Elway Explains why Broncos Coveted Free-Agent OL Graham Glasgow

The Broncos finally got their new offensive line acquisition under contract, which gave GM John Elway the chance to speak publicly about him for the first time.

The Denver Broncos agreed to terms with free-agent offensive lineman Graham Glasgow late on the first day of the NFL's legal tampering window. One week later to the day, the Broncos finally got Glasgow to sign on the line that is dotted. 

The team announced the signing on Monday afternoon. In a statement, GM John Elway let Broncos fans in on why the team made Glasgow its No. 1 priority. 

“Graham is a big, powerful and tough ascending player who was one of the top interior offensive linemen on the market,” Elway said. “Over the course of his pro and college career, he’s shown incredible durability and been very productive. Graham’s best football is ahead of him and he fills a big need for us.”

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After Brandon Scherff and Joe Thuney were franchise-tagged by their respective teams, Glasgow emerged as the top interior O-lineman on the market. Connor McGovern was up there, too, and the Broncos' ex-starting center ended up taking a lucrative deal with Adam Gase and the New York Jets. 

Glasgow, 6-foot-6, 310 pounds, is a fifth-year player out of Michigan. Originally a Detroit Lions' third-round pick back in 2016, Glasgow played out the entirety of his rookie contract in the Motor City, acquitting himself well. 

He's a versatile interior lineman who has started double-digit games at both guard positions and center. The buzz is that the Broncos have the right guard position earmarked for Glasgow but only time will tell. 

If Glasgow does end up playing RG, the Broncos will have to add their starting center via the draft. Either that, or turn to Patrick Morris — a pet project of O-line Coach Mike Munchak's who joined the Broncos as a waiver claim from Pittsburgh on December 3 of last season. 

There are some decent center options in the 2020 draft, including LSU's Lloyd Cushenberry, Michigan's Cesar Ruiz and Wisconsin's Tyler Biadasz. The catch, however, is that to guarantee landing either Cushenberry or Ruiz, the Broncos would have to use their first-round pick on a center as neither are likely to last until the middle of round two. 

But then again, few draftniks foresaw Kansas State's Dalton Risner being there when the Broncos selected him at pick 41 in the second round. However the team ends up resolving it, there is one hole remaining on the starting five projecting into 2020. 

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.