The Denver Broncos’ hiring of Sean Payton signaled the need for a team revamp from a holistic point of view but also restructuring the play and expectations of the offense. Pro Football Focus most recently ranked Broncos center Lloyd Cushenberry as the 26th-best center in the NFL, which may not bode well for Payton.
For Payton, getting the run game going may mean just as much as getting Russell Wilson ready for his pass attack. So he will need an improvement from Cushenberry in enhancing his offensive line skill set. Here’s what PFF had to say about Cushenberry’s ranking:
Cushenberry really struggled as a rookie in 2020, earning a 40.5 PFF grade on 1,076 snaps and allowing 24 pressures from 655 pass-blocking snaps. He has still struggled as a run blocker over the past two seasons but looked solid as a pass blocker until injury derailed his 2022 season. His 68.8 PFF pass-blocking grade last year ranked 13th at the position.
To increase competition, the Broncos signed Kyle Fuller and still have fellow center Kyle Wattenberg in tow. They also drafted Alex Forsyth in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL draft. So while Cushenberry has the upper hand, he’ll have to compete to keep the starting job this summer.
Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts
