The Denver Broncos made an alarming mistake during the 2025 season when they gave a contract extension to starting center Luke Wattenberg, and they are reaping the fruit of that decision in 2026.
Wattenberg was signed to a four-year extension worth $48 million in total money and $27 million in guarantees. All things considered, it's really not a bad deal for a starting center in today's NFL...unless the center is not a good or good enough player.
That may be a harsh critique of Wattenberg at this particular point in time, but he simply hasn't been good enough. The primary source of pressure getting to Bo Nix early on this season has been on the interior, and one of the reasons for some of the offense's failures this season has been Wattenberg's inaccurate snaps.
The contract is simply looking worse by the day, but what can the Broncos realistically do about it?
Luke Wattenberg has played a a replacement-worthy level for Broncos in 2026
Luke Wattenberg has had issues with his snaps ever since being the starter for the Broncos and it finally bites them on this drive
— SleeperBroncos (@SleeperBroncos) October 16, 2026
Second down play was an atrocious snap and basically killed the drive
It can’t continue like this…
Aside from getting bullied at times in the run game or pass protection, the primary concern with Wattenberg right now is his inability to accurately snap the ball.
There isn't exactly a "highlight reel" of these plays over the past three seasons, but it has been a persistent issue with him since 2024. This problem came up after the team's Week 1 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, where both Wattenberg and Chiefs center Creed Humphrey had some issues snapping the ball to the quarterback properly.
The Broncos do have an alternative option on the bench right now in Alex Forsyth, who has started a total of six games over the past couple of seasons in relief of Wattenberg. Wattenberg missed some significant time during camp this year with an injury (so did Forsyth), which could also be contributing to some of his issues holding up at the point of attack.
At best, the Broncos need to consider making a change at the position. If the team is allowing too much pressure from the interior, or if the errant snaps continue to be a problem, then this isn't a position where you can just hope for the best in time.
The Broncos cited Wattenberg's ability to pass protect as one of the biggest reasons why they were confident in giving him the contract extension, but the results simply haven't been there.
If the Broncos continue to allow Wattenberg to struggle like this with inaccurate snaps to Bo Nix, they have only themselves to blame for offensive inefficiencies.
Part of the overarching issue with this Broncos team right now is the fact that absolutely nobody had to compete for their starting job in the offseason. Sean Payton did not want to label it "running it back" with the current roster, but that's exactly what the Broncos did.
Nobody had to fight for their jobs. Everything was given to players who have struggled in certain areas like this in the past. And that lack of competition is showing up with mistakes being made on the field, and a lack of killer instinct when it comes to winning at the line of scrimmage offensively.
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