Broncos Are Proving Sean Payton was Right to Invest Heavily in O-Line

The Denver Broncos' highly paid offensive line is earning its keep.

August 11, 2024, Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S: Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton prepares to take his team on the field prior to the preseason game between the Denver Broncos and the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana. Indianapolis U.S / Scott Stuart / IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Despite having the wealthiest owners in the NFL, the Denver Broncos entered the 2024 season under financial duress. The Broncos are anything but cash-poor under the Walton-Penner ownership group, but the fallout from the Russell Wilson disaster left the team hamstrung when it comes to filling out a roster.

Leading the NFL with $84 million in dead money on the 2024 salary cap and ranking third in the league with $32 million in dead in 2025, the job by the coaching staff and front office to maximize assets and squeeze a playoff-caliber roster out of this team is highly commendable.

With the lack of salary-cap space as well as an absence of top 100 draft picks over the last three draft classes, the Broncos have had to be prudent and wise in how they have spent their limited capital to field this current iteration of the roster.

Having a number of recent draft picks such as Nik Bonitto, Riley Moss, and Bo Nix step up and play well beyond the expected return of their draft slot, finding bargain-bin free agents like P.J. Locke, Malcolm Roach, and Cody Barton, and even having higher-paid guys Zach Allen and Brandon Jones play quite well, the Broncos are maximizing forced frugality brought on by the albatross of the Wilson trade, contract extension, and release.

The Broncos have been hamstrung financially, but they've refused to go cheap on the offensive line. The Broncos' offensive linemen are actually playing up to their contracts across the board. It's arguably the team's least appreciated unit among Broncos Country and the NFL this season.

The Broncos have one of the most expensive offensive lines in the entire NFL, ranking 10th in the NFL in average cap hit for the unit this season. As Denver Sports' Andrew Mason pointed out, following the Quinn Meinerz extension, Denver has the most expensive collective contracts for an offensive line across the league and the third-most guaranteed money. 

For anyone who has followed Sean Payton's coaching career, prioritizing the offensive line should come as little surprise. Coming from the Bill Parcells coaching tree, the offensive line was always the paramount unit for the function of the offense and, arguably, the entire team. Payton carried these tenets to New Orleans, where the Saints continuously invested early draft picks and large contracts in the offensive line.

Upon taking over the Broncos, Payton immediately showed just how much value he placed on the offensive line, handing out massive contracts to guard Ben Powers and tackle Mike McGlinchey in free agency. The Broncos went back to the well this offseason, re-signing Meinerz prior to his contract expiring. The Broncos are playing it cheap at center with Luke Wattenberg and are in a wait-and-see posture at left tackle with Garett Bolles, who is playing well in the final year of his contract.

November 17, 2024: Denver Broncos guard Ben Powers (74) blocks Atlanta Falcons defensive end Zach Harrison (96) in the second half of the football game between the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons. / Derek Regensburger/IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire

The offensive results for the Broncos have been stupendous. The team doesn't boast a juggernaut offense due to the trials and tribulations of a rookie quarterback while also having one of the least glitzy groups of skill position players in the league, but the offensive line is getting it done each and every week.

One of the Best

No matter where one pulls their analysis from — Pro Football Focus, ESPN, Sports Info Solution, etc. — the Broncos' offensive line is one of the singularly best units in the NFL, specifically in pass protection.

Pass protection measured by two independent sources

What Drake Maye is doing is actually kind of amazing pic.twitter.com/YU8EStQ1ed

— Computer Cowboy (@benbbaldwin) November 19, 2024

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The run blocking is, for the most part, approximately league average, if not slightly better, but with one of the best pass-protecting units in the league, rookie quarterback Bo Nix is looking more and more comfortable and taking advantage of the situation.

Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos are in their own world when it comes to how long the QB holds the ball vs how often he gets pressured.

(from PFF / TruMedia) pic.twitter.com/8Tij2leGVg

— Derrik Klassen (@QBKlass) November 19, 2024

Nix is still facing some pressure, but a lot of it is self-induced. PFF has the Broncos’ offensive line only responsible for 59.6% of the pressures Denver has given up this season.

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs rank second at 70.8%. The difference between the Broncos at No. 1 and the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 2 is the same as the gap between the Chiefs and the Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings, ranking 18th and 19th, respectively.

With that solid and consistent pass protection, the early-season version of Nix, who looked frantic in the dropback game while looking to escape clean pockets with erratic footwork, has evolved into a quarterback who obviously trusts his line, is playing with a far more consistent base resulting in better accuracy, and is doing a better job getting through his reads within the confines of the protection provided.

The Takeaway

The Broncos have been forced to team-build with an arm tied behind their back. With so few recent top-100 draft picks on the roster and a heap of dead cap, the Broncos have had to be smart and economical in how they spend their resources.

However, the one area Payton refused to go cheap on was the offensive line. To this point in the season, it has paid off for Denver in spades.

Nix may get the clicks, and the defense may be the best overall unit, but the overlooked but always highly paid men on the offensive line are making the difference for the Broncos this season and the development of the rookie quarterback going forward.

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