PFF's 'Breakout' Bronco for 2023 Raises Some Eyebrows

The Denver Broncos offensive line could look a heck of a lot different by the start of the 2023 season. With question marks at nearly every single spot entering the offseason, there is a reality where Denver is fielding four new players in the starting five.

Luckily for the Broncos, the one player you can write in sharpie as an O-line starter next season is considered an ascending stud player, according to Pro Football Focus. In a recent article by Sam Monson, Broncos starting right guard Quinn Meinerz was named as the team’s projected breakout player for 2023.

The guy the Kelces put on blast for pass-blocking a tree also did a pretty good job of blocking other NFL players in 2022. Meinerz allowed just 16 total pressures across almost 500 pass-blocking snaps this season, and his run-blocking grade of 78.6 ranked in the top 10 among all guards. Meinerz could be on track for a big Year 3 if his trajectory stays the course.

What happens next for the Broncos? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second and sign up for our free newsletter and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Starting the 2022 season off extremely hot versus the Seattle Seahawks, Meinerz suffered a hamstring injury that caused him to miss the next four weeks and languish on the injury report for weeks before returning. Playing through a hamstring, he never matched his Week 1 grade of 92.0 from PFF, but he did close the last three weeks out extremely well, averaging a grade of 74.3.

Coming out of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Meinerz was always considered a bit of a project early in his career. However, given his play the last two seasons combined with his overall athletic profile, it’s no wonder he is considered a potential breakout candidate for the Broncos next season.

Unfortunately for the Broncos, the O- line's cohesive play is far more important than possessing a singular great player. If Meinerz plays his rep perfectly, but the center next to him gets driven into the quarterback’s face, the o-line lost the rep.

If Menierz combo blocks a defensive lineman, and then peels off to the second level, but the tackle he comboed with doesn’t sustain the block, maybe the back gets tripped up, and the whole unit loses. It’s going to take more than Meinerz breaking out next season for Denver to correct the O-line.

Who will be playing on either side of Meinerz next season remains a mystery, but fortunately for Broncos GM George Paton, at least the right guard position appears to be squared away for 2023.

Follow Mile High Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.

Subscribe to Mile High Huddle on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!