Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos BIGGEST STRENGTH is Offensive Line Continuity and Depth

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Denver Broncos offensive line is one of their biggest strengths on the team, and they are returning the same exact unit together for third-year quarterback, Bo Nix. You are locked-on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast. Part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. What's up, Broncos Country? Cody O'Rex, Sarah Bedinger here. And on today's episode of the show ahead of OTAs, we're going to preview the Broncos offensive line. Will they carry nine players or 10 on the 53-man roster? and who are some of the young and developmental names to keep an eye on that could be stashed on the practice squad.

Starting point is 00:00:40 Plus, the Broncos, they have a lot of solidified depth as is on the offensive line. Will it look different this upcoming season? We'll dive into a potential change between one player and a rookie in the hierarchy. And we're going to kick things off by talk about the Broncos offensive line returning what is perceived wildly to be one of the best offensive lines in the NFL for Bo Nix as he goes into year number three. Sarah, this, I feel like, is always a debated topic because I really think it is in the eye of the beholder. I think you can make some arguments why the Broncos' offensive line is one of the best units in the league. And I also think you can kind of poke holds in it as well, considering what we saw when Bo Nix was out with an injury, but also the Broncos run game itself.

Starting point is 00:01:23 The truth has got to be somewhere in the middle here with this offensive line unit that once again is returning to be the same unit that Bo had when he was a rookie. Yeah, I think that there's a you scratch my back, I scratch your back sort of relationship between Bo Nix and the offensive line, right? Because remember in the 2023 season, Russell Wilson was sacked way too many times. And Sean Payton came out after the season and was like, I think that sacks are a quarterback stat more than they are an offensive line stat. And so we're all kind of sitting there saying, okay, so you obviously not only need a offensive line that can protect the quarterback, but you need a quarterback who can protect himself. And Bo Nix has proven that to be true and need a scheme that can protect the quarterback. And so, yes, I think the Broncos do have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. And that's not just from a Broncos fan's perspective, Cody, like the Broncos get a lot of national recognition, whether you're talking about any sort of media outlets, ranking offensive lines, past block grade, run block grade, all that stuff.

Starting point is 00:02:24 I saw a recent thing put out from ESPN's Mike Clay that had the Broncos rated as the number one offensive line. in the NFL. And that was by rating each individual player in their starting five. So there are others out there who believe that the Broncos do have the best offensive line in the league. But I think you're right. There is this like weird disconnect because what happened to the running game in the second half of the season? What happened in the AFC championship game and feels like Jarrett Stidham is under pressure every single snap? And I don't mean to take away from the Patriots having a good pass rush plan in the playoffs because they did. But Boy, you really expect if an offensive line is touted as the number one in the NFL,

Starting point is 00:03:06 now we start to get into the conversation of, okay, we can't just constantly be singing their praises. If you're going to be considered the number one O line in the NFL, then we've got to start getting critical on a microscopic level and figure out, how can we be better? Why did things not go well with the running game in the second half of last season? Why did the past protection break down in the playoffs? because everyone was out there. Everyone was healthy.

Starting point is 00:03:31 And that's part of the confusion, I think, right now going into this offseason. Yeah, it is. And I think you can look across the board and say that the Broncos have, I think Garrett Bulls arguably one of the top five offensive linemen in the NFL. I think he should have won protector of the year last year. He certainly was in consideration. It was his best year as a pro, which is crazy because he is aging like fine wine. Like his performance is aging like fine wine at this point.

Starting point is 00:03:54 And that's what you want, especially after Denver just gave him an extension, and not too long ago, Quinn Miner is one of the best guards in football where I feel like they have not pulled him enough. Like I always see it recirculated on Twitter, the clip against the Kansas City Chiefs on a Sunday night football game. What was this back in 2021? I think it was Quinn's rookie season. They pull him from right guard, left side.

