Broncos C Luke Wattenberg Goes From Darkhorse to Frontrunner

The Denver Broncos allowed Lloyd Cushenberry III to walk in free agency. He landed the largest contract for a center at the time from the Tennessee Titans.

Now, the Broncos need a new starting center. Instead of being aggressive in free agency or the draft, the Broncos decided to roll with two unknown players and signed a player who's proven to be one of the NFL's worst starting centers.

Alex Forsyth, a Broncos sixth-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft, was widely viewed as the favorite to win the job. Helping Forsyth in the battle, in the eyes of many fans and analysts, was the year he spent at Oregon snapping to Bo Nix, the Broncos' new quarterback and expected starter.

It didn’t help that the perception around Luke Wattenberg was damaged after a terrible rookie season in 2022. However, based on the early returns of training camp, the battle has shifted in Wattenberg’s favor.

Based on reports, Wattenberg has separated from Forsyth, who has set himself up as the backup ahead of Sam Mustipher. It's a good sign that Wattenberg has reportedly looked good — though not without mistakes — as a starter or backup. He needed to show growth over the past two seasons. 

If you're worried about Wattenberg and want Forsyth to be the starter, it's still extremely early in camp, and the preseason games will be vital when deciding the battle. After all, there's a limit on how physical offensive linemen can be in practice, especially when so many have been without pads. If Wattenberg struggles in the preseason, it could be the opening Forsyth needs to get back into it. 

In the 2023 preseason, Wattenberg played in all three games but played center for one, left guard for another, and then started at right guard for the finale. His versatility to play anywhere on the line gives him a great chance of making the roster if he isn’t the starting center.

Wattenberg allowed a single pressure each game, or three pressures on 103 total snaps, 69 of them as a pass blocker. Wattenberg was the second center and third/fourth interior offensive linemen. 

On the other hand, Forsyth was the third center and only played at center. He played two fewer snaps than Wattenberg overall but seven fewer in pass protection.

Over those snaps, Forsyth allowed a single pressure, which came in the preseason finale. That is good to see, but worth remembering: he was coming in against third and fourth-string players, while Wattenberg saw players from first, second, and third string. Despite it, Forsyth was unable to move up the pecking order. 

There's reason to believe Forsyth can come back, especially when games get underway. However, this battle could be resolved relatively early with Wattenberg separating from the other two players.

As a result, it will be interesting to see whether Forysth gets some reps at guard to see what he can do to provide true versatility along the interior offensive line.