After a brief break for free agency, it’s time to return to our Denver Broncos offseason position preview series by finishing up the last offensive position group — the interior offensive line.
This position group might seem cemented at first glance, but chaos and upheaval are bubbling under the surface.
What will Broncos Country have to watch for this offseason? Let’s look.
Quinn Meinerz
How Did 2024 Go For Them?
Some of these grades are much harder to pen than others, and Quinn Meinerz is definitely one of those difficult cases.
For starters, he signed a four-year, $72 million deal that will materially change his life and the lives of any family member he chooses for the foreseeable future and generations to come. It’s hard to give the year you won the Powerball a ‘negative’ grade.
That said, this was also a relatively disappointing season Meinerz, with ‘relatively’ being the defining term. He was still a well-above-average starting guard and even earned first-team All-Pro honors for the first time in his NFL career. Yet, those accolades were somewhat surprising, as Meinerz experienced the worst September of his Denver tenure, outside the embarrassing 2022 Nathaniel Hackett campaign that just made everyone look bad.
At the end of the day though, he was still a starring force on the Broncos’ offensive line, which proved to be the best in the league, earned a life-changing amount of money, and received his greatest accolade so far. Maybe that’s not an ‘A+’ year, but it’s hard to drop it below an ‘A’ with a straight face.
Grade: A
What Needs To Be Addressed This Offseason?
Absolutely nothing. Quinn Meinerz is locked up for a long time, and there are no problems regarding him that have to be addressed.
The Broncos have to figure out who his counterparts will be over the next several seasons, but that’s a topic worth saving for the sections below.
What Should the Denver Broncos Do?
Continue providing whatever eldritch spirit has enabled them to consistently sign their young stars to wildly team-friendly contracts with as many living sacrifices as it demands.
It is insane that Meinerz — despite his talent, age, developmental trajectory, and how recently the contract was signed — currently ranks as the league’s 10th-highest-paid guard when adjusting for inflation. He ranks eighth without the adjustment inflation, but that rank will consistently improve throughout the lifetime of his extension, which he has yet to play a single snap of.
The Russell Wilson deal was a devastating mistake for this franchise, and the Randy Gregory debacle was also pretty embarrassing, but the lessons they’ve seemingly learned from those failings have been incredibly valuable to the construction of the team that lies before you.
Luke Wattenberg
How Did 2024 Go For Them?
Considering that Luke Wattenberg was the weak link on the Denver Broncos’ offensive line in 2024, some might be inclined to hammer him with a negative grade, but that would be incredibly unfair. We have to remember that Wattenberg was always expected to be a backup this past season up until the start of training camp, where he quickly supplanted Alex Forsyth as the starting center and never looked back.
Now, he has positioned himself to have the inside track on the starting center job in 2025, which will further his chemistry with the team’s future at quarterback, and make it even more difficult for the Broncos to let him walk in free agency in 2026.
Plus, with the offensive line market rapidly rising, Wattenberg has a chance to make him and his family a generational amount of wealth with a stable 2025.
That is a position few would have forecasted 12 months ago, and the fact Wattenberg now sits here deserves praise.
It should also be noted that, although offensive line metrics are in their infancy and are pretty flawed, Wattenberg was one of the league’s best pass-protecting centers, by the numbers. Among the 32 centers with at least 500 snaps, only Creed Humphrey allowed fewer quarterback pressures. Humphrey was also the only center with a better pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus, and the only center with a better pass-blocking efficiency score (a metric that takes pressures, QB hits, and sacks allowed on a per-snap basis and boils it down to one catch-all number).
Unfortunately, although he impressed as a pass-blocker, he was also the team’s worst run-blocking offensive lineman, and arguably the second-largest factor in the Broncos’ struggles on the ground. That’s a serious hurdle that he’ll have to overcome in 2025, but even with that shortcoming in mind, it’s pretty clear that his 2024 outperformed nearly all expectations.
Grade: B
What Needs To Be Addressed This Offseason?
How does Luke Wattenberg fit into the team’s future planning along the offensive line?
While the Denver Broncos have done a great job constructing their offensive line, their plans for the unit’s future leave a lot to be desired, as they’ve only invested one top-100 pick up front since George Paton’s arrival.