Starting point is 00:04:17 And everyone's like, oh, look at number of 77. It's like, why can't they pull Quinn even more? He's getting better. He's obviously an all pro offensive guard. I think Ben Powers is very underrated. I felt like if he did. didn't miss time due to an injury. I think Ben Powers would have also been in consideration for some all pro nominations last season. I liked what I saw from him. Luke Wattenberg, I felt like

Starting point is 00:04:37 for as much as we had complained about him last season, critiqued him. And early on at times this season, I felt like down the stretch, he played so much better. I mean, the Broncos gave him an extension. And then from that point, I think his play elevated. So I have no qualms about that. Mike McGlinchie still playing really good football right now. And I just think that this unit works well in unison with what Bo Nix does. When you talk about the ability to step up within the pocket, right? If there's an outside pass rusher that's climbing up field,

Starting point is 00:05:06 Bo kind of has these eyes in the back of his head where he knows how to sense and maneuver where on the left side, if the pass horse is getting too far up field and Garrett Bulls is kick stepping and working his way up. Bo knows, hey, I'm gaining leverage. I can dip up and I can go to the left side. I can climb a little bit. I can extend the play beyond the line of scrimmage right here. And then if there's nothing there, I can take it and run past.

Starting point is 00:05:27 it. I think Bo does that really well. Whereas Jared, that just wasn't his game. And we saw that certainly in the AFC championship game. So I think very much this year, Sarah, with the Broncos running it back with Ben Powers after not restructuring his contract, not deciding to move

Starting point is 00:05:43 on because they would have saved money on the cap if they had. They would incurred some dead cap, obviously. But they decided we're going to run it back here as Bo goes into his third season with the same exact offensive line unit that has played together. And you mentioned the Russell Wilson stat earlier.

Starting point is 00:05:59 How many times was he sacked there in 2023? I think it was, what was it, 53? It had to be something like that. I'll look it up right now. 53, 54, but in totality, when you look at Bo Nixon's first two seasons, Bo, kind of in two seasons combined to that one year total.

Starting point is 00:06:15 Like that right there is where it's good. Bo was one of the least sacked quarterbacks in the NFL last season. That can't even be disputed. He was very good at avoiding that. And that's something that Sean Payton likes about Bo. And that also was something that Beau did well in college, avoided being sacked. So it is translatable from where he was at Oregon in his two seasons there,

Starting point is 00:06:35 one of the least sack quarterbacks in the entire nation to now in the NFL in two seasons. He is the least sack quarterback in his first two years. And look at the success there for him, 24 wins as a quarterback, which ties Russell Wilson for the most by rookie quarterback by quarterback in their first two seasons, over 7,000 something yards, 54 plus touchdowns for him. He is on another path. And there's all these people that are trying to nitpick Bo Nix. I guarantee you, I think the offensive line, they have a lot to say about it.

Starting point is 00:07:05 And I'm very excited to see this unit here once again, because this really, Sarah, if you look at it on paper, this could be the last year. We see this group together. I think absolutely it will be. I don't think there's any question. I think that this is the last dance. And I know that there's always a chance that the Broncos could bring

Starting point is 00:07:24 Ben Powers back or they could renegotiate, you know, and give an extension to Mike McGlenshey at right tackle. But the reality is, is that, you know, the bill's coming due. And so you got to make some tough decisions as we've seen the team make. And that's part of why I think they're going to honor the last year of Ben Powers contract because they're kind of going into this saying, hey, we're going to put together a succession plan. Go play your way into a big money deal because he's still 30 years old. So he's got football left in him, but the Broncos can't keep everybody. And to the earlier discussion, I mean, Russell Wilson, Cody, was sacked 100 times over his two seasons in Denver. Didn't even play every game, obviously. It was sacked 100 times. Bo Nix has been

Starting point is 00:08:05 sacked 46 times in two seasons. So, yes, the sack is a quarterback stat in a lot of different ways. And also, I think the Broncos' offensive line just procedurally has been better. They've been a bit more disciplined, right, under Sean Payton and the staff. It hasn't been perfect. But we are also seeing a transition this year with Chris Morgan taking over the offensive line coach position. Zach Streif kind of moving into the more full-time run game coordinator, assistant head coach, kind of working his way up the hierarchy, so to speak. And so I'm interested to see how that plays out because right now, I think the idea is that Streif has done a pretty darn good job with player development.

