Denver Post Broncos writer Parker Gabriel posts his Broncos Mailbag periodically during the offseason. Click here to submit a question.
My glass is usually always “half full,” but after Friday night, it’s half full of vinegar. What changes do you foresee to correct our offensive offensive line performance, other than Mike McGlinchey stepping in? Friday’s OL performance was very concerning. Even a Garett Bolles holding call is better than getting Russell Wilson cremated!
— A Referee, Greeley
Hey Ref! Thanks for kicking us off tonight. You’re a glass half full guy, eh?
I suppose the main reason for optimism is just not declaring the whole thing too broken to repair after 20 preseason snaps. Really, it’s pretty much that simple. Certainly Friday night was not pretty for, in particular, Denver’s left-side pair of tackle Garett Bolles and guard Ben Powers. It’s also their first time ever playing another team together. It was Bolles’ first time on a game field since October. And while Arizona isn’t exactly littered with star players, it’s also a preseason game with very little game planning involved. So let’s not panic just yet.
All of that being said, there’s truth to what my guy Mark Kiszla wrote Sunday regarding Denver not getting quarterback Russell Wilson hurt back there. Wilson was sacked 55 times last year – certainly not all on the offensive line – and found himself on the injury report three times. Can’t have a repeat on either of those stats for Denver to engineer a big turnaround this fall.
Coach Sean Payton said Monday that Denver had a few leverage issues, especially early. It might take Bolles more game time to knock the rust off and get into the rhythm of not under- or over-setting. And he and Powers have to continue to build a rapport. There’s nothing to suggest they won’t, but, like Payton said, the race is on to Sept. 10. That afternoon, it’ll be Maxx Crosby on the other side of the line of scrimmage.
Hello from Finland!
How have offensive lineman Lloyd Cushenberry III and defensive lineman Jonathan Harris fared through the preseason so far? Those two are the question marks or possibly weakest links in the trenches in my opinion.
— Jude, Lahti, Finland
Yo Jude, thanks as always for writing in. That game was so late Friday night you probably could watch with your Saturday morning coffee.
Cushenberry and Harris are both in line currently for starting roles. Whether Harris ends up a full-time starter remains to be seen, but either way, with the group the Broncos have up front, he’s in for serious playing time. Maybe a DeShawn Williams-esque 35 snaps a game or so. Roles up front might shift slightly when Mike Purcell returns from the Non-Football Injury list after an offseason knee issue. Purcell opened it up and ran quite a bit on the side field Monday, so an activation off the list could be close at hand.
As for Cushenberry, he’s drawn the expected rave reviews from the new staff about his intelligence and command of the offense. There’s no room for weak links on the offensive line, so it’ll be up to him – and the other four guys, obviously – to hit the ground running and show he can be powerful in the run game.
If Houston ends up with the first pick in next year’s draft I would trade whatever it takes to get Caleb Williams. What say you?
— Heath, Vancouver
Hey Heath, interesting thought, but first things first, there’s a wrinkle to your proposition. The Texans traded their own 2024 first-rounder to move up and nab both quarterback C.J. Stroud and outside linebacker Will Anderson in this year’s draft. So Arizona has Houston’s first-rounder in 2024.
That leaves open the possibility that the Cardinals could end up with the first two picks in the draft — if Houston and Arizona finish with the two worst records. And even if not, the Cardinals have two bites at landing the top pick. If they go Nos. 1 and 2, maybe they take Caleb Williams, the terrific USC quarterback, and Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison, Jr. Talk about overhauling your offensive future in one fell swoop. Of course, that would leave whoever’s got the No. 3 pick in line to draft North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye or potentially auction off that pick to what is sure to be a big set of suitors.
The only way Houston ends up with the top pick is if Cleveland finishes with the NFL’s worst record. The Texans have the Browns’ first-rounder thanks to the Deshaun Watson trade.
The best-case for the Broncos, of course, is that Russell Wilson plays much better this fall and you don’t have to worry about mortgaging even more of your future capital in pursuit of a quarterback to replace the one you already paid through the nose for. Consider what the acquisition cost of those top 2024 draft slots will be if Williams and/or Maye are thought to be available. Even to move up from the middle of the first round, you’re talking about multiple premium picks or maybe your 2024 first plus Pat Surtain II.
The cheapest way to end up with Williams is to finish with the worst record in the NFL. Which, that would obviously mean things went very poorly for Denver this fall with a roster that’s only getting substantially more expensive in 2024.
A much better outcome: The prospect of getting at least two solid years out of Wilson and using a mid-first round pick next spring on an edge rusher or tackle. Those don’t grow on trees, either.
You know the great thing? There’s 18 weeks of regular-season football before all that gets settled.
Parker, is Jason Elam still available because our kickers looked terrible against Arizona. This can’t possibly be the best players who are available. Mason Crosby’s still around, isn’t he?
— Matt, Denver
Hey Matt, good one to end on. Elam’s not walking through that door, but it was pretty wild watching Broncos kicking competition contestants Brett Maher and Elliott Fry each miss Friday in Arizona and former Denver kicker Matt Prater hit a bad ball on a field goal attempt. Each was decently long – Maher’s the shortest at 47 yards – and Fry did hit a 55-yarder. Overall, though, it was not exactly an inspiring chapter in the annals of placekicking. Then on Tuesday the Broncos waived Fry with an injury designation.
Regardless of how Maher performs in the coming weeks, Denver will have options. As you indicated, Crosby’s still out there as a free agent. So are Robbie Gould, Ryan Succop and Randy Bullock – he was a Broncos tryout and spent minicamp with the team in June – among veteran options.
Not only that, but currently a quick count shows almost half the teams in the league have two kickers in camp. Come Aug. 29 when rosters cut down (or the days before), there will be hundreds of players who come available and at least a dozen or more will be kickers.
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