Wattenberg is one of the few young additions the team has made to its offensive front, but he’s set to enter a contract season in 2025, and it currently seems unlikely the team will lock up him before play begins.
Unfortunately for Denver, their veteran-heavy line is also very expensive, meaning they might have to choose between letting Wattenberg find a new team next offseason, and moving on from one of their current highly paid pieces.
It should also be noted that Denver seemingly still has faith in Alex Forsyth’s potential to eventually claim a starting role, and they drafted Nick Gargiulo last year to refresh their reserves on the interior of the offensive line.
This offseason, the Broncos need to do some soul-searching about where they think Wattenberg fits into the tapestry of their offensive line and make some reasonable moves based on those conclusions.
What Should the Denver Broncos Do?
After reflecting on how Luke Wattenberg fits into their plans, the Broncos should look to make a low-cost youth addition to their line that can fill whatever void is likely to open up.
If they think Wattenberg is their starting center of the future, they should find a developmental guard prospect they like in the sixth round, unless they feel extremely confident in the development of Forsyth, Nick Gargiulo, or Alex Palczewski.
If they think they need to find a better option at the position, they should draft one of this class’s very few promising options at center, and have him waiting in the wings so he can take over in 2026 without the Broncos’ line skipping a beat.
Ben Powers
How Did 2024 Go For Them?
Reviewing Ben Powers’ 2024 performance really comes down to what lens you want to view it from.
On one hand, he took a marked step forward from his disappointing 2023 campaign and made the Broncos’ decision to restructure his contract last offseason a much more palatable choice. He improved as a run blocker as the offense used him as a puller a little more consistently, and he also seemed to be more stable in pass protection, allowing 22.6% fewer pressures than the year prior.
On the other, Powers still didn’t look like an elite guard, and the Broncos are paying him to be an upper-quartile starter, when adjusting the contract for inflation.
Ultimately, this means his future outlook in Denver is now much more complicated.
Next offseason, the Broncos will be able to free up $8.65 million by cutting or releasing Powers, and considering the constant need for veteran offensive linemen, and how hard they are to come by at a reasonable price, Powers could garner a quality draft pick on Day 3.
That would help them get younger and cheaper on the offensive line, which should be a goal as other elements of the roster become more expensive, but it could put their foundational offensive strength in jeopardy of becoming a weakness if he isn’t adequately replaced.
Keep your eye out for the Broncos bringing in a developmental option for their future on the interior of their line later on in this year’s draft.
Grade: C+
What Needs To Be Addressed This Offseason?
What’s the plan for the future on the interior of the line?
Quinn Meinerz will be around for the next several seasons and could easily receive a third contract from the Denver Broncos after his second expires, but the two spots next to him are a complete mystery.
We’ve already discussed the Luke Wattenberg end of this equation, but Powers’ future in Denver might be in even more danger.
If the Broncos have to choose between the two middling starters, it seems likely they would choose the younger, cheaper option who does more to help their prospective quarterback of the future. Wattenberg and his elite pass protection numbers fit that bill a whole lot better than Powers.
That said, Wattenberg isn’t an elite option and has never shown to be one at the NFL level. That could change, of course, but we haven’t seen it yet. With powers, that high-end play is three seasons in the rearview, but we have seen it. Plus, while Wattenberg should be cheaper, that has a lot to do with the nature of his position, which also makes it easier and less costly to replace Wattenberg than it will be to replace Powers.
Evaluating those two and their respective trajectories will be a vital task for the front office during this upcoming season.
What Should the Denver Broncos Do?
The Broncos would be wise to invest in an offensive line prospect with guard-center versatility to keep their options open, while still remaining prepared, as they enter a season that will determine the answer to their quandary.
This draft is solid up front and has a healthy stable of guard depth down the board.
With Zach Strief doing an amazing job through his first two seasons with the team, the Broncos should draft a prospect with impressive traits who they could envision having a future at either guard or center and start developing him to take over one of those two starting gigs in 2026.
Alex Forsyth
How Did 2024 Go For Them?
It’s hard to frame the 2024 campaign as anything but disappointing for Alex Forsyth.
