Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Broncos Making the Right Move Bringing Back BOTH Alex Palczewski, Ben Powers

Starting point is 00:00:00 Alex Palcheschi is officially coming back, and so has Ben Powers. The Broncos are keeping the offensive line together. You are locked on Broncos. Your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. Alex Palcheschi is not just reporting as eligible, but he's reporting as $9.5 million. Richer as of the Broncos giving him a two-year contract extension. We're going to break down that contract. as well as Ben Powers coming back.

Starting point is 00:00:37 A little bit of a surprising move to a lot of the fan base, but we talked about it on this show, and we're going to break down why it's the smart move for the Denver Broncos here on today's bonus episode of the show. My name is Sarah Beninger, co-host here of Lockdown Broncos, as well as the site expert at predominantly orange.com, and Lockdown Broncos is here for you every single day

Starting point is 00:00:58 throughout the course of the off season. In fact, twice a day. We have our regular episodes, bonus episodes, and we want to say thank you. to all of you every dayers out there that make this show what it is. And we appreciate you tuning in right here on the locked on podcast network, the number one sports podcast network. And we appreciate all of you who support the show by subscribing and listening every single

Starting point is 00:01:19 day. Much love from Cody and I to every single one of you. And we've got a lot to break down with the offensive line remaining intact for the Denver Broncos. Not many teams get to go into free agency knowing that not only are there starting five offensive line men's set, but your top six guys. In fact, I would say for the Broncos, your top seven, top eight guys on the offensive line already pretty well solidified. It sets the Broncos up for an obvious future investment at the position. We'll talk about that a little bit

Starting point is 00:01:50 later in today's show. But let's first talk about the big breaking news, which is that Alex Palchesec signed a two-year deal. The restricted free agent for the Denver Broncos, former undrafted free agent has developed so, so well for the Broncos, started a couple of games at right tackle when Mike McGlenshue went down back in 2024 and then started a long period last year when the Broncos desperately needed him after the Ben Powers injury. He gets a two-year deal worth $9.5 million with some incentives that can bring that up to $11-ish million. And those incentives are based obviously on playing time.

Starting point is 00:02:28 So the Broncos believe in Alex Palcheschi. This contract will essentially take the place of the deal that Matt Pertt signed last offseason. Perit got a two-year contract, believe it or not, last off season before ultimately going down with a season-ending injury this year for the Broncos. And remember, like I said, Palchewski was an emergency option for the Broncos at the left guard position. When Ben Powers went down, it was supposed to be Nick Garjulo, who got hurt in the preseason.

Starting point is 00:02:56 But after Garzulow went down, Matt Pert, became sort of the swing option there at both tackle and guard. And Pert started that game, the first game after Ben Powers went down with injury. And then the Broncos obviously replaced him when he got hurt with Alex Palchowski, who did a really solid job. But I don't think he was ever a legitimate option to be this team's starting left guard for the future. He did a solid job as the placeholder.

Starting point is 00:03:22 But I thought he did a lot better of a job as the team starting right tackle when he was filling in for McGlunchy. And then remember, Palchewski. got hurt at that point in time. So the Broncos have had to do quite a bit of shuffling, as much continuity as they've had on the offensive line. There's been plenty of shuffling done over the last couple of years. And not only as somebody like Palchowski started for this team, but Alex Forsyth has started

Starting point is 00:03:44 in place of the injured Luke Wattenberg at the center position. We've seen a number of guys rotating in. Frank Crum got some action this past year. But when you look at the offensive line death chart, man, the Broncos are very deep on the offensive line. And they've got a lot of clarity there now. They don't necessarily have a lot of clarity for the future, but we'll discuss that. Left tackle, obviously going to be Garrett Bowles, one of the best, if not the best left tackle in the game today. Now, Ben Powers will be returning as the starting left guard for the Broncos. There was some question about whether or not they would

Starting point is 00:04:17 take the cap savings by trading or releasing him. Ultimately, the team, I think, making the wise decision to let this final year of Ben Powers contract play out. They don't have to, they don't have to trade him. He's a really good player on the offensive line and somebody who, as we noted multiple times on this show last season, really upgraded the running game when he was out there. So Ben Powers is somebody that I think you want on your team, especially because he's already under contract and you would be taking on a pretty sizable $9 million dead cap hit to let him go. The Broncos can get cap savings other ways and we'll see if they end up doing that with free agency here knocking at the door. But Ben Powers coming back.

Starting point is 00:04:57 signifies what I kind of believed all along, which is that Alex Palchese is not necessarily a starting option for you at left guard in terms of team building. When it comes to adjusting on the fly, and when it comes to the more you can do, the more valuable you are, he can start at left guard for you. He's a valuable reserve option. Again, he was the reporting as eligible guy at one point for the Broncos last season before he had to step into that starting role. But certainly, When it comes to team building and roster building, you want to find somebody who's a better long-term positional fit there at left guard. Palcheschi has always been viewed as a right tackle by the Broncos.

