Broncos add an offensive tackle to their mix
Mar 20, 2024, 11:26 AM
Matt Peart never quite panned out as the New York Giants hoped. But the 2020 third-round pick became a solid rotational option, and now the Broncos will count in him to provide depth at offensive tackle.
The Broncos agreed to terms with Peart on a one-year contract Wednesday. KUSA-Ch. 9’s Mike Klis first reported the move.
A UConn product who stood out at the 2020 Senior Bowl, Peart made seven starts during his four seasons with the Giants. Peart has an ideal size and frame for the position — 6-foot-7 and 315 pounds. But his athleticism and raw skills didn’t translate as hoped, and he dealt with a shoulder injury that cost him nine games last season. Indeed, his form seemed to be trending in the wrong direction, as his Pro Football Focus grade declined each year of his career.
Denver hopes to reverse that form, and given the work of offensive-line coach Zach Strief in returning Garett Bolles to form after he struggled in 2022 before suffering a season-ending fractured ankle, there is some tangible belief that Strief could help.
The arrival of Matt Peart could spell the end of Cam Fleming’s time with the team. Fleming, who started the season finale in place of an injured Mike McGlinchey and struggled, started 20 games for the Broncos after first signing with the team in 2021.
Most of those starts — 15 — came in 2022, when he ended up as the Broncos’ primary left tackle for much of the season after Bolles’ injury.
The Broncos also have a pair of young tackles — Alex Palczewski and Demontrey Jacobs — in the mix. Both were undrafted free agents last year. Palczewski did not play in the regular season as he dealt with hand and knee injuries that kept him on injured reserve.