Starting point is 00:08:48 And the disconnect is once again, well, yes, the player development. on an individual basis has been really good. Guys are making a lot of money like Quinn Miners, Garrett Bowles, Luke Wattenberg, I believe those three guys in particular, Cody, have all gotten contracts since Zach Streif came aboard the coaching staff. So that is working out well. And the same is true of Alex Palcheseke,

Starting point is 00:09:11 who's the team's sixth man. So guys are getting paid. Guys are making a lot of money. And so it makes it very interesting that the Broncos would move him out of that role and move Chris Morgan into it. I don't know if you have any insight into that or if it's really, I would love to hear about that because ultimately you see these guys making money,

Starting point is 00:09:31 improving, getting better at their craft, and now they're going to make a switch in that position coaching area. Yeah, it was weird because we're going to DeBrocco's rookie mini camp. That was one of the first things I was looking at. Okay, now that Zach Street doesn't have the offensive line coach title, what is he going to do? He's still coaching the offensive line. He's still instructing guys.

Starting point is 00:09:50 You got Morgan working on one side. with, you know, I believe it was the right side players, and then you've got Zach Streep working with the left side players. At least that's how it was a rookie minicamp. But it's a little different now. Like Morgan is in control of the offensive line, whereas I think Zach Streif is kind of like he's the head coach of the offensive line unit, so to speak. So he is, he's got total say over that whole unit and everything that they do. So I think that's kind of where maybe the change is at. When you look at it on the field, how he's coaching and teaching, it's not changing, even though that his tie.

Starting point is 00:10:21 is a little bit different compared to what it was last year. So I am truly curious to see how that dynamics is going to fully work here going forward for this team. But look, Broncos country, the offensive line for the starting standpoint, it is set. The Broncos are locked in there. And the depth behind the starters is very, very promising with three guys who are already proven to be players that Denver can rely on. So anyone else who can emerge.

Starting point is 00:10:42 We'll discuss that here on today's episode of the show. Today's episode, the show was brought to you by friends over there at Rugi. The NHL playoffs are here where every shift matters. every moment is intense and the pressure is at its highest. Don't melt on the ice like the Colorado Avalanche have against the Vegas Golden Nights and step up when it matters. Just like performance matters on the ice, it matters off the ice too. And that's where Ruggiat comes in.

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Starting point is 00:11:35 That's RUG, IET.com slash locked on NHL for 15% off RUGIT, Performance Medicine, Rumen. The Broncos' depth on the offensive line might be one of the more enviable areas of their roster heading into the 20, 2016. season. And it's also massive for the future of the team. We're going to talk about that on today's episode of the show of Broncos country. Cody and I want to say we appreciate you so much. If you're an everyday listener of the show, we want to invite you. Get your daily Broncos fix, completely add free by joining the everyday or club today. Start your seven day free trial right now and get closer to your favorite team without the interruptions. Click the link in the show notes or go to lockdownbroncos dot supercast.com to claim your free trial.

Starting point is 00:12:20 Cody, let's talk about this. I think the depth on the offensive line is a massive asset for the Broncos. We've seen that come into play over the last couple of seasons, right? I mean, one of the things we always talk about is continuity on the starting five. But one of the things that doesn't get brought up all the time is the fact that, man, the Broncos really have quality depth. Guys that they trust and believe can start at any point in time. we even discovered last season that one of these depth pieces,

Starting point is 00:12:49 probably the most important and obviously highly paid one, he was able to step into a role that the Broncos didn't even know he could play quite literally. So the depth on the offensive line, it's got to get sorted out, but ultimately it feels like a major strength of this roster that sometimes goes overlooked. Yeah, it is a strength. And I think that in the event of an injury, we've seen the last two years,

Starting point is 00:13:11 the Broncos, they've dealt with an injury to a couple of players where they've had a player go on IR. 2024, it was Mike McGlinchy who went on a little bit of a brief IR stint with a knee injury. Alex Pouchesky, the guy you're talking about stepped in and right tackle and did a really good job to the point you and I were having conversations. Broncos country was talking on social media about could this guy be the future replacement to Mike McGlinchie in the future?

