos.
So, if you want to keep score on this trade once more, here’s the full tally of what both teams got.
Seattle Seahawks receive:
OT Charles Cross (Starting LT)
LB Boye Mafe (Backup LB)
CB Devon Witherspoon (Starting CB)
OLB Derick Hall (Backup LB)
QB Drew Lock (Backup QB)
TE Noah Fant (Starting TE)
Denver Broncos receive:
QB Russell Wilson (Starting QB)
DE Eyioma Uwazurike (suspended)
The playoff team got three starters. The struggling team got a mediocre Russell Wilson.
