Conflicting information emerged Sunday concerning the Denver Broncos' interest, or lack thereof, in former Cowboys offensive tackle La'el Collins, who landed a three-year commitment from the Cincinnati Bengals.
After ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported the Broncos, noticeably weak at right tackle, were "heavily involved" in the Collins sweepstakes, 9News' Mike Klis claimed there was never any pursuit — "no offer, no visit [scheduled]." If Klis is to be believed, it's because Denver might already have its 2022 starter on the roster.
General manager George Paton recently admitted as much, saying the club "feels good" about veteran arrival Tom Compton, who inked a one-year free-agent deal on March 17, and fourth-year pro Calvin Anderson, whom the Broncos re-signed on March 14.
Is that a wrap until next month's draft? Sure sounds like it.
"The tackle position—we signed Tom Compton. We feel good about him and Calvin," Paton said on March 18. "We’re going to continue to add among the offensive line, whether through free agency or the draft. We still have nine picks and feel good about those picks. [We have] a second and two thirds, so we feel good about that. [We have] two fourths in the Top 10. We’re going to keep addressing our team and addressing the line. We still have some cap room to do some things, and we have a lot draft capital as well.”
Anderson, undrafted in 2019 and a holdover from the previous coaching regime, possesses 27 games of NFL experience, 11 of which came last season. Able to play left or right tackle, the 26-year-old has made five starts for the Broncos, who are moving to a West Coast-style blocking scheme under new head coach Nathaniel Hackett and offensive line coach Butch Barry.
By contract, Compton, 33 (in May), has 123 games of experience, including 44 career starts, since entering the league with Washington as a 2012 sixth-rounder. Last season, playing for San Francisco, the 6-foot-6, 315-pound South Dakota product earned Pro Football Focus' fourth-best run-blocking grade (89.5) but struggled mightily in pass protection (64.6).
If Denver is done shopping in free agency — where possible targets Dennis Kelly, Germain Ifedi, and 2021 incumbent Bobby Massie remain available — the team may use a premium draft pick to round out the depth chart, perhaps as early as No. 64 overall.
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