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2010 Offensive Line Analysis - Denver Broncos

2010 Projected Starters:
Left Tackle: Ryan Clady
Left Guard: Russ Hochstein / Zane Beadles
Center: J.D. Walton
Right Guard: Chris Kuper
Right Tackle: Ryan Harris

2009 Injuries:
T Ryan Harris: Weeks 9-12, 14-17
G Chris Kuper: Week 1

2009 Statistics:

Overview:
Josh McDaniels made some questionable decisions in his first season with the Broncos including the trade of Jay Cutler but they ended up having a pretty good year. Their offense took a big step back ranking 15^th in yards of offense after ranking 2^nd in 2009 but their defense was much improved. Despite winning 32 games in the past four years, the Broncos have missed the playoffs in every one of those seasons and their offense will need to step it up if they want to make it to the postseason in 2010.

In his first season in the NFL, Ryan Clady ranked first amongst left tackles with only 0.5 sacks allowed but seemingly struggled in his second season allowing eight. Surprisingly, he allowed almost half as much pressure as he did the previous year but Orton hung on to the ball much longer than Cutler did. Clady has good size at 6’6” and 325 lbs and is very athletic. He has quick feet which allow him to move laterally with ease and make him a very good pass protector. Clady was expected to be a solid pass protector but he also performed pretty well in run blocking in his first two NFL seasons. He worked hard to get stronger in the past two years and because of that he really improved his run blocking. Clady received the recognition he deserved by being named to the Pro Bowl in 2009 and will continue to be an excellent left tackle for many years. Clady however got hurt this off-season playing basketball and may not be ready by week one which is a huge concern for this offense. Starting at right tackle is the 25-year old Ryan Harris who surprised in training camp in 2008 and won the starting job. Harris was a third round pick by the Broncos in 2007 but saw little action in his rookie year because of a back injury that bothered him throughout training camp and the first few weeks of the season. Harris only played in six complete games in 2009 because of toe injuries but should be fully healthy in 2010. He’s not a spectacular player and will never be amongst the league’s best but he’s still a solid tackle who will get the job done week in and week out. The top backup at tackle is former undrafted free agent Tyler Polumbus. Polumbus replaced Harris admirably last season but is better suited in a backup role because of his struggles in pass protection. He will however continue to get better and could be a full-time starter in the NFL at some point in his career.

The battle for the starting left guard job will be a nice one between the 32-year old Russ Hochstein, who stole the starting role from Ben Hamilton halfway through last season, and the Broncos second round pick in 2010, Zane Beadles. Hochstein had been a backup for the Patriots for most of his career and will get one of his first opportunities to be a full-time starter in 2010. Hochstein is slightly below average in both pass protection and run blocking but was a big upgrade over Hamilton who struggled in McDaniels’s system. Beadles is a versatile player who has the ability to play at guard or tackle but is probably a better fit at guard in the NFL. Many say that he lacks the athleticism to play tackle and lacks the strength to play guard but he still has plenty of time to get stronger. Beadles will probably be a starter at guard within a year but the edge has to go to Hochstein for now. Starting at right guard will be Chris Kuper who recently signed a six-year extension worth 29 million. At 6’4” and only 300 lbs, he is not particularly strong but has pretty good athleticism so can be used as a guard who pulls to the outside to run block. Kuper adjusted much better than Hamilton but he was still not nearly as effective as he was in 2009 as a run blocker.

The Broncos released undersized center Casey Wiegmann after a disappointing season in 2010 and drafted J.D. Walton in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft to replace him. Walton isn’t particularly athletic for a center but he is strong and has the ability to be a very good run blocker in the NFL. He is a much better fit for this system than Wiegmann was but we can’t expect anything spectacular from a third round pick as a rookie. Walton should eventually develop into a solid starting center for the Broncos but it may take a year or two. Sixth round pick in 2010 Eric Olsen adds depth at both guard an center.

2010 Outlook:
The Broncos offensive line struggled at times last year because it was very undersized but things should be better in 2010. The group of Clady, Hochstein, Kuper and Harris only played one complete game together and the running game had 116 yards on 25 attempts against a good Cowboys defense in that game. Harris was much better than Polumbus in the first half of the year, especially in pass protection, and Hochstein was much better than Hamilton in the second half, especially in run blocking, but the two of them barely played together. It’s hard to know what to expect from Walton in his rookie year but we’d expect him to be similar to Wiegmann and possibly a little better. The depth is pretty good with Polumbus and Beatles (or Hochstein) but neither of those could replace Ryan Clady who is a big question mark at this point. If everyone is healthy, this line will be slightly better than last year in both pass protection and run blocking but if Clady isn’t ready to go early in the year, pass protection will be a huge concern.

See all of our 2010 Offensive Line Analysis Articles