Denver Broncos: Sleeper at right tackle emerging in camp?

Do the Denver Broncos have a sleeper emerging at right tackle in 2020 camp?

The Denver Broncos have an exciting young set of offensive skill players and a defense that fans can be very confident in heading into the 2020 season, but what about the offensive line?

The Broncos certainly aren’t known across the rest of the NFL for having great offensive line play and with the decision by Ja’Wuan James to opt-out of the 2020 season, the Broncos’ offensive line projection took a massive blow.

With Elijah Wilkinson taking James’ spot at right tackle and the line sort of moving up one spot for everybody on the depth chart (at least prior to Demar Dotson’s arrival), Calvin Anderson was a developmental prospect who moved from likely third-team tackle to second-team right tackle, or at least rotating there in the early goings of camp.

Anderson was an undrafted player out of Texas last year whom the Broncos poached off of the New York Jets’ practice squad.

Even with the Broncos’ woes at tackle last season, Anderson was clearly being redshirted and didn’t see the field at all, but that could change in 2020 if he keeps making blocks like the one he posted on his Twitter page.

https://twitter.com/THE_CONDA25/status/1295866778329874433

Not only is this a great play by Anderson (the right tackle wearing no. 76), but it’s also a great job by the young tackle of cropping out the majority of his coaches film so you can’t see the offensive or defensive formation.

To take it even further, this looks like a good job all-around for the offensive line, and a job well done by the coverage defensively as well.

But the highlight is made by Anderson, who has quietly been campaigning his services all offseason.

He tweeted this when the Broncos declined Garett Bolles’ fifth-year option:

https://twitter.com/THE_CONDA25/status/1256318534860156928

When Ja’Wuan James opted out of the 2020 season, Anderson tweeted this:

https://twitter.com/THE_CONDA25/status/1290341873379418112

Obviously this kid is competitive, and he’s clearly got some quick feet and athletic ability. At the very least, what we see in this clip has me and pretty much everyone else in Broncos Country who saw it intrigued at the possibility that Anderson could be a sleeper for the team at right tackle.

Elijah Wilkinson has been getting Von Miller’s best every day at practice and, as you might expect, Miller has had some really great practices.

What could it hurt to throw Anderson out there with the first team for a few reps to see what he’s got?

He throws the edge player into the ground here and catches a stunt from Mike Purcell before Purcell can hit Jeff Driskel, so he’s going up against at least one first-team guy anyway.

Hopefully he will continue this level of play and get a shot, continuing to progress into a bigger role with the team going forward.