Examining Why Mike Munchak's Offensive Line Continues to Plague Broncos
For years, the Denver Broncos have had issues solving the problem that is the offensive line. That's been much the same this year, especially with all the injuries the Broncos have faced on the unit.
This is a problem that GM George Paton has to find a way to solve. The Minnesota Vikings had a similar issue, and Paton hails from that front office, only intensifying the concerns of the O-line getting fixed in Denver.
In their Week 16 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, Drew Lock was pressured on 48% of his dropbacks. On the season, Denver has the highest rate of pressured dropbacks.
Part of the issue has been bad blocking alignments, questionable blocking calls, and general play-calling by offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. However, most of it falls on the players themselves.
Here's how the Broncos have shaped up on the O-line this season.
Left Tackle
Garett Bolles showed off his potential during the 2020 season, earning second-team All-Pro honors, but he has regressed this year. His play has been average at best, mostly hanging around below average.
Broncos' O-line coach Mike Munchak got the best year out of Bolles, so why the step back? One must wonder whether there is some regret with the extension Bolles was given last year. Would Paton have made the same move?
In a way, it's a good thing Bolles is locked up because left tackle play around the league is down this year, and if Denver could get him back to his 2020 form, this team would have a steal. Bolles' issues could stem from the quarterbacks to the play-caller to even the left guard.
Interior O-Line
Risner has been on a downward spiral since his rookie year at left guard. The biggest issue with him is his lack of strength to fit into the blocking scheme the Broncos currently employ best.
However, Risner does have his moments where he shines because the Broncos' running game is so convoluted with concepts from every scheme, which doesn't help the boys upfront whatsoever. When Risner missed time and before the Broncos lost right guard Graham Glasgow for the season, rookie Quinn Meinerz showed his promise and continues to do so.
However, there are plenty of concerning hiccups that hopefully disappear as Meinerz grows. The other backup guard, Netane Muti, has been rough and has many issues that result from his lack of length and defensive linemen in the NFL knowing how to attack it.
Reserve interior player Austin Schlottmann has also shown he is a low-tier backup at best, and when he's taken the field in relief of others due to injuries, it's been hard to watch. Starting in place of center Lloyd Cushenberry III — the Raiders dominated Schlottmann at the point of attack — so the Broncos have to upgrade that position.
Glasgow is expensive and is likely out after this season, but his play has been average at worst. With what the Broncos have seen from Cushenberry, they can use an upgrade, and Glasgow could work for that. Unfortunately, it has been rough for Cushenberry this season, and he ranks at or near the bottom in many significant analytics categories for centers.
Of 18 centers to play at least 80% of 1,087 snaps, Cushenberry has the fourth-worst run-blocking grade, seventh-worst overall offensive grade, the third-most pressures, and second-worst pass-blocking efficiency. His pass-blocking grade is fifth-best, but there is a disconnect between pressures and efficiency, all from Pro Football Focus.
Right Tackle
Then there's right tackle Bobby Massie who, statistically, has not been better than what Denver got from Elijah Wilkinson and Demar Dotson a year ago. Massie has been beaten in pass protection more than both of them, but he hasn't been beaten with the same ease Wilkinson was.
Massie is also better as a run blocker than Dotson, so overall, he's more consistent than the two right tackles Denver employed last year because there isn't a dropoff in run-to-pass-blocking.
The Coaching Question
With the Broncos expected to go in hard on acquiring a proven veteran quarterback this coming offseason, the team will want to address the offensive line. The Broncos need to figure out some solutions and even evaluate the work Coach Munchak is doing.
Based on how lauded Munchank is as an O-line coach, the performance of this offensive line can only be viewed as a significant letdown. The question Paton and a potential new head coach have to answer is, how much of the struggles are Munchak's coaching, compared to the personnel's talent, or offensive play-calling?
Whatever the answer is, it won't be easy to solve. But it's past time the Broncos find a solution.
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