The Denver Broncos haven't drafted an offensive tackle since the 1st round of the 2017 NFL Draft when they selected Garett Bolles, who has been the team's starting left tackle ever since. But despite their abnormally long stretch without drafting an offensive tackle a home-grown talent is set to make his first NFL start for the Broncos in Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Former undrafted free agent steal Alex Palczewski, an All-American at Illinois, is set to replace the injured Mike McGlinchey at the right tackle position for the Denver Broncos with McGlinchey hitting injured reserve.
Alex Palczewski will replace Mike McGlinchey for Denver Broncos in Week 3
Even after Palczewski came in the game for McGlinchey against the Pittsburgh Steelers, there was some question about whether or not it would be the former UDFA starting in his place for Week 3 with Matt Peart also available and having significantly more NFL experience on both sides of the line at this point.
But the Broncos are rolling with the man they call "Palcho", who earned his way onto the 53-man roster as a rookie free agent and did so once again in the 2024 offseason.
Head coach Sean Payton said this about Palczewski as training camp was progressing back in early August:
“He’s one of those guys that welcomes the pads. I say this, there are maybe some things athletically he’s not as gifted at. Yet when the pads come on and you get into these live reps or somewhat live reps, you check the box and say, ‘He does his job.’ Today he got some good work. He’s an extremely smart player. We talked about how many games Bo played at Oregan, but I think ‘Palco’ (T AlexPalczewski) played more. So he’s not lacking experience, it’s just those first-team reps. I think he’s someone we’re pleased with.”
-- Broncos HC Sean Payton (via Broncos PR)
Payton went on to say that the Broncos view Palczewksi (pronounced pal - CHESS - key) as pretty strictly a right tackle. Those athletic limitations probably prevent him from having a long-term role at left tackle but obviously that's not the case at the right tackle position. And Palczewski will be quickly put to the test as the Broncos face off against a Buccaneers defense that is always on the attack.
Palczewski is going to be tested in a variety of ways with heavy blitzes coming off his side of the line of scrimmage and just dealing with the general pressure of this being your first NFL game.
The Broncos are going to have to do what they can to protect Palczewski and hopefully, the team is able to really establish the ground game and not force him into 35-40 pass protection reps in this game. That could be recipe for disaster, but if Bo Nix only has to throw 20-25 passes thanks to the success of the running game, this could be a great debut for a home-grown tackle prospect.