The Denver Broncos did not go after free agent offensive tackle La’El Collins. Are they set at right tackle or will they consider other options?
The Denver Broncos still need to address a couple of positions on the roster before the 2022 NFL Draft, including the right tackle position.
This is a topic that doesn’t seem to be unanimously agreed upon in Broncos Country at the moment (is anything ever unanimously agreed upon?), but the way I see it, the right tackle position cannot go unaddressed before the 2022 NFL Draft in terms of bringing in a capable veteran starter.
To recap what the Broncos have already done at the tackle position in the 2022 offseason, the team re-signed Calvin Anderson to a one-year deal worth $2.5 million and they also gave free agent Tom Compton a one-year deal worth $2.25 million.
Based on the investments the team made in the 2021 offseason, it’s not impossible to think that Compton vs. Anderson could be the Denver Broncos’ starting right tackle battle in training camp with a rookie mixed in.
But would general manager George Paton say no to a possible upgrade?
Here are some names to keep an eye out for as we know now, the Denver Broncos are not in the market for a big-money right tackle.
Denver Broncos RT option no. 1: Billy Turner (Packers)
One of the options on the table could be a reunion between the Denver Broncos and Billy Turner, who left the team for the Green Bay Packers a handful of years ago.
Turner was once the 67th overall pick in the NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins, but when the Dolphins started to get impatient with his development, the Broncos scooped him up on waivers and turned him into a starter.
He played well enough in Denver to get a good contract from the Green Bay Packers, but he was a cap casualty this offseason and released with a failed physical designation.
Assuming he’s able to get healthy for offseason activities, Turner is a player who will obviously be familiar with the coaching staff in Denver, starting with Nathaniel Hackett and Justin Outten.
That familiarity scheme-wise might make him the best possible fit left on the free agent market, plus Turner is still in his early 30s, so he’d be a worthwhile pickup at this stage of free agency.