Denver looks for stability at right tackle
New Broncos of fensive line coach Zach Strief knows how difficult it can be to create long-term stability for an NFL offensive line. He had a front-row seat in the not-too- distant past when he played more than a decade for New Orleans as a guard and then eventually as a tackle.
Strief, now in charge of his own room for the first time after two seasons as the assistant offensive line coach in New Orleans, will essentially be looking for someone to provide Denver what he provided the Saints.
Amazingly, the Broncos’ instability at right tackle dates back to the middle of Strief’s playing career. He started all 87 games he appeared in at right tackle for Sean Payton from 2011-17.
Denver has had no such continuity.
The right tackle job in 2022 was supposed to belong to free-agent addition Billy Turner, but offseason knee surgery kept him from appearing in a game until Week 6. Instead, Cam Fleming started the season opener after returning to the franchise as a freeagent signing just before camp opened in late July.
When Fleming lined up at Seattle in Week 1, he was the 10th opening day starting right tackle for the Broncos in as many years. Before him, in order: Bobby Massie, Elijah Wilkenson, Ja’wuan James, Jared Veldheer, Menelik Watson, Donald Stephenson, Ryan Harris, Chris Clark and in 2013 the most recent man to start multiple consecutive season openers at the position for Denver, Orlando Franklin.
The reasons for such churn are many and include injuries, coaching changes and front office turnover, schematic change and the relative lack of resources the front office has dedicated to the position.
Is this finally the year the Broncos find a player to man the right side for years to come? There are several options in free agency, which functionally begins Monday when teams enter a 48-hour legal tampering period before the new league year officially begins March 15.
To be sure, Denver has several areas of the roster it needs to address and there’s no guarantee Payton and general manager George Paton will break the bank for one offensive lineman, especially considering five linemen who combined for 43 starts from the 2022 roster are unrestricted free agents. This is not a situation where Denver can sign one quality offensive lineman and call it a day.
They’ll likely be on the lookout for internal options first. Dalton Risner is a free agent after four years starting at guard, while veteran Graham Glasgow is a candidate to be cut in order to save cap space. For now, here’s a look at some tackle possibilities:
Former first-rounders
• Kaleb Mcgary, Atlanta Falcons
• Mike Mcglinchey, San Francisco 49ers
The Falcons drafted McGary in the first round in 2019 but opted not to pick up his fifth-year option. This week, they decided not to franchise tag him, either. He’s missed just three games in his career and started 62 over the past four seasons in Atlanta.
Mcglinchey was the ninth overall pick in 2018. He missed the second half of the 2021 season with a torn quad but otherwise has been a steady presence in San Francisco’s lineup, making 32 consecutive starts before the injury and starting every game in 2022, as well.
Both should command long- term deals in free agency. Presently, according to Over The Cap data, there are seven right tackles in football who command $11.5 million or more in average annual salary. It would take an average of $17 million per season to crack the top five.
A younger option
• Jawaan Taylor, Jacksonville
Taylor, like the two players above, is at the end of his rookie contract and about to hit the market for the first time. He’s also almost three full years younger than the newly 28-year- old pair of Mcgary and Mcglinchey, having just turned 25 in November.
Taylor is durable, having started all 66 games in four seasons with the Jaguars. He is likely to have substantial interest given his relative youth and could well meet or exceed what McGary and Mcglinchey earn on the open market.
In-division candidate
• Andrew Wylie, Kansas City Chiefs
Wylie is similar in age to Mcgary and Mcglinchey but has reached free agency in a much different way. Undrafted out of Eastern Michigan, he bounced around before landing with Kansas City in 2020. A parttime starter for two seasons, he settled in at right tackle and played well for the Chiefs during their Super Bowl run this past season. He and left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. are both free agents and Brown could become one of the highest- paid linemen in football. Fellow AFC West tackles hitting free agency include Las Vegas’ Jermaine Eluemunor and the Chargers’ Trey Pipkins.
A steady veteran
• Kelvin Beachum, Arizona Cardinals
Maybe not a long-term solution, but Beachum has been a steady presence in the NFL for a decade since getting drafted in the seventh round of the 2012 draft by Pittsburgh. He’s started 147 games in his career including all but two over the past three seasons for Arizona.
Now a 34-year- old free agent, Beachum is a less expensive option Denver could consider. He’s not the biggest guy out there — listed at 6-foot- 3 and 308 pounds — but he’s figured out how to get the job done. If the Broncos swing big elsewhere, perhaps cheaper options such as Beachum enter the picture. Denver could also, of course, bring back Fleming or fellow swing tackle Calvin Anderson, as well.