Broncos Need Options at Right Tackle & Can't Trust Ja'Wuan James in 2021

It must be pretty nice being a Kansas City Chiefs fan right now. With the best quarterback in football, the Chiefs made it look easy last Sunday vs. an extremely talented Buffalo Bills team.

With Andy Reid pulling the strings, Patrick Mahomes divvying out highlight throws, and Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce making play after play, it almost hurts to watch offense being so easily and efficiently executed. Despite fielding an offensive line chalked full of second-, third-, and fourth-string options given injuries and opt-outs, the Chiefs offense was as unphased and potent as ever.

Chiefs starting OL for the Super Bowl:

LT Remmers (0 LT snaps since '16)
LG Allegretti (7th rounder)
C Reiter (7th rounder)
RG Wisniewski (cut by PIT in Nov.)
RT Wiley (a UDFA guard)
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) January 25, 2021

Oh, to have an elite franchise quarterback with the ability to overcome such massive talent disparities and gaping holes on the depth chart. With the young and talented, but erratic and mistake-prone, Drew Lock currently under center for the Denver Broncos, this team does not currently have that kind of luxury.

While on paper the Broncos offensive line blows away the unit Kansas City will field on Super Bowl Sunday, Denver is not afforded the margin of error the Chiefs are with Mahomes. In order to regain relevance and playoff contention, the Broncos have an exceedingly thin line to walk which likely requires a solid offensive line to give this team, and whoever is playing quarterback, the best chance to perform.

The Broncos offensive line has been a bit of a sore spot for the team since Peyton Manning retired and to be completely transparent, it's been an issue ever since Mike Shanahan parted ways with the organization at the end of the 2008 season. Denver isn’t alone in its struggles along the offensive trenches as teams across the league have battled to adjust to fewer padded practices during the Offseason Training Program (if OTAs are to continue at all) and far less technically developed blockers coming into the league since the advent of the spread offense in college.

There is a scarcity of competent offensive linemen in the NFL and more teams feel exposed on the unit than feel content. In spite of the scarcity of starting quality offensive line talent currently in the NFL, the Broncos have started to trend in the right direction.

John Elway prioritized the unit over the last few seasons both in the draft and in free agency. Not every move has been a hit and there have been some abject failures, but the Broncos' struggles along the offensive line are not due to a lack of trying by the front office.

The offensive line is not yet a top-10 unit, but it definitely is within reach for the Broncos in 2021. Under the masterful hand of offensive line coach Mike Munchak, the Broncos 'big uglies' upfront are young and have flashed reason for hope. Garett Bolles, perhaps the best story of the season for Denver in 2020, had a remarkable turnaround year and played like the left tackle the team had envisioned when drafting him in the first round.

Dalton Risner started off a bit slow at left guard but picked up to his consistent self as the season progressed. Rookie center Lloyd Cushenberry III was extremely outmatched and outmuscled early in the season to turn around and show real growth down the stretch.

Graham Glasgow was about as steady and solid as could have been hoped while Netane Muti flashed the power that made him worth a sixth-round draft pick despite his terrifying injury history. This unit has unquestionable talent and its arrow is pointing up.

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Then, There's Right Tackle

That is, until one gets to the right tackle position — a spot that seriously might be cursed given the team’s run through players since Orlando Franklin held it down from 2011-14, the Broncos just can’t seem to get it right.

If not for how important the question of 'What will the Broncos do at quarterback?', the talk of the town would likely be: 'What on God’s green earth is Denver to do with Ja’Wuan James and the right tackle position?'

After playing all of 63 snaps over the last two seasons, it’s safe to say the Broncos have not gotten back what they had hoped from James when they signed him to a four-year, $51 million contract in 2019. From battling injuries in 2019 to opting out due to COVID in 2020, the reasons for James not being available are valid but given how long he has been away from the game, it is fair to question what kind of play he could offer in 2021.

James not Perfectly Safe

Broncos insider Mike Klis recently stated he views Denver moving on from James this offseason as a real 'possibility.' Even though releasing James would result in an excess cap loss of $10 million (it would cost Denver $6 million more to release James than it would to just keep him and let him have a tea party by himself each week at the end of the bench).

It is completely fair to question whether he can bring anything to the field in 2021 after missing so much time. In the words of Bolles, “(James) knows what he has to do to earn our trust back.” Not exactly a full ringing endorsement of dependability.

Sure, the Broncos could go scorched earth with James by releasing him, but is that roster spot worth burning $6M, especially in a year where the cap is going to come in much lower than projected? In my humble opinion, probably not.

The best decision would be to roster James and hope he plays and plays well, but do not put yourself in any sort of position where you are reliant on him playing and playing well. Simply, the Broncos would be utterly foolish going into 2021 with their hopes at right tackle depending entirely on James.

