Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson was sacked a career-high 55 times in 2022 despite missing two games due to injury.
Granted, some of the blame for that high sack total falls on Wilson — he often held the ball too long and he has been sacked 40-plus times in nine of his 11 seasons in the NFL. Not all of the blame falls squarely on Wilson, though, as Denver’s offensive line was abysmal last season.
The unit was so bad that the Broncos might go into the 2023 season with just two returning starters on the offensive line.
Garett Bolles is an All-Pro left tackle who says he’s on track to recover from a broken leg in time for next season. He won’t lose a starting spot, health permitting.
At guard, Dalton Risner is scheduled to become a free agent in March and he has indicated that he will only re-sign if the team shows that they value him. It’s hard to imagine the Broncos giving Risner a big contract when he’s coming off consecutive disappointing seasons.
Denver center Lloyd Cushenberry was injured midway through the season and the Broncos kept him on injured reserve even after he recovered from his injury. That might be a sign that if Cushenberry returns in 2023, it will be as a backup.
Graham Glasgow was a capable fill-in starter at center, but he’s set to have a massive salary cap hit of $14 million this year. Denver could save $11 million in salary cap space if they cut Glasgow this offseason.
Quinn Meinerz has shown promise at guard and like Bolles, he is expected to keep his starting job in 2023.
Right tackle proved to be a problem position again for the Broncos in 2022. Billy Turner was solid when healthy last season, but he missed nine games due to injury. Turner is now set to become a 31-year-old free agent this spring and it’s hard to imagine Denver counting on him in 2023.
Bolles and Meinerz seem likely to return as starters, and the Broncos might bring back some 2022 starters as depth in 2023, but Denver would be wise to seek three new starters on the offensive line this offseason.
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