A former walk-on at Boise State, Denver Broncos center Matt Paradis is used to having to overcome significant odds in order to show what he can do as a player.
With the offensive line in a major state of transition this offseason, it was imperative to lock in what player would be calling the shots from the center position. That player appears to be the young Paradis, a 6th round draft choice in 2014 who spent all of last year on the practice squad.
Head coach Gary Kubiak commended Paradis and has singled him out multiple times for his performance this offseason, including the Broncos’ preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks.
“The first thing that impressed me with the first group was Matt Paradis running the group,” Kubiak said. “He has to be a quarterback and I know that he has been here a year, but let’s remember that he’s really a rookie in a lot of ways, too. I liked the way he ran the group. We played extremely hard, we made mistakes, but then we came back to make the next play.
I just like our effort and I think that if Matt can hold the group together, we can continue to grow, which is going to be the key. I was a little disappointed in the second group. They played hard, but there are some guys in there that have played some football. Our communication was not really good with that group. We have got to bounce back and be better. I liked the way that the first group played. They’ll stay together and we’ll keep going.”
That’s an encouraging sign for Broncos fans, who were undoubtedly worried after the first unit struggled some in pass protection early on. That said, as the game went along, it seemed as though the communication got a lot better and the running lanes were being paved left and right for Broncos running backs.
If the offensive line is going to be an area the Broncos don’t worry about this season, Paradis will be a major reason why. He has the toughness, grit, and determination to be a starting center in the NFL. Now we need to see if he can hold up against some of the most quick and powerful defensive linemen in the world, all while trying to snap balls to the best QB ever to play the game.