The Denver Broncos selected nine players in the 2022 NFL draft and they filled several key positions of need, but they did not add a new right tackle.
Denver did not set out to avoid the position going into the draft — their board just didn’t have a tackle fall to them at an opportune time.
“We wanted to add depth to a number of positions,” general manager George Paton said on Saturday evening. “It just didn’t fall at those two positions [OT and LB]. It fell at nine others. You can’t fill them all.
“We had nine picks is what we finished with. We like the players we have — like I said, we feel like we helped our depth.”
Paton also noted that the team would add more tackle depth through undrafted free agent signings (they went on to sign Sebastian Gutierrez and Michael Niese, who both have experience at tackle).
Those two UDFAs will improve the team’s depth but neither of them will be asked to start as a rookie. So what is the Broncos’ plan at right tackle?
Billy Turner, who spent the last three years playing under coach Nathaniel Hackett in Green Bay, has plenty of starting experience and he is the presumed favorite to start this fall. Even if Denver had drafted a tackle, Turner still might have been the most likely starter in 2022.
The Broncos also signed veteran Tom Compton this offseason and backup swing tackle Calvin Anderson has proven capable of stepping in when needed. Quinn Bailey will provide additional depth as well.
Denver will likely go into training camp saying there’s a “competition” at right tackle, but Turner’s the clear favorite and while he might not be a long-term answer at the position, he’s a suitable option for at least this fall and the Broncos will have adequate depth behind him in Anderson and Compton.
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