Fresh offensive line projection for the Denver Broncos in 2022
The Denver Broncos’ offensive line is the most uncertain part of the team’s roster so far. Let’s make another projection for the starters in 2022.
With training camp soon wrapping up and preseason games around the corner, the Denver Broncos will begin to shape their roster, decide on their starters, and round out their depth.
The biggest unknown on the roster is currently the offensive line. There are simply a ton of bodies along the offensive line that need to be sorted out. I think the team will end up trading a player or two, especially on the IOL, as they have a surplus there and lack 2023 draft capital.
A while ago, I did an offensive line prediction for the 2022 season, but I want to revisit that in a fresh article.
The only position that is settled and unquestioned is Garett Bolles at left tackle.
If nothing else, it’s good that the left tackle is settled and is actually a good player. Many teams have shaky situations at their tackle positions, but the Denver Broncos have a rock-solid option at left tackle.
So, let’s predict the Denver Broncos’ 2022 offensive line once again.
Predicting Denver Broncos’ offensive line: Left tackle
Garett Bolles
Garett Bolles will be the left tackle of the Denver Broncos for this year, and likely years in the future as well. Since the last few games of 2019, all of 2020, and into 2021, Bolles has been incredibly reliable and has greatly cleaned up his game.
The perseverance he showed from being just about the worst tackle in the league to a top 12 left tackle is nothing short of outstanding.
Predicting Denver Broncos’ offensive line: Right guard
Dalton Risner
Dalton Risner’s 2020 and 2021 seasons haven’t been great. The second-round draft pick in 2019 enjoyed a very nice rookie season playing in a similar zone scheme that he will play in for 2022.
While I was low on Risner and predicting him to not be in the lineup, it does appear like he’s fit in nicely thus far, and given that he’s had the left guard spot locked down since 2019, there’s nothing to indicate that other players are going to be able to usurp him.
Risner is a fan favorite and does represent everything the Denver Broncos represent. If he has a strong 2022 season, the team is likely to hand him a contract extension that would pay him handsomely.
Predicting Denver Broncos’ offensive line: Center
Lloyd Cushenberry
I had put Cushenberry and Risner in similar boats. I thought that both would find themselves out of the starting lineup for 2022, but it looks like both will find themselves remaining as starters.
Lloyd Cushenberry has been present for everything–he even joined Russell Wilson in some of those offseason workouts some of us saw on social media earlier in the summer.
He was abysmal in his rookie, 2020 season, but did improve a bit in 2021.
If the graph holds, we’ll see his line on the graph move up a little bit more. It would make sense for Cush to get a little better in year three, right?
He got better from year one to year two, and snapping the ball to Russell Wilson is surely going to help his prospects to improve as a player.
Cushenberry may never develop into anything more than an average starter, but that just might be good enough for the Denver Broncos.
Predicting Denver Broncos’ offensive line: Right guard
Quinn Meinerz
I think Quinn Meinerz is going to be the best player on this offensive line at some point in the near future. He filled in nicely when Graham Glasgow went down last year and doesn’t appear to let up on his stranglehold at right guard.
He does have experience playing center, but I don’t anticipate the Denver Broncos will move him around much if they can avoid it.
Quinn Meinerz played at DIII Wisconsin-Whitewater and was a third-round pick for the Denver Broncos in 2021.
The Belly was a fun prospect, as videos of his workouts in the forest surfaced. In interviews, Meinerz always seems to show a strong understanding of what it takes to be an NFL offensive lineman, and I don’t think that’ll change.
Predicting Denver Broncos’ offensive line: Right tackle
Calvin Anderson
The right tackle position has been one of interest for the Denver Broncos for years now.
The team has not drafted a tackle since taking Garett Bolles back in 2017.
Anderson has always seemed to be right on the cusp of winning this job and being the unquestioned starter. The team brought in Billy Turner and Tom Compton this offseason to compete for the position.
Billy Turner has been on the PUP list and hasn’t done much of anything because of that, and I don’t even think Tom Compton has been present for all of the training camp practices.
At this point, I really think Anderson is RT1 simply because there isn’t anyone breathing down his neck yet.
The team re-sign Cameron Fleming recently to compete for the position, but Fleming shouldn’t be a threat to win the job.
Right now, though, if I had to guess, Anderson likely opens the season as the starting right tackle.