One of the big winners of Denver Broncos training camp and preseason has been undrafted offensive tackle Alex Palczewski. The Illinois product has looked so good this summer that he’s earned rotational snaps with the starting offensive line at practice.
“[He’s] tough and smart,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of Palczewski on Tuesday. “He’s played a lot of football. It’s not always pretty, but there is this quality of ‘he gets the job done.’
“I said this at the beginning of camp — after the draft, I thought we did a good job in that two-hour period of signing free agents. Sometimes offensive linemen are hard to get. We were able to sign a pretty good class of undrafted offensive linemen that has helped us and will help us, not only this year, but in the future. I’m encouraged.”
The Broncos will have to make some tough decisions for the final spots on the offensive line. Quinn Bailey has been with the team since 2019 and he is a versatile lineman who can play both guard and tackle. Luke Wattenberg was a fifth-round pick last year and can play guard and center.
Cam Fleming seems to be a lock to make the team as the top backup swing tackle and center Alex Forsyth was picked in the seventh round of this year’s draft. If the Broncos carry four backup offensive linemen behind the five starters, those players might all be above Palczewski.
So there’s no guarantee that Palczewski will end up on the 53-man roster, but he has certainly positioned himself to have a case. If nothing else, Denver will likely make Palczewski a top candidate for the practice squad.
