Broncos Bring Younger Brother of $35 Million NFL All-Pro Into Minicamp

Maybe, at some point in the future, there will be an NFL team that decides not to make someone from the Ekeler family take the absolute hardest path to making it to the league.

Until then, the Ekeler family will just have to slug it out.

The Denver Broncos are bringing in University of Wyoming safety and Colorado native Wyett Ekeler on an undrafted free agent contract for rookie minicamp from May 9-11 as he hopes to become the second member of his family to make it to the NFL, following older brother and Washington Commanders NFL All-Pro running back/return specialist Austin Ekeler.

Making the team would “be an epic, kind of fairytale story,” Austin Ekeler told The Denver Post’s Luca Evans on May 8.

If Wyett Ekeler were to make it through the meat grinder of rookie minicamp, team minicamp and training camp to land on the roster, he would have to leapfrog the 8 safeties already listed on the Broncos’ depth chart — a depth chart he’s not even listed on yet.

Path From Rural Colorado to NFL Stardom

For Austin Ekeler, his younger brother’s potential path to the NFL must seem covered in rose petals.

That’s because at least Wyett Ekeler had the chance to go to an FBS school out of high school as a 2-star recruit. Austin Ekeler didn’t even get a Division I offer out of tiny Eaton (Colorado) High and had to make his path at NCAA Division II Western Colorado, where he racked up 7,172 yards of total offense and 63 touchdowns over 4 seasons from 2013 to 2016.

Ekeler made the Los Angeles Chargers  as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and led the NFL in touchdowns in 2021 and 2022. He cashed in with one big payday with the Chargers, where he signed a 4-year, $24.5 million contract extension in March 2020, and will have approximately $35 million in career earnings after the 2025 season.

In 2022, Ekeler had a career year and finished with 1,637 yards of total offense and 18 total touchdowns — he also finished ninth in the voting for NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

In 2024, in just 12 games, Ekeler still had 1,305 all-purpose yards and 4 touchdowns while adding punt return and kick return duties.

Wyett Ekeler Put Up Big Numbers at Wyoming

It doesn’t seem like the apples fell far from the tree in terms of the Ekeler brothers — Wyett Ekeler was a stats machine at Wyoming and also came in as a legit prospect on his measurables at Wyoming’s Pro Day.

In 5 college seasons, Wyett Ekeler played in 48 games with 197 career tackles, 8 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, 15 pass deflections and 4 interceptions, with one returned for a touchdown.

At Pro Day, Wyett Ekeler checked in at 5-foot-10 and 199 pounds while running the 40-yard dash in 4.44 seconds and registering eye-popping numbers on explosive movements, with a 41.5-inch vertical leap and a 10-foot, 11-inch broad jump.

“The younger brother of NFL running back Austin Ekeler, Wyett’s explosiveness flashes on tape with his pursuit burst,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. ” … His bloodline, pro-day testing and special-teams potential could help his cause.”