Pro Football Focus ranked the Broncos’ 2021 offensive line 19th, and while the team will have a different Week 1 right tackle starter for a 10th straight season, Denver made only midlevel moves up front this offseason. That said, the 2022 Broncos should have more depth here.
It is possible four positions are up for grabs, with Garett Bolles entrenched at left tackle. The team’s right tackle competition — which features veteran additions Billy Turner and Tom Compton, along with holdover Calvin Anderson — may produce the only newcomer to block for Russell Wilson, but four starters are vying for three spots inside. Dalton Risner has started at left guard for three seasons, while Lloyd Cushenberry has played every snap at center for the past two. These ex-Day 2 picks might not have total job security, but those spots appear more solidified than Denver’s right guard position.
New OC Justin Outten pointed to a Graham Glasgow–Quinn Meinerz competition for the right guard spot, with the loser potentially representing a high-end swingman. A two-year starter in Denver after signing a four-year deal in 2020, Glasgow has not yet fully recovered from the broken ankle he suffered last November. Meinerz, a 2021 third-rounder, started nine games as a rookie, most of them coming after Glasgow’s injury.
“We want to see where they can fit and their ability to play center and snap the ball as a crucial backup,” Outten said, via the Denver Post’s Kyle Newman. “You want to have that in your back pocket. Those guys will kind of bounce around as you’ll see. It’s just to see them fit in different spots and direct traffic in playing guard and helping the tackles out as far as the interior [calls].”
Meinerz, who has dropped 10 pounds to better fit Nathaniel Hackett‘s zone-blocking scheme, may have the edge, with 9News’ Mike Klis noting it is possible the Division III product has a route to the starting lineup even if Glasgow reclaims his right guard job. This scenario would put Cushenberry or Risner on notice. Hackett, however, previously gave Meinerz a strong endorsement at right guard. The Broncos also reworked Glasgow’s contract in January, reducing his 2022 base salary from $8.4M to $3.1M. That salary is fully guaranteed, with $1.4M in playing-time incentives available.
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