Broncos Must Add Richie Incognito Immediately

Nov 11, 2013; Tampa, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins fan hold up a sign for Miami Dolphins guard Richie Incognito (68) (not pictured) sign that says “Free Richie” during the second half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Broncos were embarrassed on Sunday afternoon by the St. Louis Rams, in a game that hopefully won’t be forgotten by the team for a lengthy period of time. This game felt very similar to the game the Broncos dropped last season at home to the San Diego Chargers, when it felt like the weight of the world was on their shoulders and anything that could go wrong did go wrong.

It was an ugly performance from top to bottom for the entire Denver Broncos team, coaching staff included, but perhaps the most glaring sign of weakness came on the offensive line, where the Broncos were used, abused, and completely dominated throughout the game.

For that reason, I think it won’t be long before the Broncos call up Richie Incognito’s agent to get a deal struck as soon as possible. The Broncos said last week they weren’t signing him ‘at this time’ which was foolish then and looks even more foolish now. If the Broncos saw a chance to upgrade their offensive line, they should have taken it and given Incognito a chance to dive into the playbook and get ready for the stretch run of the season, particularly three games coming up against the Dolphins, Chiefs, and Bills, all of which can get significant pressure from their defensive front seven.

The Broncos’ coaching staff and front office deserves all the blame for the play of the offensive line this season, which has been average at best. Peyton Manning has been pressured a significant amount in all three of the Broncos’ losses this season, and it’s no coincidence that teams with the best defensive minds are figuring out how to attack the Broncos’ greatest weakness offensively.

So, what was the solution for Denver?

Well, they initially tried moving Orlando Franklin to left guard to start the year to mask the loss of Zane Beadles, who got paid way more than he was worth to block for the Jaguars. That move has worked out okay for Franklin, who is still a penalty machine for the Broncos, but it hasn’t worked out for the line as a whole, as the combinations at right tackle have been atrocious.

The return of Ryan Clady, who is not the player he was pre-Lisfranc injury last season (not remotely), forced the Broncos to move Chris Clark to right tackle, and he was quickly replaced by Paul Cornick.

Cornick also can’t pass block to save his life, so the Broncos opted to move Manny Ramirez — the starting center — to right guard, and their best offensive lineman in Louis Vasquez to his NOT natural position of right tackle. Will Montgomery stepped in and has been an upgrade at center, but that might not be saying much considering Manny Ramirez is absolutely terrible.

The Broncos’ decision to move Vasquez to right tackle instead of moving Franklin — who is still the Broncos’ best right tackle — to that same position, is a head scratcher to say the least. So to set the record straight, the Broncos had initially placed a guard (Ramirez) in the center spot as an emergency backup (see: 2013) moved him to right guard when things went awry.

They signed an All-Pro guard in Louis Vasquez, and are now throwing him over to right tackle. He is not, and never has been, a tackle. They’ve moved Orlando Franklin — a natural right tackle — to left guard, where he has been alright but at the cost of the team having terrible solutions at right tackle.

Put that all in a melting pot with Ryan Clady’s disappointing return and you have a dumpster fire of an offensive line. So why not add Richie Incognito? He might be the only hope the Broncos have of salvaging their offensive line this season. It’s been discussed at length on Twitter, but the Broncos’ best option going forward is to sign Incognito, immediately inserting him as the starting left guard. They need to move Franklin back to right tackle, Vasquez to right guard, and keep Will Montgomery as the center.

It sounds so simple of a plan, so we’ll see what the Broncos choose to do after this atrocious week of football.