The Denver Broncos may have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, and some people truly seem to believe this. One area where the Broncos have gotten better over the last two seasons is their offensive line.
Believe it or not, the team's OL was actually better on paper during the 2023 NFL Season, but being that former QB Russell Wilson takes a lot of sacks, the OL was not seen as good as it truly was. Well, former center Lloyd Cushenberry departed in free agency for the Tennessee Titans, and Luke Wattenberg ended up earning the starting job.
And in 2024, we really saw just how good the unit was. Bo Nix was sacked just 24 times, which is an elite number even for the best QBs in the league. The unit was so good, in fact, that it drew a no. 1 ranking from Pro Football Network recently:
"The Denver Broncos’ offensive line was one of the driving forces behind their success in 2024. Very little was expected of the offense this season. Normally, when an offense outperforms expectations, it’s either the quarterback playing exceptionally well or the offensive line.Ben Rolfe
Bo Nix has certainly performed well, ranking inside the top 20 of our QB+ rankings this season, but this OL’s brilliant performances helped make life easier. Their pressure rate (28.3%) and sack (4.0%) numbers were excellent across the board, despite Nix averaging the fifth-highest time to throw (3.03 seconds).
The Broncos finished top of ESPN’s PBWR and RBWR and had plenty of individual players inside the top 10 of their categories. Mike McGlinchey and Garett Bolles were both inside the top seven for OTs in PBWR. Meanwhile, Luke Wattenberg, Quinn Meinerz, and Ben Powers were all in the top five for PBWR on the interior, with Powers also atop the RBWR for iOL."
Yes, as in first in the entire NFL. Seeing as the Broncos have had some poor OL play in recent years, I believe this is another area where fans may carry that past-season bias. The average fan may think that the Broncos need OL help, but they truly don't. Now yes, getting some future starters in the building is always a good idea, but their projected starting unit is among the best in the league.
Denver's offensive line being as good as it is, is a huge reason why this team is going to be able to sustain success in future seasons. Being strong in the trenches in general is how games in the NFL are won and lost, and fortunately, Denver had the best pass-rush in the league and was also good at stopping the run.
You'd be hard-pressed to find a legitimate weakness on the Broncos roster if we're being honest, and them being strongest along the offensive line is the best quality of this team. A ton of credit goes to Sean Payton and George Paton for the work they've done with this unit in recent years, and there is no reason to believe that it can't continue to be a top unit in the NFL for years to come.