Is Denver Broncos offensive lineman Darrion Weems a possible breakout candidate? He’s caught the eye of Gary Kubiak and is getting some first team reps…
Denver Broncos offensive lineman Darrion Weems is not your typical breakout candidate. He’s 27 years of age, and has already been in the NFL since 2012.
Once thought to be a possible swing tackle and primary backup for the Dallas Cowboys, Weems was waived and signed to Dallas’ practice squad in 2015 before signing a futures deal in Denver with the Broncos.
This is actually not his first go-round with the Broncos. He was added mid-season to the Broncos’ practice squad in 2012 after starting his career out of Oregon as an undrafted free agent with the Vikings. After being waived by Minnesota, he was signed by the Patriots, let go there, signed in Indianapolis, and cut there as well.
He wound up ending the 2012 season on the Dallas Cowboys’ roster, inactive for the final four games of the regular season. The Cowboys poached him off of Denver’s practice squad, and they really liked him.
In 2013, Weems was declared inactive for every regular season game, and missed the entire 2014 season after having shoulder surgery. The Cowboys were excited to get him back for the 2015 season, and it appeared as though he had the inside track as the primary backup tackle on one of the best offensive lines in pro football.
Getting back to football and playing in the preseason for the first time in a couple of years, Weems expectedly had a rough time and the Cowboys opted for Charles Brown as their swing tackle early on in the season, waiving Weems and re-signing him to the practice squad again.
At the end of 2015, Weems’ time on the Cowboys’ practice squad expired, and he took an opportunity with the Denver Broncos on a futures contract.
And that ultimately brings us to today, where Weems was given first-team reps on the Broncos’ offensive line due to some injuries. He took the place of Ty Sambrailo as the right guard with the first unit, rotating with Connor McGovern who has been taking a lot of reps there as well.
Head coach Gary Kubiak was very complimentary of Weems after Thursday’s practice.
“Weems is really starting to look like a pretty good football player for this team. We are trying to give him every opportunity.”
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If versatility is the name of the game, Weems could be in really good shape. The Broncos have Michael Schofield as a swing tackle option, but if both he and Weems could provide the option of also playing guard, it will allow the Broncos a very deep rotation up front and they are getting a look at every option.
Back in 2015, the Cowboys’ offensive line coach also spoke highly of Weems, even amidst his struggles in his first pre-season action in nearly two years.
“He had a great offseason,” Dallas Cowboys offensive line coach Frank Pollack said. “He’s bigger. He’s stronger. He’s faster. He’s really working hard to fine-tune his technique and skills. He’s still learning. He’s still got a long way to go like everyone else. But he’s grinding hard and working hard to grind every day.”
The coaching staff in Denver wants to make sure they are keeping the best nine or 10 guys they possibly can going into this season after they had to use such a big variety of combinations up front last year.
Weems is a player that Kubiak likes enough to rotate him into the first team and get him some fair looks with the top unit, so his name bears monitoring.