Denver Broncos: Menelik Watson to IR, Cyrus Kouandjio signed
The Denver Broncos placed offensive tackle Menelik Watson on season-ending IR, and signed offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio…
The right tackle position for the Denver Broncos has been an absolute mess, and starter Menelik Watson has just been placed on season-ending injured reserve, the team announced.
Watson was signed this offseason to a three-year, $18.375 million contract. The Broncos have a potential ‘out’ after this season in his contract, and with his inability to stay healthy and perform up to the standard that is needed, it’s likely they will exercise the option out of his deal.
That is a bridge we will cross at a later date. For now, the Broncos are just placing Watson on IR, and have signed offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio in his place.
Watson and Kouandjio have taken some interestingly similar career paths.
Both players have struggled through injuries, which was the main concern for them both coming out of college. Watson was a second round pick (42nd overall) by the Raiders in the 2013 NFL Draft out of Florida State.
Kouandjio was a second round pick (44th overall) by the Buffalo Bills in the 2014 NFL Draft out of Alabama.
Despite being picked in draft classes just one year apart, Kouandjio is four years younger than Watson, and has played much better in his limited time in the league.
After hardly playing at all his rookie season in 2014, Kouandjio earned a very good run blocking grade from Pro Football Focus in 2015, and then played his most extensive snaps in 2016 where he again earned positive grades from PFF, this time in a more well-rounded fashion.
In 25 career games, Kouandjio has given up just two sacks. We’re looking for silver linings here, because after all, this is a player that is 24, a former second round pick, has been cut by two NFL teams, and was available in week 10 of the NFL season.
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That doesn’t exactly inspire the greatest confidence, but you never know until you know.
The Broncos, at least, won’t have paid Kouandjio a ridiculous amount of money based on his talent potential, or the fact that he played for one of the offensive coaches, or what have you. What he is at this point is a risk/reward option and a player that could see some time on the field soon due to the vast variety of injuries and poor performers the Broncos have at right tackle.
Kouandjio is 6-foot-7, 322 pounds, and was once the top ranked high school tackle in America, and the fourth ranked player in the country overall according to Rivals. He played his college football at Alabama, where he failed to live up to lofty expectations.
Injuries played a part in that, but Kouandjio is the type of player that had all the potential in the world, got put in a great situation, and just didn’t pan out.
Hopefully, the Broncos can extract the very best out of him, as this looks like it will be his last shot in the NFL.