Report: Broncos RFA Tender OL Elijah Wilkinson at Second-Round Level

Nearly five hours into the NFL's legal tampering window, the Denver Broncos are yet to make any earth-shattering moves in free agency. However, on Monday afternoon, the Broncos moved to shore up a key piece along the offensive line.

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Elijah Wilkinson gets the second-round restricted free-agent tender, which comes with a significant pay-raise. Set to earn $3.25M in 2020 on the tender, Wilkinson's return gives the Broncos a starting option at right guard.

Wilkinson started 13 games last season at right tackle in place of the injured prized free-agent acquisition Ja'Wuan James. The year prior, Wilkinson started seven games at right guard after Connor McGovern took over at center for an injured Matt Paradis.

These past two seasons have proven Wilkinson's value and utility to the Broncos, and the team is showing him some love. While he was definitely playing out of position last year at right tackle, he bridged the gap and helped mitigate what could have been a Category 5 disaster for the Broncos.

Wilkinson joined the Broncos as a college free agent out of UMass in 2017. At age 25, he's just hitting his prime. Worst-case scenario, Wilkinson provides the Broncos with a viable starting right guard and a swing tackle.

If Wilkinson plays his cards right, and the situation doesn't dictate him playing out of position again, he could parlay this RFA tender into a big-money deal in 2021. Tendering Wilkinson also gives the Broncos a modicum of insurance in the event that the team is unable to come to an accord with McGovern — who's an unrestricted free agent.

We're still waiting to see whether the Broncos actually tender fellow RFA Mike Purcell. It was reported last month that the expectation was that Denver would tender the big nose tackle but we've yet to see actual movement on the issue.

Klis also reported the Broncos tendered four exclusive rights free agents. To wit: WR Tim Patrick, WR/PR Diontae Spencer, CB Shakial Taylor, and DB Trey Marshall.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.