Elway says the Broncos “plan on going forward” with defensive lineman, Derek Wolfe

During Denver Broncos General Manager John Elway’s press conference at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine, he touched on veteran defensive end Derek Wolfe’s future with the team. It has been speculated that Wolfe could be on the outs as they prepare to shed salary for a run a veteran quarterback, but Elway squashed that speculation.

Elway touched on Wolfe’s progress from surgery and finished his statement by saying “hat is another one we plan on going forward with.”.

“Sounds like he is doing really well. He’s happy with the surgery so far. Everything that ‘Greek’ (Director of Sports Medicine Steve Antonopulos) has told me has been real positive with Derek. That is another one we plan on going forward with.”

This is good news for the Broncos front seven. When healthy, Wolfe has been one of the better run defenders in the league. Add him in with the emergence of former second-round pick Adam Gotsis and breakout player Shelby Harris, and the Broncos have a good run-stuffing unit at defensive end. That’s not even including big Domata Peko in the middle of the Broncos defense.

Unfortunately for Wolfe and the Broncos, he hasn’t been healthy much lately. He has been dealing with a nagging neck injury that really hindered him on the field, but offseason surgery appears to have fixed the ailment.

Wolfe spoke with 9NEWS Denver’s Mike Klis a few weeks ago and he raved about how great he feels and how great his neck feels.

“I can turn my head like an owl,’’ Wolfe said Wednesday in an interview with 9NEWS. “It’s crazy. I can look all the way behind me. It’s insane.’’

He says he still has to regain strength in his neck but is confident that new Broncos Strength and Conditioning coach Loren Landow will get him back into peak shape by the time the season starts.

“I can honestly sit here and tell you that as far as my neck goes – I have to build my strength back up, but I got Loren to help me so I’m not worried about that – but it’s fixed,’’ Wolfe said. “I feel so much better. I swear I couldn’t do a pushup during the season.’’

A healthy Derek Wolfe will be great for the Broncos defense. As I said prior, he’s an excellent run defender who adds some pass rush capabilities. He’s also a very large man who adds some intensity to the defense on and off the field. Hopefully, Wolfe continues getting healthier and has himself a big bounce-back year in 2018.