Those of us who can’t conceive of a job that’s been described as wrestling matches between large men in a phone booth have occasionally wondered how NFL offensive lineman make the position switch from one line slot to another. It’s not easy, but that was the task faced by Denver Broncos swing tackle Alex Palczewski when he became the team’s starting left guard due to an injury situation. 

The first issue was mastering the three-point stance on the left side, which Palczewski said he hasn’t done “since the Obama administration.”

“I think the last time I played left side was my freshman year at Illinois or my senior year of high school,” said the third-year player who joined the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of Illinois in 2023, in a piece written by Nick Kosmider of The Athletic. “It’s definitely been a while, but so far, so good.”

As a right-side guy, Palczewski also offered a very rough analogy for how this kind of right-to-left switch works. 

“This is a little bit crude,” Palczewski said, “but it’s like wiping with the opposite hand.”

To master the switch, the new left tackle used the Broncos’ DARI motion system, a technology that evaluate’s a player’s movement to identify weaknesses and deficiencies. Specifically, Palczewski would take a pass rush set or make an initial surge off the line of scrimmage while cameras capture the action, and the camera then gives feedback the team’s staff can use to make adjustments. 

It’s the same system quarter backs like Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills have used to refine their throwing mechanics, so it can definitely be applied to multiple positions where the demands are very different, to say the least.  

“I was able to do that and see what parts of my body were deficient,” Palczewski said. “Again, I’ve played right side for so long, your body just kind of morphs, whether it’s knee, ankle, hip flexibility. And so there’s stuff in there where it’s, ‘OK, this is where I can start (making adjustments).’ Because there is so much stuff, you don’t know how to attack it. So it gives you something where it’s like, ‘OK, I can balance out my body in that way.’ It’s pretty f— cool.”

It’s also been successful. Palczewski has allowed just three pressures and no sacks across 86 snaps since taking over at left guard, according to Kosmider, which has given the Broncos the freedom to avoid panicking after losing both left guards earlier in the season. It’s also helped make Palczewski’s job easier, even though it’s a constant work in progress. 

“In terms of actually playing football,” he said, “it’s just finding those points you have to have and making it simple.”