How Broncos RT Mike McGlinchey Can Shed the 'McFlinchey' Nickname in 2024

The Denver Broncos need more out of their $87.5 million right tackle. And things are looking up.

Oct 12, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Denver Broncos offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey (69) lines up against the Kansas City Chiefs during the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

After Sean Payton took over as head coach, one of the Denver Broncos' big signings was right tackle Mike McGlinchey. The Broncos were trying to solve a multi-year issue at right tackle and handed McGlinchey a five-year contract worth $87.5 million, but the early returns were far from the expectation. 

Despite starting in every game except the season finale, McGlinchey's performance could have been better. His tendency to draw false starts led to him being dubbed 'McFlinchey' by fans. Additionally, the 49 pressures and six sacks he allowed further underscored his underwhelming debut season in Denver. 

However, there's good reason to believe the Broncos will get a better version of McGlinchey in 2024, and it starts with the change in the quarterback position. Despite what Russell Wilson has done over his career, he has never been an offensive line's friend, given how long he holds onto the ball while looking for the big play. The panic under ghost pressure over recent years didn’t help anything either. 

Studying the film and focusing on McGlinchey, a couple of sacks and some of the pressures were more on the quarterback than on him. On the more generous side, you can put two of the sacks and about 12 pressures more on the quarterback than on McGlinchey, but being credited with four sacks and 37 pressures allowed still is a letdown based on his $87.5M expectations.

Let’s put it into perspective a bit. There were 54 tackles who played at least 700 snaps in 2023, including McGlinchey. He was tied for 13th-most sacks, the ninth-most pressures, third-worst efficiency, and 15th-most penalties.

Looking at the generously adjusted sack and pressure numbers, McGlinchey was tied for 32nd for most sacks and tied for 26th for pressures. It's better, but still far from what you want when you give him $87.5M. 

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Back to Wilson, who had the second-longest average time to throw. Cutting that down in 2024 will ease the pressure on the offensive line.

Most of the time (not all), the best, highest-graded offensive lines have quarterbacks who get rid of the ball quicker. It's simple logic.

Four of the five most pass-blocking efficient offensive lines had a quarterback who got the ball out in 2.56 seconds or faster. The less time holding the ball, the less time your offensive line has to maintain its blocks. 

The Broncos made the right decision to move on from Wilson. Out with Wilson and in with Bo Nix.

One of Nix's best strengths is how quickly he can make the reads and get the ball out. He was tied for the seventh-fastest average time to throw out of 68 quarterbacks at 2.32 seconds.

Now, that time-to-throw metric will grow in the NFL, as it does with tighter windows and faster pressure, but Nix still has the tools to help the Broncos' Oline by getting the ball out quicker. Oregon had the most efficient pass-blocking offensive line in college football last year and Nix was a big reason for that. 

After restructuring McGlinchey's contract this year, the Broncos are in a bad position to move on from him if he doesn’t step up this season. However, the Broncos still have their ways, including a post-June-1 option.

With Garett Bolles' contract status up in the air, the best solution would be for McGlinchey to step up his play, maximize the team's quarterback changes, and erase the ‘McFlinchey’ moniker from the history books. 

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