Denver Broncos: Cyrus Kouandjio returns to add depth at tackle
The Denver Broncos made a surprising decision to release Cyrus Kouandjio after some strong performances, but he’s back after another injury.
The Denver Broncos have suffered a lot of unfortunate injuries on the offensive line this season, including starting left guard Ron Leary, starting center Matt Paradis, and primary backup Max Garcia to season-ending injuries.
Right tackle Jared Veldheer has also not been healthy until just recently, and the Broncos just trotted out an offensive line combination that no one envisioned prior to the start of the season.
The alignment they used against the Los Angeles Chargers — which didn’t allow a single sack — looked like this:
LT: Garett Bolles
LG: Billy Turner
C: Connor McGovern
RG: Elijah Wilkinson
RT: Jared Veldheer
Sunday was McGovern’s first career start at the center position, college or pro, and the Broncos kept Turner around as a swing tackle and emergency right guard.
It’s funny how things work out in the NFL, but Denver’s group here did a good job against a very tough Chargers front, one that got Joey Bosa back for the first time this season.
With Garcia suffering a season-ending injury in practice last week, the team had a roster spot to fill and with linemen going down left and right, they had to add someone who could help in that regard.
Since Turner moved over to left guard, the Broncos decided to supplement their depth at tackle, re-signing a familiar face in Cyrus Kouandjio. Kouandjio signed a two-year deal with Denver last year and went through camp with the team and the preseason before ultimately getting let go at the time of final cuts.
He started a week 17 matchup against the Chiefs in 2017 and played very well.
I also thought Kouandjio did a good job in preseason play this year, but the Broncos (and apparently the rest of the NFL) didn’t feel the same way and Kouandjio has been without a job for the past 2.5 months.
Kouandjio could have easily been kept at the start of the season as the Broncos’ swing tackle, but the team opted to keep Turner and Wilkinson instead since both players can apparently also play either guard position.
Kouandjio doesn’t offer that particular kind of versatility.
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With Kouandjio now in the fold, the Broncos have Bolles, Turner, McGovern, Wilkinson, Veldheer, rookie Sam Jones, veteran Gino Gradkowski, and rookie Nico Falah along with Kouandjio up front. They also have Andreas Knappe and Austin Schlottmann on the practice squad.