Tag: Luke Wattenberg

Broncos roster series: No. 60, OL Luke Wattenberg

Entering his third year with the Broncos, Luke Wattenberg is set to compete for the team’s starting center job this summer.

Broncos Wire’s 90-man offseason roster series continues today with a look at third-year offensive lineman Luke Wattenberg, No. 60.

Before the Broncos: Wattenberg (6-5, 300 pounds) played college football for the Washington Huskies, earning honorable mention All-Pac-12 recognition in 2020 and 2021. With a redshirt year and extra year of eligibility granted from COVID-19, Wattenberg spent six years at Washington. He played left tackle, left guard and center with the Huskies, starting 16 games at center in his final two seasons.

Broncos tenure: Denver picked Wattenburg in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft. He dressed for seven games as a rookie and had one fill-in start in his first season. Last year, Wattenburg dressed for 16 games and played 38 snaps on offense, serving as a backup swing guard/center.

Chances to make the 53-man roster: Likely. Wattenburg is competing with Alex Forsyth and Sam Mustipher for the starting center job this summer. Wattenburg is not the favorite to start at center in Week 1, but he should have strong odds of making the team as a versatile backup.

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Broncos center competition will heat up during training camp

“It’s going to be really exciting to see during training camp who is going to take that job,” Quinn Meinerz said of the center competition.

In addition to having three players competing for the starting quarterback job this summer, the Denver Broncos will also have a trio of centers rotating snaps in a competition to anchor the offensive line.

Denver has fifth-year veteran Sam Mustipher, third-year swing guard/center Luke Wattenberg and second-year pro Alex Forsyth competing at center. After losing Lloyd Cushenberry during free agency, the Broncos are set to have a new Week 1 center for the first time since 2020.

The team’s four other starters up front are all returning, including guards Quinn Meinerz and Ben Powers.

“The good news for the center most of the time is that he’s working with one of those two players,” coach Sean Payton said during mandatory minicamp. “There are times where he’s isolated, but certainly the experience of those two players helps a lot.”

Meinerz was diplomatic when asked about the team’s center competing, saying all three centers are great linemen.

“We have three great centers,” Meinerz said. “We’ve been kind of interchanging all three of them. It’s going to be really exciting to see during training camp who is going to take that job. I’ve enjoyed playing with all three of them so far in OTAs.”

Forsyth played with rookie quarterback Bo Nix at Oregon in 2022 so if Nix ends up winning the starting job, that might help Forsyth’s chances. Mustipher is the most experienced option, but he does not have the position flexibility of Wattenberg.

It might be difficult for the Broncos to carry all three centers on the 53-man roster this fall, so the competition could have much more than the starting job at stake. If Mustipher doesn’t win the starting role, for example, he probably won’t be a lock to make the active roster.

Denver is expected to begin training camp on July 26. The center competition will heat up during camp and continue into preseason before the final roster is set in August.

Regardless of who wins the position battles, the Broncos will have a new starting QB and a new starting center in Week 1 after moving on from Russell Wilson and letting Cushenberry walk this spring.

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Broncos’ center competition is open going into the summer

The Broncos are rotating first-team snaps between centers Sam Mustipher, Luke Wattenberg and Alex Forsyth this offseason.

Denver Broncos center Alex Forsyth was inactive for all 17 of the team’s games last season while Lloyd Cushenberry anchored the offensive line.

After losing Cushenberry during free agency this spring, Forsyth will now get a chance to compete for the starting job this summer. His competition will include Sam Mustipher and Luke Wattenberg.

Last week, Broncos coach Sean Payton praised Alex Forsyth’s smarts, and he advised media members against reading into the order of first-team reps at center.

“We knew when we drafted him he was extremely intelligent,” Payton said when asked about Alex Forsyth on May 30. “We knew we were drafting a highly intelligent player, and you could see that in his film. I think it’s a trait certainly that helps at center. Both he and Luke. I’ve told the coaches, and I think it’s important for you all to know: don’t read into any type of rotation now. I’m trying to get combinations of players.

“The quarterbacks are rotating ones, twos and threes. It’s just so happened that we’ve gone every third day, and you guys have seen [Bo] Nix running with the ones. So that’s a little bit of a coincidence. The centers are doing the same thing. … I think that [intelligence is] one of his strong suits. It’s one of the reasons why I sat down with him a little bit to discuss Nix. I knew that I’d get a pretty intelligent answer, a responsible answer, a thoughtful answer. He has high, high football IQ.”