Starting point is 00:13:33 Or could the Broncos maybe move him to left tackle? There were a lot of conversations because Garrett was in the last year of his deal, had yet to have a contract extension at that point. So I think there were a lot of different things that people were talking about, but Sean Payton has come out, and he has always said, Poucho, he is a right side player. And so primarily in the preseason, we saw him alternate at right tackle. We saw him alternate at right guard because he's got that versatility. And then in the regular season, after Ben Powers went down with the bicep injury, Matt

Starting point is 00:14:01 his backup went down with the knee injury in London. All of a sudden, Alex Paucheski had to step in at left guard. And he did a wonderful job filling in at that position and even had some play, some highlight plays. where he's springing R.J. Harvey up the sideline against the Dallas Cowboys. He and Quinn Miners did a great job at the guard position in that game. And so all of a sudden, now our conversations are like, Paucho used to be the 12th man, so to speak, right? He was the guy who's rubbing his chest.

Starting point is 00:14:31 Referees looking at him saying, okay, number 73 has reported as eligible. The crowd's going crazy at Empowerfield. That was always one of those funny bits. But then that role changed for him as this season went on because he had to play at left guard until Ben Powers came back. So in the meantime, that eligible tackle guy became Frank Crum. So, I mean, Sarah, to be honest with you, Denver found a little bit of a gem here, not only in Crum, but with Paucheschi's versatility to play not only right side but left side,

Starting point is 00:14:58 to the point that they re-signed Paucheschi this offseason to a two-year deal. And it's got a lot of people wondering what is the plan with these guys. Where do you see this playing out right now? Because Frank Crum, I think, has proven to be a valuable role player in terms of his position on the offense. line, the extra tackle eligible, and I mixed up their numbers, it's 63 for Paucho, 73 for Crum. That's my apologies on that one. And now you have the ability to kind of mix crumb at left tackle, if need be, if something

Starting point is 00:15:27 happens to Garrett, Pauchesky at right tackle, right guarding the event of an injury, and even left guard if possible. But it seems like that's where Denver's draft picked this year, Cage Casty, is going to fit in at that left guard spot behind Ben Power. So now your roles really do become clear with this offensive line. Paucho right tackle, crumb left tackle, Cage Casey left guard. And that clarity for the Broncos is one of their greatest assets now, because last year it was kind of figuring things out.

Starting point is 00:15:56 Like you said, Palchewski was the reporting as eligible guy to start the season. Nick Garzula goes down in the preseason, which kind of forces the team to sort of punt in a way when they did lose Matt Parrott after Ben Powers had already gone down. And so, yes, that clarity is super helpful. because now you have contingencies for really anything, right? I mean, the Broncos have already said they not only believe Cage Casey can play left guard and be a starting guard, but they also believe he has starting center traits.

Starting point is 00:16:26 So let's say a similar situation arises, knock on wood, that happened at left guard last year. Let's say the same thing happens at center this year where Wattenberg goes down. All of a sudden, foresight goes down. Well, the Broncos have said and believe that Cage Casey can play that position. So now you have all sorts of contingencies on the offensive line. And I think you're set up really well. I think let's talk about one thing that is not the case, I think. And I know you can never say never.

Starting point is 00:16:55 But Alex Palchowski being the starting left guard of the future, I don't think that's happening. I think they would have moved on from Ben Powers if that had been the plan or if they thought that that could be the case. They clearly did not believe that. So they are keeping powers and they've now drafted Cage Casey. as the long-term replacement. I think that we are going to see Palchowski as the right tackle of the future.

Starting point is 00:17:19 If the Broncos decide, hey, financially speaking, we can't keep all five offensive line as highly paid guys. Mike McGlenshy, if he's on the way out, I think Palchowski steps in there. I think next year, Cage Casey steps into left guard. Eventually, hopefully, Frank Crum can be the left tackle successor to Garrett Bowles. I know we want to see Garrett keep playing for as long as he possibly can and wants to. And he has every reason to do that.

