The Denver Broncos have problems along the offensive line, and it has honestly been years since we have truly needed to say that. It feels like all of Ben Powers, Luke Wattenberg, and Mike McGlinchey have taken a step back this year.
The first two seasons of Bo Nix's career seemed to thrust this offensive line into the spotlight as one of the very best units in football. However, Nix's elite sack-evading ability has probably been propping this offensive line up a bit.
Well, with the way things have gone in 2026, it's clear that the OL simply might not be as good as it the NFL landscape thought it was, and it's not wild to think that this team has a rather major problem at left guard, specifically. Well, with the recent news coming out of Indianapolis, it's not a stretch to think that left guard Quenton Nelson would be an ideal trade deadline move for this team.
The Denver Broncos have a major left guard problem, and Quenton Nelson can solve it
The Colts fired long-time General Manager Chris Ballard, and this move has suddenly brought the Colts into the spotlight as potential sellers at the deadline. Their best player, Nelson, is a free agent at the end of the year and could be as logical a trade deadline target as any:
Colts have several attractive pieces on the roster, including pending free agent Quenton Nelson. https://t.co/knEgt7ESjU
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) October 19, 2026
Nelson's name immediately came up as a potential trade target following Ballard's firing, as even some of the national NFL names are mentioning him. Nelson is unquestionably a future Hall of Famer. He's an eight-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro.
He's still only in his age-30 season and has made the Pro Bowl every year of his career. The left guard has started every single game he's appeared in and has missed just four games since entering the NFL back in 2018.
If you are someone who looks at PFF, their ratings also paint a great picture for Nelson. He's their highest-graded guard at the moment with an 89.2 grade. PFF grades him as 5th-best in pass blocking and 3rd-best in run blocking. As for Powers, PFF has him graded as the 58th-ranked guard in the NFL.
He comes in with the 71st-ranked pass blocking grade and the 54th-ranked run blocking grade among 77 qualified guards. That also seems to match what we're seeing on the field. Powers is consistently getting beaten by interior players, and the Broncos just cannot run the ball along the interior.
And, despite being ranked very high in ESPN's run blocking and pass blocking win rates in recent years, their ratings currently have the Broncos as the 25th-ranked unit in pass blocking and 21st in run blocking. For reference, Denver was ranked 8th and 4th by ESPN last year in both categories, respectively.
They were ranked 1st in both categories in 2024 as well, so something has seriously gone wrong along the offensive line. The Broncos would have to make the financials work, but they have the need and every single reason in the world to make a deal for Nelson.
Part of the team's identity, the offensive line, has taken a major hit. It's not longer the dominant unit it once was, and one of the first moves that head coach Sean Payton made when he arrived in Denver was signing Powers, McGlinchey, and Zach Allen, who has commanded the trenches on defense for Denver.
The team had also, in the Payton era, handed out contract extensions for Garett Bolles, Wattenberg, and Quinn Meinerz. They also did the same with extensions along the defensive line. You could easily argue that no team in the NFL has prioritized the trenches more than the Broncos.
And this is precisely why a Nelson trade makes sense. As of now, the Broncos are projected to have 10 picks in the 2027 NFL Draft, so they aren't hurting with draft capital even after their big-time trade for Jaylen Waddle.
This also brings us to another reason - the team clearly views themselves as being right in the middle of a Super Bowl window, as they would not have traded for Waddle if they didn't believe that. Waddle was deemed to be the missing piece on offense, and the Broncos made a huge offer to acquire him.
Why can't they have the same thinking for Nelson? The team surely did not expect the offensive line to regress like this, and with Powers having taken a pay cut this offseason, that's all the more reason to replace him with a legitimate upgrade, as the Broncos approached Powers with an adjusted contract for a reason.
It's not every year a team is in a win-now, Super Bowl window. While the offense has looked bad this year, it's not hard to see why the Broncos believe they can win it all. Acquiring a future HOF guard to help shore up a weakness and to further help the team's chances at winning it all make all the sense in the world.
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