The Denver Broncos have dealt with poor offensive line play for what feels like forever. The franchise attempted to change that this offseason by adding a variety of pieces, including right tackle Ju'Wuan James and left guard Dalton Risner. Risner was a second round pick last April, and he's apparently impressed the right people in Denver.
Broncos OC Rich Scangarello said rookie LG @Dalton_Risner66 has surprised him: pic.twitter.com/s0ohnjm845
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) September 12, 2019
The Broncos got off to a rough offensive start in week one, when the Oakland Raiders shut them down for the majority of the game. The Raiders tallied three sacks, but there was a far more concerning aspect to the trench play that took place. Denver looked incapable of running the football against a team that had the worst run defense in the NFL last season. The Broncos had only 95 yards on the ground, but it felt like less than that. Oakland defenders seemed to be knifing into the backfield on every snap, disrupting run plays and pushing quarterback Joe Flacco off of his spot.
The situation gets even worse when the injury to Ja'Wuan James is factored in. Broncos general manager John Elway payed big money for James in the offseason, and it now appears that he will miss an extended period of time. Backup Elijah Wilkinson will step into the lineup. Wilkinson's first test is a hard one, as the Broncos face off against the Chicago Bears in week two. Expect another rough day for the Denver ground game, and for Joe Flacco to spend a lot of time on the turf this Sunday.
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