Taking a look at four Denver Broncos players that could be leapfrogged by rookies during the 2022 offseason. Which veterans should be on guard?
A handful of Denver Broncos veterans could be surpassed in the coming months by rookies on the depth chart.
That’s a good problem for Broncos GM George Paton and head coach Nathaniel Hackett to have.
Although the Broncos didn’t have a first-round pick and didn’t even pick in the second round until number 64 overall, they will undoubtedly still have a highly impactful rookie class.
Here are the veterans on the roster that could get leapfrogged by rookies over the course of training camp and the 2022 preseason.
Denver Broncos rookie OL Luke Wattenberg could jump into starting lineup
One of the underrated rookies to watch over the course of the 2022 offseason is fifth-round pick Luke Wattenberg.
Yes, he’s only a fifth-round draft pick. He shouldn’t exactly be expected to win a starting job right away but you never know.
The Denver Broncos have approached the 2022 offseason as though Lloyd Cushenberry III will be the team’s starting center going into the 2022 season, and understandably so. Cushenberry is one of the smartest players on the team and a former high third-round pick who should be given every opportunity to succeed.
Still, Wattenberg is one of just two prospects that George Paton has ever moved up to acquire in the NFL Draft.
There are only two years of data to go on with that, but it’s definitely not nothing.
Wattenberg is a highly talented athlete who played tackle, guard, and center at Washington.
His experience at a variety of positions could eventually come in handy but for the time being, he projects as a center and who knows? Maybe we’ll see the Denver Broncos open up that competition and allow him to sneak into the starting lineup in 2022.