How RG Austin Schlottmann Helped Elevate Broncos O-Line in Week 14

Austin Schlottmann was surprisingly good in his debut start in place of Ronald Leary vs. Houston.

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The Denver Broncos have many concerning areas on the roster and one of them is the offensive line. Losing right guard Ronald Leary for Week 14 due to concussion, Austin Schlottmann got his first career start. 

With the first-year Schlottmann out there, the line actually looked the best it has all year. He handled the right guard position better than Leary had been, though there is a limited amount of reps to analyze with Schlottmann — a smaller sample size. 

Does Schlottmann have a future as a starter on the Broncos' O-line? A good-to-have depth piece? 

Join me as I break down three plays vs. the Houston Texans to highlight what Schlottmann brought to the Broncos O-line.

Play 1: 7:26 | Second Quarter | Getting to the Second Level

Situation: 1st-&-10

Off the snap, Schlottmann shoulders the defensive lineman and gets him heavy on his left side. From there, RT Ja’Wuan James is able to use that and get the defensive lineman on the ground. The hole is wide open for the running back as Schlottmann climbs to the second level as the lead blocker.

There are two defenders in front of Schlottmann, but one of them sees WR DaeSean Hamilton running across the backside of the formation and bites on the potential end-around. That takes one defender out of the way for Schlottmann, so he just has to take defender No. 41 out of the way.

Schlottman hops left to get into better position and lowers his arms to bring them up and pop the defender. This gives RB Phillip Lindsay a crease behind Schlottmann. Because of what Schlottmann does on this play, Lindsay is able to pick up eight yards and put the Broncos ahead of schedule on second down.

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Play 2: 9:18 | Third Quarter | Uses Opponent's Momentum Against Him

Situation: 1st-&-10

Schlottmann isn’t the strongest offensive lineman out there, but he knows and understands the finer aspects of how to win, one of which is how to use the movement and momentum of the defensive lineman to win the rep.

The defensive lineman Schlottmann is facing is Brandon Dunn, who is an underrated player in the NFL. Off the snap, the D-lineman starts moving to the offensive left side, and when Schlottmann engages him, he just helps him move out of the way, opening the lane for Lindsay and touchdown.

RT Elijah Wilkinson got beaten by the edge, and a blitzer came free around the tackle, so Schlottmann opening the hole quickly and allowing Lindsay to get through with alacrity was another key part in the success of the play.

Play 3: 7:05 | Fourth Quarter | Wins Even When he Loses

Situation: 1st-&-10

On this final play, we get to see Schlottmann's lack of strength. Angelo Blackson is his opposing defensive lineman on this rep, and Blackson has good strength on the interior. Blackson stands Shlottmann up and doesn’t allow any push to the right guard.

Since Schlottmann isn’t getting any push, he changes his position and uses Blackson's momentum to turn him away from the running back, which creates a cut-back lane. Schlottmann was initially losing this rep but he turned it into a win. 

It was only a four-yard gain, but that keeps the offense on schedule for this set of downs and it could have easily been a bad play for the Broncos if Schlottmann doesn’t turn Blackson.

The Takeaway

It was a very solid debut from the young right guard. In the first half, the offensive line looked like the best unit we have seen from the Broncos for a long time, and Schlottmann played a part in that, as did finally having the $51 million James back. 

Denver likes what they have in Schlottmann, so depending on how the last few games go, if he plays, he may end up getting a shot as a starter at center or right guard next year depending on what happens in the offseason. 

Follow Erick on Twitter @ErickTrickel and @MileHighHuddle.