Forsyth, of course, played with Nix at Oregon in 2022. If Nix ends up winning the quarterback competition, one would assume Forsyth would be a perfect center given his past experience with the QB. Payton will let both competitions play out on the field this summer, though, with the QBs and centers rotating first-team snaps at practice.

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What is the Broncos’ plan at center after losing Lloyd Cushenberry in free agency?

After losing Lloyd Cushenberry to the Titans, the Broncos have two in-house candidates (Alex Forsyth and Luke Wattenberg) to replace him.

The Denver Broncos will need a new starting center in 2024.

The Tennessee Titans are expected to sign Broncos pending free agent center Lloyd Cushenberry after the NFL’s new league year begins on Wednesday. Cushenberry had the best season of his career last year in Denver.

All four of the team’s other starting offensive linemen — Garett Bolles, Ben Powers, Quinn Meinerz and Mike McGlinchey — are set to return in 2024, but the Broncos will now need to find a replacement in the middle.

Denver has two in-house candidates in Luke Wattenberg and Alex Forsyth. The Broncos could also consider moving Meinerz to center and then starting a different guard, but that seems unlikely.

Wattenberg (6-4, 300 pounds) is a 26-year-old lineman who was drafted by Denver in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft. He has dressed for 23 games over the last two seasons as a backup swing guard/center, starting one game (at guard) in 2022.

Forsyth (6-4, 312 pounds) is a 25-year-old lineman who was picked by the Broncos in the seventh round of last year’s draft. He was inactive for all 17 games as a rookie last season, but Forsyth was highly touted coming out of college. Earlier this year, general manager George Paton said the team views Forsyth as a starter in the NFL.

Based on that remark from Paton and Wattenberg’s history at guard, Forsyth might be the early in-house favorite to replace Cushenberry. Denver might still bring in more competition, but at the moment, Forsyth are Wattenberg appear set to compete for the starting center job in 2024.

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Titans expected to sign Lloyd Cushenberry to 4-year, $50 million contract

The Titans are expected to sign Broncos free agent center Lloyd Cushenberry, leaving Denver with Luke Wattenberg and Alex Forsyth.

The Tennessee Titans are expected to sign Denver Broncos pending free agent center Lloyd Cushenberry, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports first reported on Monday. The deal will not become official until the NFL’s new league year begins on Wednesday.

The Titans will pay Cushenberry $50 million over the next four years with $30 million guaranteed, according to Brad Spielberger of ProFootballFocus.com. That’s much more than Denver can afford.

Cushenberry (6-4, 315 pounds) entered the league as a third-round pick out of LSU in 2020. He started all 16 games in 2020 and 2021 and he began 2022 as the team’s starter before suffering a groin injury eight games into the season.

Cushenberry returned from that injury in 2023 and started all 17 games and had a career year, allowing just one sack, according to Pro Football Focus.

Cushenberry earned just over $4.5 million on his rookie contract with the Broncos from 2020-2023. He’s now set to get a massive raise.

Following Cushenberry’s departure, the Broncos are left with centers Luke Wattenberg, a fifth-round pick in 2022, and Alex Forsyth, a seventh-round pick in 2023. Wattenberg has dressed for 23 games over the last two seasons as a backup swing guard/center. He started one game in 2022. Forsyth was inactive for all 17 games of his rookie season last year, but GM George Paton has said the team views Forsyth as an NFL starter.

Denver will presumably go into training camp this summer with Wattenberg and Forsyth set to compete for the starting center job.

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Broncos roster series: No. 60, OL Luke Wattenberg

Entering his second season with the Broncos, Luke Wattenberg is a versatile lineman who can provide cover both at center and guard.

Broncos Wire’s 90-man offseason roster series continues today with a look at second-year offensive lineman Luke Wattenberg, No. 60.

Before the Broncos: Wattenberg (6-5, 300 pounds) played college football at Washington, earning honorable mention All-Pac-12 recognition in 2021 and 2020. He started all 12 games at center for the Huskies in 2021. Before that, he started four games at center during a COVID-shortened season in 2020. He began his college career with 27 straight starts at guard with Washington before switching to center. Wattenberg ran a 40-yard dash in 5.2 seconds and a 10-yard shuttle in 1.77 seconds at the NFL combine in 2021.

Broncos tenure: Denver used a fifth-round pick to select Wattenberg in last year’s NFL draft. He dressed for seven games as a rookie last season and earned one start.

