Denver Broncos: George Paton emphasizes importance of OL, DL
The Denver Broncos have done a great job of drafting some good, young talent. They also have been tremendous at finding undrafted free agents. But with that being said, how is new general manager George Paton at doing the same thing?
Paton joined the Vikings’ staff in 2007. His first pick in the draft was future Hall of Fame running back Adrian Peterson.
To go along with a great running back, it’s ideal to have success at acquiring top-notch offensive linemen.
In his introductory press conference with the Broncos media, Paton highlighted drafting offensive and defensive linemen to be a centerpiece of a franchise.
George Paton: “I think you’re going to be in every game if you have a really strong defensive line and a really strong offensive line”
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) January 19, 2021
For many years, the Broncos have struggled at finding the right combination on the offensive line. Specifically, the right tackle spot has been the team’s weakest link.
Even though it appears to be much less of an issue with Drew Lock taking snaps at quarterback, there is no question that Denver is going to have to address that right side of the line.
Right tackle Ja’Wuan James has not panned out so far, after missing most of 2019 due to injury and then opting out of the 2020 season. We do not know how things will be with James in 2021, but drafting pieces on that right side needs to be one of the highest priorities for this team.
While with the Vikings, Paton drafted ten tackles, including Matt Kalil in 2012. In his final draft with Minnesota, the team spent a second-round pick on a guard, Ezra Cleveland.
Minnesota found defensive tackle Shariff Floyd in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Floyd spent five years in Minnesota but his career appeared to have been cut short due to nerve damage in his knee.
In the 2007 NFL Draft, Paton’s Vikings found defensive end Brian Robison in the fourth round. Robison played 173 games in an 11-year span with the Vikings and recorded 289 tackles, 60 sacks, 19 pass deflections, and 13 forced fumbles.
Center John Sullivan was selected in the sixth round of the 2008 Draft and played 109 games for Minnesota when he took over for future Hall of Famer Matt Birk.
The Broncos signed left tackle Garett Boles to a long-term extension this year, locking up a player who appeared to be close to hitting free agency. Left tackle had been a huge hole for the team for a number of years.
Also acquired in recent drafts were left guard Dalton Risner and center Lloyd Cushenberry. So, the left and middle parts of the offensive line are secure for a number of years if all things go as planned.
Graham Glasgow is signed for four years and Ja’Wuan James through 2023 with the option for the Broncos to opt-out after the 2021 season.
It will still be interesting to see what happens in the near future with the offensive line. Will the starters be able to progress even more, and keep their jobs?
Denver Broncos state of the defensive line
The Denver Broncos currently have four defensive linemen scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in Shelby Harris, Demarcus Walker, Sylvester Williams, and Joel Heath. Jonathan Harris will be an exclusive rights free agents.
We’ll obviously focus on the first three names here as they received playing time.
It is entirely possible that Shelby Harris has played toward a fairly nice pay raise and that might end up coming from a different team. Walker is younger and it makes sense financially to keep him over Harris if they could only keep one.
The team still has Jurrell Casey, who they made a trade for this past year, so that will help things nicely if he can stay healthy.
The defensive line should absolutely be a need for this team, though. They might end up loving a player that falls to them in the draft.
The way the Broncos’ defense works is that you won’t find many players who play a huge percentage of snaps—especially on the defensive line. Having rotational players will be very important.
In conclusion, we should expect there to be some changes on both the offensive and defensive lines for the Denver Broncos.
dark. Next. Denver Broncos: 5 takeaways from George Paton’s introduction
It would not be surprising if we saw the team use up some of their pre-draft interviews on several offensive and defensive linemen once they are allowed to move along with draft preparation.