The Denver Broncos might think they have a great offensive line in place for 2025 . They’ve even paid some of them like they’re elite.
The results tell us something different, and it leaves an opening for some of them to be replaced.
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski thinks a player who could push for a starting spot as a rookie might be Jacksonville State’s Clay Webb, a former 5-star recruit who started his career at Georgia and looks to make the position switch to center in the NFL after signing an undrafted free agent contract with the Broncos.
“The middle of the Denver Broncos’ offensive line can use an upgrade,” Solbeski wrote. “Luke Wattenberg is entering the final year of his current deal, while Alex Forsyth has yet to claim the center position … To be completely accurate, Jacksonville State’s Clay Webb has been a guard throughout his career. In fact, all of his collegiate starts came at left guard. But the Georgia transfer is expected to find a home over the ball.”
Webb, 6-foot-3 and 312 pounds, played center at the Senior Bowl and was projected as as a fifth round pick by both Bleacher Report’s Brandon Thorn and NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein before he was passed over and signed with the Broncos.
“After a solid Senior Bowl showing at center with his play strength, he has a viable developmental pathway to stick on a roster at the pivot with the ability to get a team out of a pinch at guard,” Thorn wrote.
Webb Won National Title, Named All-American
Webb was one of the nation’s highest-rated recruits coming out of Oxford (Ala.) High School and spent the first 3 seasons of his college career at Georgia, where he was part of their College Football Playoff national championship team in 2021.
Unable to crack Georgia’s starting lineup, Webb transferred to Jacksonville State for his final 3 seasons, becoming a 2-time All-Conference USA selection and earning Associated Press All-American honors following the 2023 season.
“He’s an athletic move blocker and creates push on down blocks, but stepping up against bigger, longer opponents will challenge his consistency,” Zierlein wrote. “Webb plays with a level of control and confidence that gives him a chance to compete for NFL snaps.”
Financial Woes Led Broncos to Lose Superior Center
The sad thing for the Broncos is they had an elite center in the fold — who they drafted and developed — but watched Lloyd Cushenberry leave to the Tennessee Titans for a 4-year, $50 million contract in free agency in March 2024.
Bringing back Cushenberry, at the time, wasn’t a viable option with the Broncos staring down $85 million in dead cap space over the next 2 seasons.
In his place, Wattenberg started 13 games in 2024 but didn’t do much to solidify his role as the starter moving forward. His 63.3 overall grade from PFF ranked him 29th out of 64 eligible NFL centers and he was even worse where the Broncos need him the most, with a 56.9 run block grade.
The Broncos drafted a center in the seventh round (No. 257 overall) in 2023 with Alex Forsyth, who played in 17 games with 4 starts but wasn’t much better than Wattenberg, with a 65.2 overall grade from PFF. Forsyth’s rookie season ended up being most notable for a mistake he made that cost the Broncos a win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10.
