It's Time To Start Making Offensive Line Changes

The Denver Broncos have been struggling to run the football, but the offensive line has escaped blame for much of the season. That’s starting to change, though, especially after the Broncos failed to make a move at the trade deadline, save for a deal for a linebacker that’s since been rescinded. 

But coach Sean Payton finally shifted some of the blame to the line, per Denver Post columnist Troy Renck, and it happened in a TV interview with Colin Cowherd, of all people, on FS1. 

The specific comments was that there’s “still some yellow tape around the offense” that makes it a work in progress. That was typical Payton irony, but the one that followed was far more direct, as the coach said “we didn’t block them very well” in his comments about the line’s performance against the Kansas City Chiefs. 

The line is a well-paid group, and it was Payton himself who invested the money, so it can’t have been easy to say this. The coach added that Broncos have “plenty of depth in the offensive line,” which means changes are coming. 

The most horrific stat that supports this is the one that has the Broncos rank 31st in conversion rate, and Denver is also ranked 28th in yards per carry.

The player Renck fingered was guard Ben Powers. He suggested that backup/swing lineman Alex Palczewski should get reps at left guard, and the columnist criticized center Luke Wattenberg as well, saying he’s been inconsistent andhas delivered too many errant shotgun snaps that have thrown off the timing of quarterback Bo Nix. 

That’s a lot of changes, but it’s hard to imagine the Broncos going wholesale with any they make. Renck also mentioned tackle Mike McGlinchey, who’s been banged up for most of the season and has been playing like it. 

This is a group that’s been geared toward protecting Nix, but maybe that needs to change. The Broncos leans into short passes to avoid negative plays. Renck also suggested that the Broncos have “too many schemes” as they feature gap/duo approaches wide zone concepts. 

That last is a lot, but at least some of the rest make sense. The point is that Denver has to try to do something differently, because what they’ve been doing isn’t working. They now have the bye week and a softer game against the Las Vegas Raiders to catch up to all of this, so it will be interesting to see how far the Broncos go with whatever changes they make.