Miles
Well-known member
- Mar 18, 2019
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In the last two seasons, the Broncos have seen starting offensive linemen lose 35 games to injuries. They have not had the same starting five on the line for every regular-season game in a season since 2011 -- and in the 16th game of that campaign, Chris Kuper, then a stalwart right guard and now the Broncos' assistant offensive-line coach, suffered a horrific ankle injury.
Considering that two of the Broncos' five projected starting offensive linemen have finished two of their last four seasons on injured reserve, the reality is clear: A reserve will be called upon to play, and likely start. Sometime in the Broncos' 2019 regular season, their hopes of sustaining the offense will ride in part on one of the reserves' ability to ensure there is no drop-off.
For them, the watchword is versatility.
Seven-year veteran Don Barclay has starting experience at right tackle, right guard and left tackle. He brings the most first-team experience to the backup mix, having started 27 games, including 26 in a five-year stint with the Green Bay Packers.
Fifth-year veteran Chaz Green, who joined the Broncos in the wake of Nico Falah's season-ending Achilles-tendon injury, started at left guard and left tackle in Dallas in 2016 and started at left guard for the Raiders in Week 15 of last year.
Coming into his fourth year is interior offensive lineman Jake Brendel, whom Kuper coached in Miami the last three seasons. Brendel played a career-high 176 snaps last year. He started two games at center and one at left guard before a calf injury ended his season.