MORTAR
Players: Sam Brenner, Robert Myers and James Ferentz
Explanation: These three share an explanation for one short reason… There’s not much to say
about them right now. All of them were picked up off of waivers at some point during the regular season and mostly spent their Sundays on the inactive list. Ferentz was the only one of the three that saw action in the regular season, serving as Matt Paradis’ back-up at center and playing sparingly as a Special Teams blocker and occasionally, used as an extra blocker in short yardage situations.
Their additions to the roster will hopefully pay dividends in the future, as they all look to compete for roster spots for the 2016 regular season.
Player: Ryan Harris
Explanation: The 9th year tackle’s career took an unexpected turn when his summer acquisition for
depth quickly turned into a prominent role along the Broncos offensive line. In a matter of weeks, Harris went from contemplating retirement to being the Broncos starting Left Tackle. If that wasn’t bad enough, he spent the vast majority of the season with little depth behind him, creating very little margin for error. The results? Better than expected.
Considering the circumstances, Harris did a commendable job as a starting tackle. I’d like to see the Broncos bring Harris back next season, but not in the role that he played last season. At this point in his career, he’s best suited as the #3 or “swing” tackle for a team and in case of injury, he could step in and be a starter for a period of time.
We’ll see what his market looks like in Free Agency, but I’m hopeful that Broncos can bring him back for another year or two to help this Offensive Line grow.
Player: Ryan Clady
Explanation: Oh, Clady. I feel for ya.. The longest tenured Bronco has had three major injuries in
the last six years and was a complete non-factor for the entire 2015 season. In what is becoming a “hill, valley, hill, valley” type of career, Clady is either a Pro-Bowl caliber LT or nursing a major injury.
With two years left on his contract and owed just over 10 million for the 2016 season, Clady is an obvious choice for a restructured contract. To Clady’s credit, he has been vocal about wanting to stay with the Broncos and is more than willing to take a pay cut to stay in Denver. The question is, how much is he willing to cut?
As good of a player as Clady is(when he’s healthy), his injury history has left him with very little leverage in any negotiations moving forward. He may have half of his salary cut over then next two years to stay.
If he’s willing to do that, I can see him sticking around and finding a role on the line again, whether it’s at left or right tackle. I was very close to considering Clady “scrap”, but I think the Broncos find a way to keep him around at a cheaper price.
Player: Michael Schofield
Explanation: There’s not much to say about this player. Arguably one of the worst lineman to enter the Broncos starting line up in a long time, Schofield had a forgettable 2015 Regular season. The only reason I list him in the “mortar” category is Elway and Co.’s supreme loyalty to their draft picks. He will get another year to compete for a roster spot and if he makes the roster, they’ll find a role for him. Hopefully for the Broncos and their fans everywhere, one of these two options happen with Schofield.
- He has a great off-season and improves
- Goes back to being a weekly inactive and we never see him in the starting lineup for the Broncos again.
Next: OL's to Scrap