Landry: Broncos o-line will take ‘a couple of years’ to rebuild

Among the units the Denver Broncos aimed to upgrade during the 2016 offseason, the offensive line ranked if not at the top near it.

In free agency, Denver signed tackles Donald Stephenson and Russell Okung. The team selected guard Connor McGovern in the fifth round of the NFL Draft. And several other transactions were made in an attempt to improve on a squad that ranked 17th in rushing in 2015 while giving up 39 sacks and 97 quarterback hits.

But despite all attempts of improvement, Denver’s offensive line performed worse in 2016, ranking 28th in rushing, while giving up 40 sacks and 97 hits through 15 games.

Addressing the offensive line will likely be a top priority again for the Broncos, who will start its offseason Monday after failing to make the playoffs for the first time since 2010.

However, longtime NFL scout and LandryFootball.com founder Chris Landry told 104.3 The Fan’s Sandy Clough on Tuesday that rebuilding Denver’s offensive line would likely take more than just one offseason.

“You can certainly, I think, start to improve that this year, but it’s going to take a couple of years at least if you do things correctly,” Landry said. “And there’s not a lot of elite guys in this draft on the offensive line. I think you’re probably going to have to dip into free agency some and draft well and develop well.”

Landry said it wouldn’t be an easy or quick fix for the Broncos, especially with the need to address issues elsewhere — like the defensive interior.

The offensive line can be difficult at times to draft for or address through free agency, Landry said, just due to the number of personnel needed and the specific needs of each player to create a cohesive group.

But interior offensive linemen are more easily found, he said, though correctly evaluating is key.

“To me, offensive linemen were one of the easiest to evaluate because they’re doing something on every play. And so they’re pretty easy to evaluate. But finding the elite tackle is tougher. That’s a true skill position. But the others are much more fungible, and you want smart, tough guys that can bend, that play with leverage, and are really smart,” Landry said.

“I think those things serve you very well. But I think you can find those guys. You can. They just haven’t done a very good job of that in recent years.”

Of general manager’s eight offensive line draft picks since becoming a team executive in 2011, five still remain on the team. But only center Matt Paradis graded out above average (89.6) according to Pro Football Focus, with McGovern having yet been active for a game this season.

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @johnnyhart7.