Starting point is 00:05:37 And George Payton even admitted after the season, he said, I don't even think he's ever been on the left side of the line, much less playing left guard. So Palcheschi is a right tackle and not necessarily a right tackle only, as we've seen. He's a bit of a Swiss Army knife. He can play at left guard for you. But I love that the Broncos are bringing back, Ben, powers. I think that's the wise decision. I think that's the right move for this team in a

Starting point is 00:06:01 Super Bowl window. You don't want to be banking too much on a player like Palchese who's still young, still in the development stages, even though he may be ready for a starting gig at some point down the road. I just think that if that happens or when that happens, it will be in place of Mike McGlinchie at right tackle and his contract situation. Going to be interesting saga to follow next offseason. But Broncos country, I think both of these decisions, the decision to re-signed Palchewski and bring him back as well as the decision to keep Ben Powers. He's not going anywhere. I think those two moves signify that the Broncos are absolutely ready for a long-term investment

Starting point is 00:06:39 or two in this year's NFL draft on the offensive line. We're going to talk about that coming up next on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. Today's episode of Lockdown Broncos is brought to you by game time. We live in a world where we can stream anything, we can order food in minutes, and we carry supercomputers in our pockets, right? And somehow buying tickets to a live game still feels way too complicated. Hidden fees, jumping prices, endless steps. There's got to be a better way.

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Starting point is 00:09:04 But in the future, I think they're going to be looking for some young players to potentially take over starting roles. The 2026 draft may have one eye on 27 when it comes to the offensive line. In Broncos country, I think this move to resign Palchowski and the decision to bring back Ben Powers really is another way of strengthening the take. of offensive line early for this Denver Broncos team. And I've mentioned it before. I'll say it again. I think offensive line in the first round of this year's draft is very much a possibility for the Denver Broncos.

Starting point is 00:09:37 Sean Payton, George Payton, they both talked about how important it is to build in the offensive line. And Sean Payton even went so far as to talk about how in the past, he's used a lot of high draft capital on the offensive line. You want to identify the best possible prospects that you can at that position. group because it's so crucial. Remember, the reason why Mike McGlinchie and Ben Powers were signed in the first place is because the Broncos didn't have first round picks in 2022 or 2023. And they knew that probably in 2024, we're going to have to use a top pick on the quarterback position.

Starting point is 00:10:13 So they already knew that three first round picks for sure were not going to be able to be used on the offensive line because two years they didn't have them. And then one year, obviously the quarterback was the need. So Sean Peyton went out and he gets two guys high-priced free agents, very contended free agent signings at the time of Mike McGlinchie and Ben Powers. And hey, those have worked out pretty nice, haven't they? But those guys essentially took the place in some ways of not having a first or even second round pick in 2022 or 2023.

Starting point is 00:10:46 And I know Sean came to the Broncos in 23. So think about it this way. when they signed Mike McGlenshy at the right tackle position, that kind of effectively was Sean saying, if we had a first round pick, I'd be using it on the offensive tackle position. Mike was their priority in free agency. They got him and he's been an effective starter for the team.

Starting point is 00:11:09 Now the clock is about to have to reset at right tackle and left guard, I think are the first two positions. But you also have to consider that Garrett Bowles, he came into the league at the age of 25. So he's an older player based on his time in the league. He's only been in the league since 2017. But, you know, he's 33, pushing 34, right? So Garrett Bowles is not going to be able to play for an eternity.

Starting point is 00:11:34 You're certainly not expecting him to retire anytime soon, but you do have to start planning for these eventualities on the offensive line. The eventuality that Ben Powers could be gone after this year. The eventuality that Mike McGlinchie could be gone. after this year, the eventuality that Garrett Bulls might not play for, you know, three, four, or five more years. We'll see how long he ends up playing. But the Broncos have to be ready for any scenario. And that's why you have to invest the high draft capital now where you don't have necessarily those pressing needs heading into the draft. That's why free agency is going to be so crucial

Starting point is 00:12:08 for the Denver Broncos to make sure that you get to the NFL draft without any pressing needs. Remember, last year, they had pressing needs still going into the draft. They still needed a running back desperately. They still needed linebackers, which they never ended up getting desperately. But the Broncos can't do that this year. They have to get into the NFL draft without any major needs so that they can free themselves up to take an offensive lineman in the first round if that is the best player that's on their board or in the second round.

Starting point is 00:12:39 I think offensive and defensive line, safety, some positions that might surprise some folks could be very high on the Broncos priority list come time for the NFL draft and the decision to retain Ben Powers is proof of that. I don't think they're going to want necessarily somebody to come in and say, hey, we're going to plug us a rookie left guard into the offense when we're in the midst of a Super Bowl run. But I do think that they would draft somebody and have him ready for 2027 when they're ready to continue to go at Super Bowls. You know, so hopefully the Broncos win it all this year. Hopefully they can win it all going forward. They have to set themselves up in the trenches now. Invest in that player now at left guard,

Starting point is 00:13:20 maybe left tackle or right tackle or a swing tackle, something like that to solidify the depth on your offensive line and to give yourself some future starters. I think that's where the Broncos really have to capitalize on this year's class of players, offensive linemen, defensive linemen, linebackers, tight ends, running backs. We'll see what happens. But early in the draft, offensive line, don't be surprised the Broncos use one of their top two picks. on the offensive line this year. But Broncos Country, let me know your thoughts on the team's decision to re-sign Alex Palchese. Are you surprised that they're simultaneously bringing back Ben Powers?

Starting point is 00:13:54 Did you feel like Palchowski could be a future starter at left guard? Obviously, the Broncos making their declarations to the contrary of that. So very interesting stuff. But let me know your thoughts. We appreciate you for tuning in today. And every single day, Broncos Country, free agency is right at the doorstep. and we will be certainly bringing you content all throughout the free agency frenzy. We appreciate you for tuning in today and we'll catch you on the next one.

Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Broncos Making the Right Move Bringing Back BOTH Alex Palczewski, Ben Powers

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