The Denver Broncos continued their ‘Moneyball’ offseason to combat the departure of Russell Wilson on Thursday by signing veteran center Sam Mustipher, formerly of the Baltimore Ravens, to a one-year deal worth a little more than the veteran minimum.
After losing Lloyd Cushenberry III to the Tennessee Titans in free agency at an average annual value of $12.5M, Denver had a hole in their offensive line’s center (literally).
Former Day-3 draft picks Alex Forsyth and Luke Wattenberg have received much praise from the front office and coaching staff as possible developmental solutions. However, until we see them take regular-season snaps, it’s hard to put much stock into them as starting-caliber linemen.
With Denver’s ties to seemingly every rookie quarterback in the 2024 draft class, it’s logical for the Broncos to look to acquire a veteran presence at center. Anything to help take some of the pre-snap load off a rookie QB’s plate will massively beneficial to their transition to the NFL.
While it isn’t a glamorous signing, adding pieces like Mustipher only raises the floor of the Broncos’ offense. Whether it’s as the starter or as a depth piece, having a known commodity that the team can turn to is beneficial to everyone.
Even if he’s just a veteran in the room who can help along Forsyth’s or Wattenberg’s development, this appears to be a smart all-around signing for Denver.
But who is Sam Mustipher, and what exactly will he bring to the Denver Broncos?
Sam Mustipher Background
Mustipher was a center prospect from Notre Dame in the 2019 NFL Draft Class, where he ended up going undrafted before landing with the Chicago Bears as a UDFA. He then saw his first game action in the 2020 season after an injury to Cody Whitehair forced him into the starting lineup. He played the final nine games including a wildcard loss to Sean Payton’s Saints, allowing just 13 pressures and one penalty in his first stretch of playing time, according to PFF.
His performance at the end of the 2020 season permitted him to enter the 2021 season as Chicago’s starter. He’d go on play over 2,100 snaps as the Bears starting center between 2021 and 2022, providing below-average play on one of the worst offenses in football.
The team decided not to re-sign him after the 2022 season, and the Baltimore Ravens swooped in to scoop him up as interior line depth.
In Baltimore, a more gap-centric running team, Mustipher added much needed weight to his frame. He came out of college he weighed in at 309 lbs, but after being rag-dolled far too frequently in Chicago, Mustipher ballooned up to 332 lbs for the Ravens.
Mustipher didn’t see much playtime behind Tyler Linderbaum, but he did receive two starts in the first month of the season.
He played 147 total snaps in Week 2 and Week 3, against the Bengals and Colts. Overall, neither performance was much to write home about. He had a couple of reps stonewalling DJ Reader in pass protection, along with some impressive reps pinning down Grover Stewart in the run game. Though, while there weren’t many standout plays, it was easy to see the steady play Mustipher provides.
He isn’t going to take the offense from average to above-average, but he can be trusted to keep the ship afloat if Forsyth or Wattenberg aren’t ready.
Positives
- Strong point-of-attack blocker with enough weight in his pants to go one-on-one with nose tackles and not lose ground.
- Good awareness when picking up stunts.
- Effective in pin/pull runs when stepping down to nullify defensive linemen.
- Experience playing in a zone-based system in Chicago and a gap-based system in Baltimore.
- Good balance causes him to rarely lose his footing, frame gives him natural leverage against taller defensive linemen.
- Blocks through the echo of the whistle.
Negatives
- Very limited athlete who doesn’t move well in space.
- Lacks burst to reach second-level defenders.
- His poor hand placement leads to a fair number of holds (called or uncalled).
- Demonstrates poor instincts when zone-blocking.
- While blocking for Lamar Jackson, he saw a lot of defensive interiors ‘Mush Rush’, meaning they didn’t try to push themselves far upfield, and instead let Lamar come to them. In turn, this provides a skewed view of Mustipher as a pass protector.
For Denver
The Denver Broncos under Sean Payton are looking to become a hard-nosed, punch-you-in-the-face, downhill-running team. This has been evident since his arrival, with the signings last offseason, and is only made more evident with the addition of Mustipher.
Cushenberry had a fantastic season for Denver last year and was one of the better pass-protecting centers in the entire league. Still, his Achilles heel was his play strength and ability to lock down defensive linemen one-on-one.
Under Nathaniel Hackett’s zone-oriented system, this wasn’t much of a factor, as Lloyd excelled working in tandem with his guards before climbing to the second level and running with linebackers. Under Payton though, the team hopes to be more multiple in their run looks with a lot more duo, power, and counter runs.
These types of runs didn’t suit Lloyd well at all, as he’d have to shift down gaps and handle 300-plus pounders, which he simply didn’t have the strength to do. It always made sense for Sean to look for a larger/stronger center to finish out his interior, and with Mustipher, they now have that option.
So, while Denver’s overall play from the center position will likely look worse overall this season, moving off a player like Cushenberry and towards guys like Forsyth and Mustipher makes a lot of sense, considering what the offense hopes to be. This team wants to bully smaller defensive packages off the field, and having more massive interior guys makes that dream possible.
Whether or not Mustipher ends up the starter for 2024, Denver’s vision for the offense and the moves they’ve made to achieve that vision are promising for the future of this rebuild.
