Broncos could peg Lloyd Cushenberry as starting center target

The Denver Broncos could peg LSU Tigers starting center Lloyd Cushenberry as their top target to snap the ball to Drew Lock in 2020 and beyond.

The Denver Broncos have invested heavily into their offensive line since the 2017 offseason.

In 2017, they used a first-round pick on left tackle Garett Bolles. In 2019, the team brought in right tackle Ja’Wuan James on a record-setting contract for a right tackle. They also used a second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft on Dalton Risner, who was the team’s starter at left guard from day one.

In 2020, the Broncos spent $44 million on guard/center Graham Glasgow, formerly of the Detroit Lions. Glasgow can play either position well but the Broncos envision him as a guard right now.

Already with so much free agent and draft capital already poured into the offensive line, the Broncos may not yet be finished.

Offensive line remains an option, albeit a distant one, in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft behind wide receiver and cornerback. After the first round, however, the Broncos could take a tackle or interior lineman who could start as early as the 2020 season. Perhaps no player is more qualified to jump into Denver’s starting lineup as a rookie than LSU’s Lloyd Cushenberry.

Cushenberry is fresh off of his second season as the LSU starting center, AKA the guy who snapped the ball to Heisman winner Joe Burrow.

Although Cushenberry wasn’t the most prominent star at LSU this past season, he was certainly a critical impact player for the team as the man in charge of making protection calls on the offensive line and making sure the ball got into Burrow’s hands quickly and seamlessly every play.

The Denver Broncos head into the 2020 NFL Draft with Patrick Morris as the presumptive top center on the team. That’s not exactly helping all of Broncos Country sleep at night, though everyone certainly has a high level of trust for offensive line coach Mike Munchak.

Cushenberry would complete a Broncos offensive line that, on paper at least, looks pretty darn good. Opinions on Garett Bolles vary depending on if you can get over the first part of his season with Joe Flacco and Brandon Allen at quarterback or if you like what he did in the second half of the season with fewer penalties and fewer sacks allowed.

Although Bolles has not exactly inspired confidence consistently at left tackle, he’s been consistently available for the Broncos and the front office and coaching staff are collectively believing that there’s still better football to come from the former first-round pick.

Ja’Wuan James’ health at the right tackle position is an obvious concern, but even in his limited reps (playing hurt, even) last season, it was clear that James is capable of being a highly effective player at right tackle.

Add Graham Glasgow at right guard, and the Broncos have four positions relatively set in stone on the line. Cushenberry could be the final piece of the starting unit, and he checks a lot of the boxes John Elway and the Denver scouting department have coveted in the past two seasons.

Multiple years of starting experience? Check.

Team captain? Check.

Cushenberry was the first LSU lineman to receive the no. 18 jersey – which he only wore in practice – which is given to a player who shows great character and is an example for his teammates off the field.

Although taking a center in the second round would not be a sexy pick, it might be a very necessary pick for the Broncos, especially to get a guy like Cushenberry who will be able to transition well to the pro game.

This guy is a hard worker who understands the game and does his job consistently well. The fact that he is well-liked by teammates is a huge plus, and while it doesn’t seem ideal for the Broncos to be in position to have to use a high pick on the center position, Cushenberry is the rare type of exception of a player who is worth a top 50 or top 64 pick to solidify the interior line.

Considering the fact that the center touches the ball every play, it’s obviously important to know you have a guy you can trust out there.

Cushenberry is a solid second round player and if he’s available when the Broncos are on the board at pick 46, he would be an outstanding fit between Dalton Risner and Graham Glasgow for the foreseeable future.