Denver Broncos

Denver has fielded a very effective offensive line the last two seasons, grading well in both pass protection and the run game. However, there are some big changes in store for 2015.

The line suffered a major blow when LT Ryan Clady tore his ACL in the offseason – he is lost for the year. After suffering a season-ending lisfranc injury in 2013, it’s been a rough couple of seasons for the former stalwart. After a slip in performance in 2014, one has to wonder if he’ll ever truly return to form. Orlando Franklin, a formidable OG with OT versatility, moved on to the division-rival Chargers in free agency while center Will Montgomery followed John Fox to Chicago in the offseason. Both were solid players who represent a significant collective loss.

In anticipation of those departures, GM John Elway has been active in the NFL Draft as well as free agency. The team has selected OT Tyler Sambrailo, C Max Garcia, OT Michael Schofield, and C Matthew Paradis in the 2014 and 2015 drafts. During the offseason, the team also signed OG Shelley Smith and OT Ryan Harris to bolster the depth of this unit.

Projected Starting Lineup

Tyler Sambrailo, LT 6’6″ 311 pounds– A RD2 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, was NLF Draft Expert Mike Loyko’s No. 10 ranked OT prospect. Loyko writes “Sambrailo is a tough, mobile, and athletic Left Tackle prospect. He has a good lateral slide and is able to mirror perimeter rushers. Was often asked to release into space and climb levels to pick up his block in college. Sambrailo has plenty of lateral range to reach and angle block. Some question whether he can play Left Tackle at the next level, but his superior pass protection skills will likely keep him on the outside. Sambrailo must get stronger and more physical at the point of attack. Right now he wins with technique, positioning, and a high football IQ”, appears to be a good fit for new HC Gary Kubiak’s ZBS scheme, was a non-factor at 2015 Senior Bowl practices

Ben Garland, LG 6’5″ 308 pounds – UDFA in 2010, only played 47 snaps in his career, he will face quite a competition in training camp to earn this spot, the team is hoping that the camp process will vet out a respectable starter

Gino Gradkowski, C 6’3″ 300 pounds– Round 4 pick in 2012 of the Ravens, Broncos acquired him in a trade, played just 10 snaps in 2014 and graded very poorly as a starter in 2013, Kubiak is very familiar with Gradkowski from their time in Baltimore together and either Kubiak sees some upside or he just wanted to bring somebody in that is familiar with his scheme

Louis Vasquez, RG 6’5″ 335 pounds– Round 3 pick of the Chargers in 2009 who came to Denver in 2013, was a positive performer in San Diego and had an excellent 2013 season in Denver, was off to a respectable start in 2014 until he was moved to RT where he didn’t perform nearly as well, Vasquez will move back to his natural position at OG which should make for a resurgence, Vasquez has experience in the ZBS from his tenure in San Diego

Chris Clark, RT 6’5″ 305 pounds– An UDFA in 2008, the team considers Clark one of its Top 5 offensive linemen, Clark graded poorly as a run blocker in starts at RT in 2014 but was a reasonable pass blocker, was pretty darn good at LT in 2013 in replacement of Ryan Clady when he graded respectably as a run and pass blocker

***UPDATE 8/25- the team has signed OG Evan Mathis- this is a significant upgrade to the interior of this unit

Notes-

This is a different Broncos team heading into the 2015 season.

The offensive line looks like a very shaky group on paper, with less experience than Peyton Manning would prefer. Depth is a concern, and any significant injuries could create a real problem. We’ll give the Broncos credit for bringing in a couple of guys who have played for Kubiak, that familiarity may provide an unexpected boost.

We’ve always thought Michael Schofield was a quality prospect who offers versatility. John Elway surprised everyone but RosterWatchNation by selecting him in Round 3 of the 2014 NFL Draft. He appears athletic enough to be a real player in Gary Kubiak’s scheme and may push for a starting job, but is a completely unproven NFL commodity. Schofield was inactive his whole rookie season. Backup OG Shelley Smith flashed potential as a depth player in St. Louis, but was a horrendous bench player for the Dolphins in 2014.

The team signed backup OT Ryan Harris when Ryan Clady was put on IR in the offseason. He played for Gary Kubiak in 2012-13. Harris was uninspiring as the Chiefs’ right tackle last season, but has experience on the blindside. He’ll compete with Sambrailo in an attempt to solidify the left side.

Denver was intrigued with the versatility that rookie center Max Garcia offers. He was NFL Draft expert Mike Loyko’s #8 center prospect in this year’s draft.

Loyko writes “Max Garcia is an experienced and battle tested Offensive Lineman. Garcia began his career as a Left Tackle at Maryland and ended up starting multiple seasons at the position. Once he transferred to Florida, he remained at Left Tackle while playing some games at Left Guard. It wasn’t until the spring of 2014 that he was moved to Center, which is the position he’ll likely play at the next level. Garcia has above average length for the position and offers plenty of upper body power. In the run game he wins with power and body positioning. Impressed at the Senior Bowl with his successful battles vs. Danny Shelton. Can play any of the five OL positions in a pinch”.

What concerns us is that Garcia lacks foot quickness and lateral agility, and struggles to block on the move – all of which are traits necessary for Kubiak’s ZBS.

Fantasy Impact

We don’t love any of this for Peyton Manning, as pass protection may be a real problem in 2015. Fortunately, he only throws short routes these days which could mitigate the issue. It’s bad news for second-year wide out Cody Latimer, who is best utilized down the field, and also likely a bit of a downgrade for Demaryius Thomas. The good news for Thomas is that the team loves him on bubble screens, where he’ll still have plenty of opportunities to generate RAC.

If we draft any Broncos receiver this year, it’s most likely going to be Emmanuel Sanders. He’s the perfect match for Peyton’s air rifle. With Julius Thomas and Wes Welker out of the fold, we expect Sanders to be a target monster while dominating short and intermediate routes.

If not for the ghosts of Montee Ball, we’d tend to say all the metrics and scheme changes dictate a C.J. Anderson monster in 2015 – one that warrants a Top 5 pick ahead of guys like Eddie Lacy. However, the state of this offensive line gives us some pause. While we believe this group will likely be serviceable for Anderson, it is certainly not ideal. Anderson owners will be banking on Gary Kubiak to make the biggest contributions to Anderson’s production.