Broncos Player Profile: Lloyd Cushenberry III #79 | Center

Next up is the Broncos' projected starting center.

For the past few seasons, the Denver Broncos have dealt with multiple issues on the offensive line. While the right tackle gets the most of the blame for these problems, the center position has also been problematic. 

After being drafted in 2020, Lloyd Cushenberry III has been the Broncos' starter for the last two years, and his issues have persisted. Denver is on the doorstep of the 2022 season with a new coaching staff, a new quarterback, and even a new owner. 

So the question is, can Cushenberry take the significant step he needs to, or does Denver need a change at the position? Maybe we can divine the answer by digging into Cushenberry's career so far. 

Biography

Cushenberry will turn 25 in November. He was born in Louisiana, and after playing high school football there, he attended LSU for college. 

College Career

Cushenberry's first year was 2016 but he didn't see the field on offense. In Year 2, he saw the field for 99 snaps split over the three interior O-line positions. He played quite well in the limited exposure with a 76.7 overall blocking grade. Entering his third year, he won the starting center job. 

It was an exceptional third year from Cushenberry, where he played 982 snaps on offense. His pass blocking was great, with only one sack and eight total pressures allowed. 

Cushenberry garnered a 77.1 overall blocking grade and a great 85.6 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus, which led to a lot of attention entering his final year. Unfortunately, he failed to meet expectations in Year 4, and while LSU was better overall and won a National Championship, Cushenberry took a significant step back in his performance. 

With just under 200 more snaps as a pass blocker, he allowed 34 total pressures, 26 more than the year prior. As a result, his overall efficiency plummeted, which was a concern as he entered the draft after the season. 

Cushenberry's run blocking got worse, and his overall blocking grade from PFF was a poor 61.1, which is below average. It was a lousy season, but Cushenberry took his chances and made his way to the NFL.

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Draft

Cushenberry started the pre-draft season as one of the top few centers, and as the run-up went on, he plummeted down boards. He needed a strong pre-draft process to recoup much of what he lost during the season. 

Cushenberry's first chance came at the Senior Bowl, where he was the starter for the South Team. The week of practice was fine, but nothing special. It wasn't enough to restore much of his lost stock, and his game performance wasn't much better. 

At the NFL Scouting Combine, Cushenberry only did the 40-yard dash and bench press, where the results were in the 48th and 51st percentile, respectively, for offensive linemen. However, with what he did, he ended up with a 7.36 relative athletic score. 

While many thought Cushenberry didn't do enough to help his draft stock and was a mid-Day-3 pick, the Broncos saw differently and made him the 83rd overall selection (Round 3). 

Professional Career

Cushenberry came in as a rookie and was the immediate starter. With Denver going to more cap concepts in the running game, it was a good fit because he lacked good lateral agility. However, he didn't translate quickly, which, in a way, was fine. 

Offensive line positions can take some time to adjust, but the question is why Cushenberry looked as bad as he did. He was bullied up front, his technique was a mess, and on top of it all, he was outmatched with strength and power. Even from a rookie center, you want to see more than Cushenberry showed, and the Broncos seemed to think the same. 

After the season, the Broncos moved to add competition to the center position by drafting Quinn Meinerz with the expectation of moving him to center. However, it was a giant leap for Meinerz, and he wasn't ready, so Cushenberry got the starting job again. 

It was great to see some improvements from Cushenberry for the 2021 season, but it wasn't the kind of step you want to see. He was still ranked bottom-10, or even bottom-5, in most advanced metrics for the center position. That was only a small improvement from his rookie year, where he was consistently bottom-3. 

While it is a position that can take some time, you want to see more improvement from the position. Even in Year 2, Cushenberry lost in many of the same ways as he did as a rookie. 

With a new coaching staff coming in, led by Nathaniel Hackett, Cushenberry's status as the starter is uncertain. 

2022 Outlook

Cushenberry is still the projected starter, but Graham Glasgow is also competing for the job. Based on comments that have been made, it seems the coaching staff wants to make the change, but there is a concern even with Glasgow. 

Russell Wilson isn't the tallest quarterback, and Glasgow is a few inches taller than Cushenberry, making things more difficult for the quarterback. The question will be, when Glasgow is fully back and healthy, is he enough of an upgrade to deal with the added height? 

Cushenberry has to take major steps forward as a player no matter what. What he has put out on the field the last two years have not been good enough, which is evident as the Broncos try to find other options at center. 

The best way to win the starting job is to take advantage of the opportunity. Cushenberry definitely is getting the chance to prove he can improve his play and show it during practice and, eventually, preseason games. 

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