SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Matt Henningsen read the screen, widened out and got free just as San Francisco quarterback Trey Lance tried to dump the ball off.
Henningsen, the second-year Broncos defensive lineman, raised his hands and swatted the pass like he was Christian Braun blocking a shot in transition.
Fellow defensive lineman Elijah Garcia saw the flash of the ball and got his hands on it, securing an interception.
Henningsen is likely to make the Broncos’ 53-man roster next week and Garcia’s trying to do the same. Together, they’re part of a group thatap attempting to turn one of Denver’s bigger depth question marks into at least a unit that can feel good about rotating players in and out.
Can they do it? Henningsen was brimming with confidence after a strong overall showing against San Francisco’s dynamic run game.
“We shut the run down,” Henningsen told The Post. “The first drive and a couple runs here and there, but otherwise they were just going boot, boot, dropback and the run was dead.
“Obviously we still have a lot to work on, but I’m proud of what this group is doing.”
Denver lost 2022 fourth-round pick Eyioma Uwazurike to an indefinite suspension for gambling just before training camp and hasn’t yet seen Mike Purcell (knee) on the field. Purcell will be back at some point — he’s ramped up his conditioning work the past week or so — to join a group anchored by Zach Allen, D.J. Jones and current starter Jonathan Harris.
Denver went into last year’s opener with six defensive linemen and is playing a similar scheme this year with coordinator Vance Joseph running the show. Also competing for roster spots: Veteran Tyler Lancaster and young guys Jordan Jackson and P.J. Mustipher.
Garcia’s had perhaps the flashiest preseason so far, logging two sacks against Arizona before his pick against San Francisco. After going undrafted in 2022, he spent most of the year on the Los Angeles Rams’ practice squad before Denver signed him to its roster in December.
He’s been turning heads since then.
“He was a guy in the spring that I noticed right away. He’s prototype,” Joseph said. “Itap hard to find 6-foot-4, 6-5 guys that are 300 pounds in the draft that are free. He was (an undrafted) free agent. He’s a guy that has a bright future. In camp the first couple of weeks he was a little slow. He wasn’t playing great. But (against Arizona) he came alive. You saw the length and the speed and the pass-rush ability that he’s shown throughout our camp.
“It was fun to watch him play hard and play with confidence. When he came out of the game, he was beaming. In practice, you can see it. Itap tough to find big, young talent like that and he’s a guy we hope keeps getting better and better for us.”
He took another step Saturday against the 49ers over 35 snaps, tied for the defense’s top number.
“Itap been pretty awesome to make some splash plays out there,” Garcia told The Post. “Itap something I’ve dreamed of since I was a little kid. .. Any time I can put on this jersey is special, man, and itap something I don’t take lightly. Preseason or not, these games mean the world to me and I’m just taking it one day at a time.”
This group’s not going to be mistaken for one of the league’s most accomplished, but through a couple of preseason games they’re encouraged by the results.
“I could single out anybody in our room and just how much they’ve grown, itap absurd,” Henningsen said. “The amount that we’ve gotten better this training camp is a testament to every single one of us and a testament to (defensive line coach Marcus) Dixon and ‘VJ’ for putting us in good positions. The steps forward that me, ‘EG,’ Mustipher, (Jackson), even (international pathways program player Haggai Ndubuisi) and Lancaster have taken, itap been awesome to watch.”
Broncos signing WR. Denver on Monday agreed to sign wide receiver Josh Hammond, who most recently played for the XFL’s DC Defenders, the league announced.
Hammond played two games for Jacksonville in 2021 and spent time on New England’s roster last year. Hammond had 34 catches for 331 yards and a touchdown for the Defenders this spring. Hammond worked out for the Broncos in the past couple of weeks.
The Broncos lost receiver Jalen Virgil for potentially up to 4-6 months Saturday night when he injured his meniscus. The Hammond signing was not on the NFL’s transaction wire Monday and the corresponding roster move was not immediately available.
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