Wilkinson & Dotson

With both right tackles of note in 2020 — Elijah Wilkinson and Demar Dotson — hitting free agency, the Broncos have no choice but to address the position in some fashion this offseason or be completely dependent on James. The team does have Calvin Anderson, but in his very limited sample size, he looked far more comfortable at left tackle than right.

Also, given the ample opportunities for a young tackle to take the right tackle spot over the last two years, the fact that Anderson didn’t do so is likely reason enough to look elsewhere. Not addressing tackle at all is not a forgivable plan given the dependability of James.

So what is new GM George Paton to do? Given how ludicrous the tackle market has been over the last decade, pouring more resources into the offensive line via free agency with a big signing seems exceedingly unlikely.

Free Agency

The Broncos could bring in a middling street free agent that could provide competent play this year (especially since a lot of surprising cuts will occur this offseason as teams scramble to try to get under the reduced cap). Paton however may also turn to the draft to continue to bolster the offensive line.

In Paton’s introductory press conference, he was asked about the importance of the trenches in building a competitive football team.

"I just think that’s the core of the team," Paton said. "I think you’re going to be in every game if you have a really strong defensive line and a really strong offensive line.”

Given these comments and somewhat of an anomaly with a draft class packed with offensive line talent, perhaps the Broncos will spend another early draft resource on the unit that already features three former top-100 picks.

Draft Landscape

This doesn’t mean the Broncos have to go in on tackle at pick No. 9 overall. If the Broncos are still picking at No. 9 by the time the draft rolls around and Oregon's Penei Sewell falls, Denver shouldn’t overthink it and take the tackle to play across from Bolles for the next eight years.

The Broncos have needs at cornerback, linebacker, and edge rusher as well but the draft is more about obtaining the best players possible rather than filling in single-season roster weaknesses.

It isn’t impossible that Sewell will fall to no. 9. Recently, NFL insider Daniel Jeremiah released his first mock draft of the season and had Sewell going No. 10 overall to the Dallas Cowboys and the second offensive linemen off the board after the Cincinnati Bengals selected Northwestern’s Rashawn Slater at No. 5overall. Never speak in absolutes when it comes to draft prospects as perception can vary greatly from the media to the league and team to team. Sewell is unlikely to fall to No. 9, but it’s more possible than you might think.

More likely than Denver going tackle at No. 9 overall is Paton using a Day 2 pick at the position. While it is impossible to project who will rise and fall this far out from April, especially in a really different offseason such as this one, such names as Alabama’s Alex Leatherwood, Notre Dame’s Liam Eichenberg, Clemson’s Jackson Carman, North Dakota State’s Dillon Radunz, Oklahoma State’s Tevin Jenkins, and Northern Iowa’s Spencer Brown are options that could be available Day 2 in the upcoming draft.

Perhaps another strategy Paton could employ is trading back from No. 9 overall and letting the board fall, perhaps capitalizing on a tackle being at or near 'best player available' after trading back. In Minnesota, Paton stated the team's strategy was to try to acquire as many draft picks as possible.

The more picks, the more flexibility, and the more darts at the draft board. If Denver were to trade back from nine about 5-10 picks back and a tackle such as Virginia Tech’s Christian Darrisaw, Texas’ Samuel Cosmi, Southern Cal’s Alijah Vera-Tucker, or Michigan’s Jaylen Mayfield (or one of those Day 2 tackles listed earlier rises up boards) and Denver takes them. Giving yourself options and flexibility while letting talent at high-value positions fall to you is how to win the draft consistently.

Solidifying QB is Priority No. 1

Whatever the Broncos do at right tackle this offseason, it will likely only move the needle so much in comparison to Drew Lock proving to be 'the dude' at quarterback or Denver bringing in someone and finally providing the competent quarterback this franchise has been missing since Manning retired. Even despite having one of the team’s most promising offensive lines in some time, the overall offense will only go as far as the quarterback will take them.

Still, in order to give that quarterback the best chance to succeed now and going forward, the right tackle position must be addressed. Simply relying on James is too risky of a move to do given how reliable he has been. He is a sunken cost at this point that if he hits, fantastic, but he can’t be the only plan.

Bottom Line

Whether it be in free agency, a handpicked cheap castaway from another team by Coach Munchak, retaining Wilkinson or Dotson for one more season, or the more exciting route of obtaining a young but promising tackling in a talented draft class, the Broncos offensive line on paper looks about as good as could be reasonably expected going into 2021 — outside of that $51M hole at the right tackle position.

James has not done nearly enough in his tenure as a Bronco to forestall Paton from looking to upgrade the right tackle position, big contract or not.

Follow Nick on Twitter @NickKendellMHH and @MileHighHuddle.

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