With Graham Glasgow out, it’s Netane Muti time

The Denver Broncos will be without their starting right guard this week, as Graham Glasgow rested this week, sitting out all 3 practices, and is listed as Doubtful.

He had an irregular heartbeat after the season opener at Metlife Stadium, and though Vic Fangio said “Everything has come back good for him” after a series of tests by the medical team, the smart, safe and likely approach is to give him a week to make sure his health is where it needs to be.

This leaves second-year lineman Netane Muti as the next man up. A true mauler at the point of attack, he came out and impressed late in his rookie campaign last year. His performance was a serious boon to the Broncos’ run game in lieu of Austin Schlottmann, and now it seems he’ll get the chance to make another impression off the bench.

Though Glasgow is a steady veteran presence on this line and really makes his presence known in pass protection, having Muti in the lineup could shift the balance towards the run as he brings highlight reel strength and aggressiveness to the interior.

He’ll work to improve his pass protection however, as he did give a up a sack in limited action last year. Hopefully another offseason learning under Mike Munchak has further refined his technique, and a big performance here could have lead to interesting developments for this line down the road.

The biggest question with Muti, however, is his health. Though he has been available to the team recently, he did begin his rookie offseason on the Non-Football Injury list ahead of camp while healing up from a season-ending Lisfranc injury he suffered in his junior year at Fresno State.

That had actually been his second consecutive season-ender after an Achilles rupture his sophomore year, but his ceiling as a prospect was so high the Broncos took a sixth-round shot at the hulking guard.

Now, with his injuries two plus years behind him, Muti will likely look to build on his rookie performances and his abilities as a road-grader could spell serious dividends for the Broncos running back tandem in Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams.

The Jacksonville Jaguars did allow Houston’s veteran stable of backs to rush for 160 yards last week, and Denver could look to top those numbers in Jacksonville, especially now with Muti in the mix.

Denver has also elevated fourth-year guard/center Austin Schlottmann from the practice squad, and he’ll likely serve as a reserve interior lineman alongside rookie Quinn Meinerz.