For the second season in a row, the Denver Broncos' best position group could not be more clear, and it may actually reach its potential in 2024. The Broncos legitimately had five quality offensive linemen during the 2023 season. The best players along the Broncos OL in 2023 were Quinn Meinerz and Lloyd Cushenberry, but Garett Bolles, Ben Powers, and Mike McGlinchey were solid, too.
Even with Cushenberry leaving in free agency for the Tennessee Titans, the Broncos unit still has Bolles, Powers, Meinerz, and McGlinchey returning. The starting center position is up in the air at the moment, but all of Alex Forsyth, Luke Wattenberg, Sam Mustipher, and Nick Gargiulo figure to compete for the job.
According to PFF, Bolles was the 19th-graded tackle in 2023 out of 81 qualifiers. Ben Powers was the 30th graded guard out of 79. Quinn Meinerz was the 3rd graded guard, also out of 79, and Mike McGlinchey was the 39th graded tackle out of 81 players. Overall, Denver had one of the better units in the NFL.
Now yes, Russell Wilson took 45 sacks, but much of Wilson's game forces him to hold onto the ball for too long, which makes him take unnecessary sacks. The one person that can help the Denver Broncos offensive line hit their full potential is Bo Nix. Bo Nix is someone who gets the ball out on time and quickly.
He's going to be able to take his drop-back and find the open wide receiver. That wasn't something Russell Wilson was able to do. It's going to be a shocking difference that Broncos fans will be pleasantly surprised to see. The Broncos OL was fighting for their lives in 2022 and 2023 with Russell Wilson taking the snaps.
The unit is strong on paper, and they'll prove it in 2024.