Denver Broncos: Cyrus Kouandjio’s progress updated

As Denver Broncos minicamp comes to a close, head coach Vance Joseph updates the status on offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio…

The Denver Broncos are nearing the conclusion of their pre-training camp offseason program, which means it’s time for some progress reports.

Specifically, it’s time for some progress reports on those players that have maybe shown flashes of their big potential in the past but haven’t put together a big enough sample for anyone to be able to draw conclusions from.

One of the players we’ve been excited to hear about this offseason is offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio, who has been working with the starters on offense while Jared Veldheer plays it safe health-wise.

Kouandjio started the Broncos’ season finale against the Kansas City Chiefs, and looked really good in that game.

We highlighted his performance as well as a number of others in this post from earlier in 2018.

For those who may be wondering who Kouandjio is or why he’s even being discussed, it’s because the Broncos made an interesting decision with him last year contract-wise.

With some injuries piling up on the offensive line, Kouandjio was brought in after a couple of failed stints in Buffalo and Detroit (he was a second-round pick of the Bills in 2014).

Despite his lofty draft status, the Bills gave up on Kouandjio quite quickly, and the Lions pounced on the opportunity to sign him.

He was a free agent for a while when the Broncos signed him, likely before he was even 100 percent healthy.

Denver’s scouting staff must have liked something they saw from Kouandjio in the past, because they signed him off the street to a two-year contract, knowing he likely wouldn’t contribute much in 2017.

Now, Kouandjio has a chance to seize a role as the team’s primary swing tackle and he certainly put some good tape out there in the season finale against the Chiefs.

Broncos head coach Vance Joseph updated Kouandjio’s status after the team’s second mandatory minicamp practice:

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It’s great to see that Kouandjio not only took advantage of his snaps in last year’s week 17 game against Kansas City, but he’s carrying that over to every snap he’s given in OTAs.

With some of Joseph’s comments about other players not practicing through (presumably minor) injuries, it’s refreshing to hear of a guy like Kouandjio battling and trying to win a roster spot with this team.

Coming out of Alabama, Kouandjio was a bit of a blank canvas of talent who didn’t show very well athletically, but he understands how to play the position and has gotten some great coaching through the years.

He’s still a young player and it’s possible things have just been a little slower to develop for him since he jumped on as Alabama’s starting left tackle at a very young age.

Sometimes trial by fire works for a physical specimen like Kouandjio, and other times it forces players to really take a look in the mirror and figure out how to adapt in different ways.

For Kouandjio, the timing might be just right.

Next: Joe Woods impressed by UDFA pass rusher

The expectation for the Broncos is that Jared Veldheer will be fully healthy and ready to go by training camp, but expecting a full season out of Veldheer might be wishful thinking at this point.

We’re certainly hoping for a full 16-game slate for Veldheer in his first and possibly only year with the Broncos, but if Kouandjio can prove himself worthy of a contract extension someway, somehow, he could be the future at the position for the Broncos.