It’s obviously not breaking news, but the Denver Broncos need to address their offensive line this offseason, and general manager George Paton plans to do so.
“We need to upgrade at the offensive line,” Paton said at the NFL combine last week.
It’s possible that the Broncos might only bring back two returning starters this offseason — left tackle Garett Bolles, who is recovering from a broken leg, and guard Quinn Meinerz, who is entering his third season.
“We do expect Garett to be healthy,” Paton said. “There’s a lot of different ways to acquire any position — free agency, the draft. It just kind of depends on what’s stronger. Is free agency stronger or the draft stronger? Obviously, we need to upgrade there on the offensive line.”
After penciling Bolles in at left tackle and Meinerz in at one of the two guard spots, Denver would need to add another guard (if Dalton Risner is not re-signed), a right tackle and potentially a center. Lloyd Cushenberry was left on injured reserve after he recovered last year, which might be a sign that the Broncos plan to go in a different direction at center.
Bringing in new starting-caliber players at center, guard and tackle is a big task for a single offseason, but Denver will have free agency starting next week followed by the draft in late April. The offensive line is one of the team’s biggest roster weaknesses, and it will be a priority this spring.
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