Position by position wish list for Denver Broncos in Free Agency

Offensive Centers

Ethan Pocic

Familiarity continues to be a theme in this and we head back to the trenches with the center position. With Lloyd Cushenberry slated to be the starter next season, there is no guarantee he will be the guy. Cushenberry has struggled with balance keeping himself upright and is very up and down in the running game. The inconsistencies have caused questions surrounding his future with the Denver Broncos. This is ultimately why the center position is an underrated one heading into free agency. 

Ethan Pocic is familiar with Russell Wilson and Wilson is familiar with Pocic. Both already have chemistry already being with the Seahawks. Justin Britt, a recent release from the Houston Texans, could make some sense as well. Pocic was slated to be a backup with the Cleveland Browns in 2022 behind Nick Harris, but a door opened for Pocic, and did quite well. He showed great hands and balance to not allow as much pressure as he could. The other great part for Pocic is allowing himself to get to the second level and creating lanes for the guards next to him to reach the second level. 

This kind of chemistry is massive for a center or any offensive lineman. Denver is expected to target the offensive line heavily in free agency and the draft. Right tackle has been a turnstile like the quarterback position in Denver. That right tackle will garner a lot of buzz and rightfully so, but center is flying under the radar.

Garrett Bradbury

These are only a couple of options with a slightly new addition of Justin Britt, but it is truly hard to gauge the interest level of the Denver Broncos in their current position. In 2022, the Broncos did trade up in the draft to take Luke Wattenberg; however, in a short period of time, he did not play well enough to consider him as a future starter just yet with Denver. Wattenberg still has potential and will get a clean slate like everyone else. 

If Denver has any desire to spend money on the offensive line, Bradbury makes a lot of sense. Obviously, Denver may not have the resources to sign Bradbury and/or a high-profile right tackle, but the Broncos would be smart to be aggressive as possible in upgrading their line. Bradbury has been up and down in his Minnesota Vikings career, but talent is still showing on tape. Even though the Vikings chose not to pick up the fifth-year option, Bradbury did a lot in a contract year for him to be paid in an off-season. Desperate teams overspend on positions of value. Bradbury may be another case here. 

Athleticism for Bradbury and his balance is truly on display on tape. He does a tremendous job keeping his base upright when facing tough defensive linemen. Another aspect of Bradbury’s game that falls hand-in-hand with his balance is hand usage.

Denver may also bring Graham Glasgow back, but there is no guarantee he will. Plus, with an option like Bradbury on the market it would be smart to kick tires on him. The last intriguing factor is Paton’s draft history and which involved drafting Bradbury when he was with the Vikings before joining the Broncos in 2021.

Justin Britt

Like Ethan Pocic it makes too much sense to bring in a center who has long been familiar with Russell Wilson. Wilson and his center will need to be attached at the hip to be effective together. Britt was drafted by Seattle in 2014 and was Wilson’s center for his second Super Bowl versus New England. Unfortunately for Britt, his career could never hit the ground running for his liking as a Houston Texan. 

Britt’s best career game was when Russell Wilson was the quarterback and it would be beneficial for both parties to try and reunite again. Over his career, Britt has proven to be a bit of a mixed bag in terms of being a successful run-and-pass blocker. That said Britt has shown to be best at it when he’s had a mobile quarterback like Wilson. It still just remains to be seen what Zach Strief would prefer to do with the center position. 

A smart decision would be to have a meeting with head coach Sean Payton, Russell Wilson and Strief. All three have to come to the conclusion of what’s best for the team pursuing a center. As we mentioned earlier, Luke Wattenberg is still a raw player whom George Paton did draft. If Strief sees improvement in Lloyd Cushenberry who are we to stop Strief from making him starter? The point still remains that chemistry has to matter for quarterback and center. The synergy must be a hit from the start.