The Denver Broncos entered the 2026 NFL Draft looking for players who had the traits to be future starters, and one of the top three picks in the class might be on a course to start for the team as early as 2027.
Boise State offensive lineman Kage Casey was a longtime starter at the left tackle position in college (41 starts over the last three seasons), and while he temporarily ended the team's streak of not drafting an offensive tackle (ongoing since 2017), his future home might not be at the tackle position at all.
Since he was drafted, there's been speculation and talk about whether or not Casey would be a guard/tackle flex option for the Broncos, but the team has made it clear that they view him as having starter traits at guard or even at center. And for the time being, it sounds like he's going to get a look at the left guard position.
Casey working at left guard during his rookie offseason in the NFL can only mean one thing: The clock is ticking on starting left guard and former big-money free agent Ben Powers.
Denver Broncos start the countdown on Ben Powers' time with the team after Kage Casey pick
Source confirms #Broncos' 4th-round draft pick, LG-OT Kage Casey has agreed to 4-year contract worth $5.58M that includes $1,198,208 signing bonus. (1st @AdamSchefter).
— MikeKlis9NEWS (@mikeklis9news) May 20, 2026
He'll sign this morning. Casey a 3-year starter at LT at Boise State but he'll get a look at LG this offseason.
Casey has officially agreed to his four-year rookie contract with the team, and as 9News Broncos insider Mike Klis points out, he's going to get a look at left guard during the offseason program.
The current starter for the Broncos is Ben Powers, who is entering the final year of his contract with the team. Powers was signed to a big-money deal back in the 2023 offseason, and because of his high cap hit this season ($18.155 million), it was widely assumed that he could be a potential trade candidate or cap casualty candidate this offseason.
But instead, the Broncos surprised a lot of people by simply committing to the final year of his deal. No restructures, no pay cuts, just a commitment to see the deal through. Considering Powers is also coming off of a season in which he missed nine regular season games, and had to split time in some of the ones he played, that was a decision made in good faith that Powers is going to be playing at as high of a level as possible in 2026.
Although he had the smallest sample size last year, Powers was rated as the weakest link on Denver's #1-ranked offensive line according to ESPN's Mike Clay, which factored in run block win rate, pass block win rate, and other data.
Needless to say, it's felt like the Broncos have been on the cusp of potentially moving on from Powers, and the Kage Casey pick might seal the deal. If this is the 'last dance' for Powers with the Broncos, it means that Casey is going to be on a fast track in his development.
The Broncos saw him play a ton of football at left tackle for Boise State, but the translatable skills to the left guard position start with his ability to process things mentally. It's not just because Casey has shorter arms than ideal, or because he's not athletic enough to hold up as a tackle in the NFL.
In today's NFL, the more you can do for an offensive line, the more valuable you can be in a lot of cases.
If Casey can prove early on that he can hold up at guard, it will make the Broncos' decision even easier. They need to free up cap space for the future to continue re-signing players at other positions, and with five big-money players on the offensive line right now, Casey is the inexpensive alternative. Even as a 4th-round pick, the pressure is on.
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