Could Ryan Clady Injury Give Way to Mass Youth Movement?
The season-ending injury to Denver Broncos offensive tackle Ryan Clady hasn’t been easy on anyone. The Broncos had question marks surrounding their offensive line anyway, and losing Clady was — at least on paper — a huge blow for that unit.
Clady’s absence opens the door for change, and it could pave the way for a youth movement on the offensive line.
The new coaching staff in Denver seems to be really open to young players getting on the field, certainly earlier than they would have in the previous regime. Up first is second round rookie Ty Sambrailo, who is apparently going to be taking over Clady’s left tackle spot, at least for now.
While not ideal in the least, the injury to Clady will allow the Broncos to find out way sooner than they otherwise would have what they’ve got in Sambrailo, and that’s not a bad alternative, at least on paper.
Let’s take a look at the cast of characters the Broncos could use on the offensive line this season to start a major youth movement up front, beginning with their new left tackle.
Ty Sambrailo (LT)
May 27, 2015; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos tackle Ty Sambrailo (74) leaves the field following organized team activities at the Broncos training facility. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Sambrailo was picked in the 2nd round of the 2015 NFL Draft out of Colorado State, and now has the burden of incredibly high expectations. Maybe not necessarily to perform at a Pro Bowl level, but high expectations from coaches and fans alike to step in for Ryan Clady and not miss a beat.
Last season, Clady was the 41st ranked tackle in the NFL. That’s well below average. The hope would be that the quick footed Sambrailo can step in and at least play at a level as good or better than Clady did last year, which we all know Clady wasn’t pleased with.
Sambrailo played left tackle for the Rams the last few seasons, and was really good. The problem is, most people — including the Broncos — projected him to the right tackle position as a rookie. We know he has quick enough feet to play left tackle, but what about his functional strength? Would that have been more of an issue on the right side anyway?
Some, like me, felt like Sambrailo could step in and fit right in at left guard while another player — who will be mentioned in a bit — took over at the right tackle spot.
We’re all eager to see how Sambrailo responds to being put in Ryan Clady’s spot but he’s not the only question mark up front for the Broncos…
Max Garcia (LG)
Nov 1, 2014; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Florida Gators offensive lineman Max Garcia (76) blocks against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second half at EverBank Field. Florida Gators defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 38-20. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Another 2015 draft pick (4th round), Garcia comes to the Broncos out of Florida as one of the more highly regarded interior linemen in this past year’s draft.
He was a durable, consistent player for the Gators and while he most recently played center, the versatile Garcia played all of tackle, guard, as well as center in his college career.
The Broncos have some competition at center, even without Garcia in the mix, so they are starting him off at guard with the plan eventually be that he might move to the middle. There are plenty of options here, but for playing this season, it seems like Garcia’s best shot at getting on the field might come at left guard, where the Broncos have competition right now from Ben Garland and Shelley Smith.
Garcia has the leadership and toughness to be good at either interior position for the Broncos, and personally, I’d like to see him win a starting job somewhere sooner rather than later.
Matt Paradis (C)
May 27, 2015; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos center Matt Paradis (61) warms up before the start of organized team activities at the Broncos training facility. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Paradis, drafted in the sixth round out of Boise State in 2014, continues to come up in discussions about the future of the offensive line.
In fact, he may very well be one of the reasons why we’re not talking about Garcia and Gino Gradkowski as the options at center. Paradis spent the entire 2014 season on the Broncos’ practice squad, and has a reputation for being someone that coaches love because of his hard-nosed mentality and approach to the game.
Paradis seems limited a bit athletically, but functionally he’s very good. He’s a strong dude who can move people off of spots, and should get a long look as the starting center this offseason.
Michael Schofield (RT)
Aug 7, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos offensive lineman Michael Schofield (79) during the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos won 21-16. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Schofield’s primary competition for playing time this season at right tackle was going to be Chris Clark and Ty Sambrailo, and we eventually expected Sambrailo to win out.
That said, there didn’t seem to be legitimate plans for Schofield to start this year unless there was an injury, and lo and behold…
With Clady going down, a spot at right tackle has opened up for Schofield to come in and take it. The former Michigan right tackle came into the league as sort of a right tackle specialist having played along with Taylor Lewan in his time as a Wolverine. That didn’t mean he is incapable of playing left tackle, but there was a much more talented guy on the other side who went in the top 10 of the draft.
Schofield didn’t get on the field at all as a rookie last year, which was a huge mistake by John Fox and the coaching staff with all the woes the Broncos had at right tackle. The Broncos brought in Ryan Harris so they didn’t have the problem they did last year where Chris Clark and Louis Vasquez were put at RT and clearly out of position.
My personal hope is that Schofield can lock down the starting right tackle spot by the end of training camp.
Final Thoughts
John Elway and the Broncos’ front office have done a really good job scouting and building this roster. Wouldn’t it be awesome if the entire starting line was made up of homegrown talent?
Obviously, the right guard position is locked in with Louis Vasquez, but if the rest of the line could go Sambrailo, Garcia, Paradis, and Schofield, I would be very pleased.
The Broncos obviously are going to have to make some drastic changes with Clady out, and if there’s to be a youth movement up front, perhaps there’s no better time than now.