Starting point is 00:17:49 So it just feels like that clarity that you mentioned is it's helping fans sleep at night. I'm sure it helps Sean Payton and George Payton sleep at night because the Broncos don't really draft offensive lineman. Like there was a reason we made kind of a big deal out of the cage Casey pick because they don't really draft a lot of these guys unless it's super late in the draft. And so I think that what we're seeing now is, okay, the draft and develop or the sign and develop, it extends into just the faith, I guess, that you could say that this coaching staff and the scouts have in these diamonds in the rough. When they identify these players, they feel like have high traits, right? And they get them in the system. Hey, if we sign this guy as an undrafted rookie fridge and we draft this guy fourth, fifth, sixth or seventh round,

Starting point is 00:18:38 we have four years of being able to just get them in, know our system, see where their development takes and then that allows us to make these decisions where their approach might be a little unorthodox, Sarah. And you mentioned this as well. When we were doing like the pre-draft buildup, we were talking about like you look across the NFL, a lot of times the offensive linemen that have longevity in this league are the guys that didn't necessarily get drafted with the highest stature. Of course, there's some blue chip guys that get drafted in the first round, second round that, you know, will merge a little bit. but it's really about making your hay in the more valuable rounds there instead of the first round, which I always find to be interesting.

Starting point is 00:19:14 I mean, we've seen it change year after year. We're not as many offensive linemen are going in the first round as they used to, let's say maybe five, six, seven years ago. It's changed a little bit. But the Broncos approach here is we're going to get these guys in our system. We're going to develop. We have solidified starters. We're not having a turn table of different guys coming in every year at right tackle like the Broncos previously had.

Starting point is 00:19:35 we have stability with our offensive line. And now we have stability with developing these guys who know exactly this role, that role and could fill in here if need be. But they know the terminology. They know the system. Now they've gotten the reps and the experience. And there's times where we know they're going to step in in the regular season because if an injury pops up, they're going to be ready.

Starting point is 00:19:54 We've seen that approach so far for the last two seasons. That's why I think the Bronco was the method to the badness might actually be very smart here by Sean Payton and company and the scouting department, as you mentioned. They are doing something that not a lot of teams do. And it has paid off for them so far. Now, I think we have to look in the future. If they do after two years from now, move on from Mike McGlenshy, after this year, if they move on from them powers, when those guys that we anticipate to slot into those roles,

Starting point is 00:20:21 how they perform will be very interesting. But right now, having four guys behind your starters that can step in and start and you're not going to lose sleep, that right there is huge. And the Broncos have those four guys with Forsyth and Center. Kesh Casey has a left guard option, Frank Crom at left tackle and Paucheschi at the right tackle, right guard position. You have flex there. That's where the Broncos have the advantage right now that I think makes their offensive line collectively, an elite unit. So I'm excited to see how that kind of boils down here.

Starting point is 00:20:50 But now the question comes here. As we get ready for OTAs, we're going to do a little bit of an early 53-man roster preview. Well, the Broncos carry nine players or 10 on the active roster this upcoming season. and some of the depth options might make this a tough decision for Broncos Brass. Today's episode of the show was brought to you by our friends over there at Square. It's the system that helps fix one of the biggest headaches and running a business. Starting a business is exciting, but actually running it. That's where things can get complicated fast.

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Starting point is 00:22:14 OTAs kicks off next week and the Debra Broncos offensive line is going to look bigger and better than ever. But as the summer wears on, the Broncos are going to have to make some decisions going into 2026 as to what the roster at this position specifically is going to look like. right from tackle, guard, and center, and the Broncos have plenty of options. And it begs the question, who makes the 53 man roster, who makes the practice squad? We'll break it all down here. I want to say thanks to all the everydayers, once again for tuning in here on the Lockdown podcast network, the number one sports podcast network in the country. Thanks to all of you in Broncos, country.

Starting point is 00:22:47 It's also your team every day, sir. All right, we already know there are five spots that are locked in, penciled in with Sharpie, on the offensive line, the starters. Garrett Bulls, Ben Powers, Luke Wattenberg, Quinn Miners, and Mike McGlinchy. I think we made a pretty strong case as well. We already know four other spots behind them with Pouchesky, with Frank Crum, with H. Casey, and with Alex Forsyth. Now the question here, sir, is there one name out there on the Broncos' long list of players that they have on the roster right now that could force them to carry 10 offensive linemen on their 53-man roster? I think there's not only one name, Cody.

