Broncos Offensive Line Grades as Best in the NFL

Oct 27, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) at the line of scrimmage with guard Louis Vasquez (65) and center Manny Ramirez (66) and guard Zane Beadles (68) prepares to pass in the first quarter against the Washington Redskins at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Well, for those who have been worried about the protection of Peyton Manning or the Broncos’ ability to move the football because of issues along the offensive line, apparently those worries were unfounded.

Sometimes the numbers don’t swear to tell the whole truth, but typically Pro Football Focus isn’t too far off, and they’ve graded the Denver Broncos as the best offensive line in the entire NFL. Here’s a small excerpt from the piece done by ESPN:

1. Denver Broncos: +40.1

It wasn’t just Clady that the Broncos have been missing. J.D. Walton was sidelined and the guy they had hoped would replace him, Ryan Lilja, just didn’t have it in him to keep going after coming out of retirement. But the team overcame with Manny Ramirez actually providing an upgrade at the spot and currently sitting at second in our center rankings.

Of course, we all knew the Broncos were going to possibly have some struggles when J.D. Walton was expected out, but no one could have imagined that Manny Ramirez would rise to the second best center in the league, at least per these grades. Not to mention, the Broncos’ addition of Louis Vasquez has been huge, and even without Ryan Clady, these guys have performed well.

John Fox even at one point called Chris Clark the best backup tackle in the league, and the Broncos signed him to an extension to keep him on the roster for another year.

This is something that I found very interesting to read, and if you have ESPN Insider access, you can read the whole article. Any study on an offensive line is worth reading, in my opinion, and this is great news for people who have been up in arms about the O-line play as of late.