Chance to make the 53-man roster: Wattenberg should have strong odds to make the team as a backup swing guard/center. The Broncos have a crowded center depth chart, but Wattenberg could win a spot on the active roster thanks to his experience at guard.

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Grading the Broncos’ 2022 draft class one year later

Do you agree with our early grade for the Broncos’ 2022 draft class?

As the 2023 NFL draft looms on the horizon, Broncos Wire is taking a look back at the Denver Broncos’ 2022 draft class. Who made a difference? Who do the Broncos need to see more from going forward?

Broncos found talent at last year’s East-West Shrine Bowl

The Broncos drafted three players who appeared in last year’s East-West Shrine Bowl.

The East-West Shrine Bowl is not college football’s biggest all-star game, but talent can be found in Las Vegas. Just ask the San Francisco 49ers, who selected quarterback Brock Purdy with the final pick in the 2022 NFL draft after he helped the West defeat the East 25-24 in last year’s Shrine Bowl.

The Denver Broncos also came away from last year’s draft with three players who played in the Shrine Bowl — two defensive linemen and one offensive lineman.

The Broncos used a fourth-round pick to select Iowa State DL Eyioma Uwazurike (East), a fifth-round pick to select Washington OL Luke Wattenberg (West) and a seventh-round pick to select Wisconsin DL Matt Henningsen (East) last April.

The 2021 East-West Shrine Bowl was canceled because of COVID-19, but Denver added five players from the 2020 edition: DL McTelvin Agim, OLB Derrek Tuszka, RB LeVante Bellamy, CB Parnell Motley and OL Darrin Paulo.

The Broncos will now look to find more talent at this year’s all-star game. The East-West Shrine Bowl will be nationally televised at 6:30 p.m. MT on NFL Network on Thursday evening.

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Both of the Broncos’ centers did not practice Tuesday

Broncos center Luke Wattenberg has an ankle injury, but coach Nathaniel Hackett said Tuesday was just a rest day for Lloyd Cushenberry.

Offensive line injuries are starting to pile up for the Denver Broncos.

In addition to guard Netane Muti (knee), the Broncos also had two centers sit out Tuesday’s practice.

Fifth-round draft pick Luke Wattenberg (ankle) was joined on the sideline by third-year center Lloyd Cushenberry on Tuesday. After practice, coach Nathaniel Hackett said it was just a rest day for Cushenberry (but the center was seen wearing a sleeve on his right knee/leg).

Fortunately for the Broncos, they have a third option, and he’s the most experienced player among the team’s center candidates.

Graham Glasgow is listed as a guard on Denver’s depth chart, but he has starting experience at center from his time with the Detroit Lions. Glasgow has started 78 games in his career, including a full season at center with the Lions in 2018.

With Dalton Risner and Quinn Meinerz starting at the two guard spots, Glasgow is the team’s top backup swing guard/center, and he was called on at center Tuesday. He’s more than capable of handling pivot duties in a pinch.

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Broncos’ offensive line competition could drag out into preseason

Who will the Broncos start on the OL this year? That’s tough to predict because the competition’s just getting started.

Who’s going to start on the offensive line for the Denver Broncos this season?

Your guess is as good as ours.

The Broncos have multiple options at every position on the line but only four starting spots up for grabs. Right now, it only seems safe to say one job — Garett Bolles at left tackle — is a lock.

At guard, Denver’s list of candidates includes Graham Glasgow, Dalton Risner, Quinn Meinerz, Netane Muti and rookie Luke Wattenberg. Five players competing for two spots.

At center, Lloyd Cushenberry is the incumbent, but Meinerz, Glasgow and Wattenberg could all push him for the starting job due to their versatility.

At right tackle, Billy Turner and Tom Compton will be competing with Calvin Anderson to replace Bobby Massie, who started in 2021.

With a new head coach, a new offensive coordinator, a new offensive line coach and a new blocking scheme, the Broncos could see several shakeups on the offensive line this summer, so projecting a starting lineup is tough this early in the offseason.

It might not get much easier to predict until the end of preseason, either, because Denver’s staff has a big competition planned.

“It’s going to be a competitive environment in that room all the way through training camp,” offensive coordinator Justin Outten said on June 14. “Like I’ve said before, when the pads come on, that’s traditionally when you start to see the movement and you see the solidification up front. That’s when you get an idea of who your guys are going to be.”

Outten wouldn’t give a timeline for when the starting five would be chosen other than to say “ideally” it will be decided by Week 1. May the best five win.

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