Starting point is 00:23:26 I think there might be three, honestly. I think that if Nick Garjulo comes back, I felt like, and I think you and I agree, I felt like he was playing in last year's preseason to a point that he was going to be one of the top seven or eight offensive linemen on the team. I felt like he was working his way into that discussion of, could he take over for Ben Power?

Starting point is 00:23:47 So I know his health is really going to determine whether or not that ends up being a conversation again. So I kind of put an asterisk next to his name. name, but the Broncos had two undrafted players in this year's class that, man, I did some digging. I know I said on an episode of the show that I did earlier this week or late last week that I was going to do some more digging on these guys. Cody, the offensive alignment that the Broncos signed in undrafted free agency, there's a reason why Sean Peyton said they had draftable grades on some of these guys. And you talk about specifically Tyler Miller from Iowa State

Starting point is 00:24:21 and Gavin Ortega from Weber State, Weber State. I feel bad. I don't, I don't. I I should look that up. Weber. I should have looked that up, Cody. Really, I don't want to disrespect Weber State. Shout out to Weber State. But those two guys were among the top four on the entire team in terms of overall guaranteed money for undrafted players.

Starting point is 00:24:41 And Tyler Miller specifically is the highest paid undrafted offensive linemen the Broncos have ever had. He was second this year only to Tori in York at linebacker. So you know he was one of those guys that they had circled and identified as, hey, this is a guy we had a draftable grade on. I mean, the dude is just massive. I know you saw him out there at the rookie minicamp. He's huge.

Starting point is 00:25:04 Like, I mean, even on the RAS scale, Cody, he's listed at 6, 8 and 6, whatever that is, 6, 8 and 6. I don't know what that is. 6 foot 9 essentially is what he is. But then you put the cleats on and he's probably adding a whole other inch to his frame. So, man, this guy is big. He is long. He's strong.

Starting point is 00:25:24 He's athletic. honestly, I'm sure the Broncos were surprised he didn't get drafted, but that's the type of guy like they stashed on the roster. Remember when Frank Crum came out? Like, we all saw Frank even have a bad preseason. And the Broncos were like, no, no, no, he's going to be fine. You guys just wait and see. And they've proven that right. So now they have two more guys that I think could be in that category.

Starting point is 00:25:48 Yeah, I mean, I think from that point to it, even Gavin Ortega, they very much could carry a 10th because they may not want to risk. And I think offensive linemen in today's game, I think there are teams that are always looking because what is the cliche? The game is one in the trenches, offensively, defensively. That's what everybody's talking about. Now, here, though, is the question, right? I think you make a great point about Nick Garzullo earlier.

Starting point is 00:26:12 Coming off, he suffered such a bad injury last year. And that was, that was frustrating because he was one of those guys that you and I were talking about in the preseason. Man, this guy's impressive. This guy could play for you here this upcoming. season. Like his leap forward that he took from rookie season to now in terms of where he was at in the preseason then was incredible and then the injury. And so where is he at with that? I know as the, you know, Broncos players who have been going to Ab's games, he's been there with

Starting point is 00:26:37 Frank Crumb and Bo Nick. So those guys have kind of like stuck together, which is great. But the question is, is where do you keep a player like Tyler Miller, for example, at six foot nine, once again, at rookie minicamp watching this offensive line, the guys that aren't even starters, the guys that we, are not even used to seeing. I was coming out of rookie minicamp thinking, man, Denver's guys that they had in for tryouts and obviously the undrafted guys, it's huge, the offensive line, the size that they have, the height, the length, especially when you talk about arm width, those are things that those

Starting point is 00:27:09 guys certainly do have. So my question is like, when we look at Tyler Miller, for example, we look at his money, does that automatically open up saying that Denver's going to carry a 10th guy on the 53-man roster? And when you do this, you also have to keep in mind, because you want to do this, it also will impact the depth you can carry it, let's say, another position. And that, I think, is where things get interesting when you talk about the roster gymnastics. And they may feel like they can get them back through waivers. But do they want to take that risk?

