Can the Broncos o-line take a step forward in 2021?
Sep 6, 2021, 11:31 AM
Depending on how you interpret Pro Football Focus’ offensive line rankings heading into the 2021, Broncos Country could find itself both encouraged and discouraged about the upcoming season.
On the one hand, Denver comes in at just No. 21 on the list. On the other, that’s an improvement from No. 25 at the end of the 2020 season.
Last year’s break out star, left tackle Garett Bolles, had a grade of 90.6 last season — good enough for third among all NFL tackles — in part due to cutting down on holding penalties.
However, with officials calling fewer holding penalties across the board last season, it remains to be seen how much that affected Bolles, who graded out in the low- to mid-70s in his first three seasons in the NFL.
On the opposite end of the Broncos bookshelf, free agency acquisition Bobby Massie replacing Ja’Wuan James at right tackle is an upgrade. In fact, Massie had two of his best seasons, according to PFF, over the past three years.
However, Massie had his lowest-graded season sandwiched in between in 2019 with the Chicago Bears, where he earned a 63.2 mark.
At guard, PFF touts Graham Glasgow’s dependability throughout his five seasons in the NFL, though he saw a dip in his performance in 2020. His counterpart, Dalton Risner, has put up grades in first two seasons that PFF says “scream average,” but they project a classic “Year 3 breakout” from the Wiggins, Colorado, product.
Whether Lloyd Cushenberry III can make the leap in Year 2 might just be the key to Denver’s offensive line success this season, though he had a forgettable rookie campaign, ranking last among all centers with a grade from PFF of 40.5.
However, should Cushenberry falter, Denver has Glasgow as an option at center, as well as rookie fan favorite Quinn Meinerz.
“The Broncos look solid across the board, and they should improve upon their 2020 ranking with better play in one or two spots,” writes PFF senior NFL analyst Steve Palazzolo.
How the chips fall this season for the Broncos offensive line, however, remains to be seen.
