Denver Broncos: Interior offensive line position preview

Backup Centers

J.J. Dielman

The Broncos must like the potential of J.J. Dielman because they tried to claim him off of waivers from the Cincinnati Bengals in the preseason.

Dielman didn’t receive the pre-draft hype he probably should have because of an injury in his final year at Utah, but he proved he could play every position on the line and might be a long-term option for the Broncos at the position.

The team is excited about his development.

Austin Schlottmann

Schlottmann is a very similar size profile to Dielman for the Broncos and a player who is familiar with Loren Landow as he trained with him prior to the 2018 NFL Draft.

That connection likely helped the Broncos land the versatile lineman out of TCU after the 2018 NFL Draft. He will almost certainly be a player the team looks at giving a redshirt for a year, developing in the weight room and film room, and taking another look at in 2019.

Final Thoughts

The Broncos’ interior line looks pretty good on paper, especially if Connor McGovern can realize his potential.

What is most encouraging about this unit is the Broncos’ potential depth at these positions. They may actually have to make a tough cut or trade prior to the season.

Ideally, they would be able to trade one of their more proven players deep in a rookie contract (like Garcia) to a team that has no chance of getting him on waivers, but the Broncos could very well keep six interior linemen this year with Paradis, Leary, McGovern, Turner, Jones, and Garcia all vying for spots.