Starting point is 00:27:36 They didn't do that with Paucheski. They didn't do that with Frank Trump. So is that trend going to continue here for a third consecutive year? I think is a great question. I think there's a really good chance that it does because that 200, 175K in guarantees is basically the equivalent of a, you know, six, seven thrown graph pick. I mean, that you read Murdoch got way less than that in total guarantees on his contract. So, I mean, when you talk about the money that you put towards players, meaning a lot and money does talk.

Starting point is 00:28:08 You follow the money when it comes to things like this. Other every, every other team in the NFL is going to be able to see the reports of how much money the Broncos gave to each of their undrafted guys. And now every team in the NFL is looking at what the Broncos are doing in terms of we've seen. I mean, 90 plus percent retention rate of your snaps from last year. Like every other NFL team is going to be looking at what the Broncos are doing in terms of player evaluation, whether it's guys that they're bringing in on pro contract, like veteran contracts or if it's undrafted free agents, other teams are going to be like, what did the Broncos see in this guy that we didn't see in him? and why did they pay him 276K and guarantees after the draft?

Starting point is 00:28:53 And we didn't. You know, why didn't we offer him that? Other teams are now perceiving it that way. It's no longer where the Broncos rat when they got Frank Crum after the draft where people could say are in the league like, oh, yeah, well, Wyoming kid,

Starting point is 00:29:07 probably a big Broncos fan. Like, he stunk in the preseason, no big deal. And then, you know, like that's the perception has changed is what I'm trying to say. So I think that ultimately,

Starting point is 00:29:18 yes, if you do feel like one of these guys or multiple of these guys has starting potential in the future or can help your team in the near future, you do have to figure out a way to do those roster gymnastics. Like Tyler Miller, 9.26 on the Rast scale and to your point, Cody, 34 and 1 8th inch arms. Like this guy is big, massive. Gavin Ortega, I shifted his because he was an offensive tackle at Weber State and All-American. he, if you shift him over to the offensive guard position on the RAS scale, he goes all the way up to a 9.48 at guard.

Starting point is 00:29:54 Pretty darn good. So I think you've got a couple guys that make you think. I think those two guys, ideal world, you get them on the practice squad. And you have your other nine offensive linemen on the roster. But I don't know if we're living in that ideal world anymore. Yeah, I'm curious to see how the Broncos approaches because clearly they believe that investing in the offensive line, keeping that. strength, I think is very important to them.

Starting point is 00:30:18 Not only just now, but a year from now, two years from now. They want those guys that are in-house to fill in. And I think it's going to make some very interesting roster decisions here ultimately as the preseason wears down. And look, I also think, too, if you go to the preseason, let's say Miller stands out, then all of a sudden the Broncos, they're going to be

Starting point is 00:30:34 forced to carry that 10th guy just because they don't want to risk passing it through. But I think you also look at maybe building out of practice squad. You could very well see Nick Garzulow being a practice squad guy. You can look at Ortega possibly Calvin Throckmorton maybe, but I also think you make a great argument as well. If Calvin Throckmorton is not on this roster, well, then I think, you know, maybe make Nick Garzulo that guy. I think having both of those guys probably doesn't make sense. If you have Throckmorton and Garzulow, it wouldn't make too much sense there because

Starting point is 00:31:04 both those guys are going to play that guard position. So I think that you go with your younger options there. And certainly Denver has invested, I think, several spots on their practice squad in the last couple of years for offensive linemen, specifically defensive linemen as well. I imagine that trend is going to continue here. But Broncos country, share your thoughts with us here on today's episode of show about Denver's depth on the offensive line, the starting unit, whether or not you think it is one of the most elite units in the NFL. I always think that's up for debate.

Starting point is 00:31:30 Make sure you share your thoughts with us here on today's episode of the show. But for all you every dayers, tomorrow's episode, Sarah and I, we're going to sit down, we're going to preview the Broncos outside linebacker position. Will they carry four players? Will they still keep the door open for number 58? Or is Drew Sanders going to come in and take that fifth spot if Denver keeps five on their 53 men roster? We'll go through all that on tomorrow's episode of the show.

Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos BIGGEST STRENGTH is Offensive Line Continuity and Depth

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