Sean Payton and George Paton spent much of last spring and summer hyping up their second-year center, and Forsyth’s pre-established relationship with Bo Nix from their time at Oregon made him seem like a shoo-in starter. But, soon after training camp started, Forsyth dropped behind Luke Wattenberg on the depth chart, and he never made much of a push to reclaim his spot.
Forsyth saw the field on special teams and even started four games in Wattenberg’s place following an injury, but his time at center only cemented Wattenberg’s standing over him.
On the season, Wattenberg allowed two sacks and nine total pressures. In those four starts, Forsyth allowed two sacks and eight total pressures. The Oregon product didn’t offer enough as a run-blocker to make up for that drop-off in pass protection either.
Worst of all though, the most memorable moment of his rookie season was likely his poor field-goal blocking, which the Kansas City Chiefs identified on tape, and then exploited, to stop the Denver Broncos from achieving what would’ve been their most euphoric win in several seasons.
Grade: D
What Needs To Be Addressed This Offseason?
Can he challenge Wattenberg for that starting center spot, or is he locked into the role of ‘reserve’ now?
The Broncos are completely happy with their starting guards for the time being, so Forsyth’s only clear path to a starting job requires him to unseat the exact center who he lost the competition to a season ago, and there’s no real reason to believe this time would be any different.
If Forsyth doesn’t pull it off this summer, Denver’s staff will probably rest easy with the assumption that Forsyth is a career backup.
What Should the Denver Broncos Do?
Competition can’t hurt. Wattenberg was good last year, but he was far from unchallengeable, and Forsyth can provide a cheap challenge.
That said, this position group is pretty unexciting as it currently stands, so the Denver Broncos should continue scanning for upgrades in the draft.
Calvin Throckmorton
How Did 2024 Go For Them?
Calvin Throckmorton’s career appears to be on its last stretch. After being a valued depth piece along the line his entire career, Throckmorton was activated for just two games in 2024.
He hadn’t dipped under 14 in any previous season.
Younger options at tackle have supplanted him, Nick Gargiulo is nipping at his heels and the Broncos likely add an additional lineman at some point this offseason.
When he played, he was fine, but there’s a more existential dread for Throckmorton to worry about.
Grade: D-
What Needs To Be Addressed This Offseason?
Is there still room for him on the Broncos’ roster or practice squad, as the unit continues to get younger, and Gargiulo, Forsyth and Alex Palczewski keep ascending?
If last year was any indication, the answer is no, but Throckmorton will get another chance to prove himself in training camp.
What Should the Denver Broncos Do?
The lack of top-150 draft picks invested in the offensive line in recent years is a bubbling concern, and something the Denver Broncos need to rectify quickly. They need quality young prospects worth developing, to provide them a cheaper future up front, while still maintaining stability.
Nick Gargiulo
How Did 2024 Go For Them?
They say ‘comparison is the thief of joy’ and that might apply here, as Nick Gargiulo’s rookie season ultimately feels disappointing, through no fault of his own.
Every other Broncos draft pick, and two UDFAs, saw more playing time than Gargiulo. Plus, the player the Broncos drafted closest to Gargiulo — Devaughn Vele — turned in the second-most productive rookie season by a seventh-round pick since 1990.
Gargiulo spent much of the season on the practice squad and now enters a do-or-die 2025 campaign where he’ll have to prove himself as one of the two best reserves on the interior to guarantee himself a roster spot.
Grade: D+
What Needs To Be Addressed This Offseason?
Can he beat out whatever rookie, UDFA or otherwise, that the Denver Broncos add to the room, and can he surpass Calvin Throckmorton on the depth chart?
Last year saw him toil away on the practice squad because he was unable to supplant Throckmorton, so if he wants to take the next step in his career, and actually see the field, he has to make that leap. To earn that top-two spot, he will also have to stay ahead of whatever rookie addition Denver makes this offseason.
If he accomplishes those two tasks, he could even challenge Alex Forsyth to see who the interior’s top reserve will be.
What Should the Denver Broncos Do?
Nick Gargiulo failed to earn a roster spot last year, so he shouldn’t be viewed as a sure-fire developmental option.
The Broncos should keep their eyes open for other avenues to improve their youth in the room, while still investing in Gargiulo’s development.
