The Denver Broncos clearly seemed to miss guard Ben Powers in a big way in Week 6. The starting offensive lineman, who had not missed a game in Denver, was recently placed on injured reserve with a biceps injury.
That forced Matt Peart into the starting lineup on Sunday and his performance could only be described in one word... terrible.
Peart was flagged for a false start and two holding penalties, one of which brought back a 24-yard gain on a pass to Troy Franklin that put the Broncos well into New York Jets territory and likely took points off the board. The decision to play Peart, naturally a tackle, in that position was a curious one. But the team may already be having second thoughts about doing it again.
On Monday, the team brought in four offensive linemen for a visit, including a former Broncos player. That list included Karsen Barnhart, Royce Newman, Aiden Williams and Quinn Bailey.
Bailey's name should be familiar to Broncos fans. Undrafted out of Arizona State in 2019, Bailey spent six seasons with the Broncos, though he missed the entire 2024 campaign due to an ankle injury. He has not played since 2023 but he has appeared in 21 career games with one start.
Bringing him back to the practice squad and elevating Calvin Throckmorton would be an option for the team. Throckmorton is naturally an interior offensive lineman who has 27 career starts. He would have arguably been a better option than Peart originally, and that is a direction the Broncos could go in. The team could also use Alex Palczewski in that spot.
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It seems clear that this is something the Broncos are going to have to make a critical decision on ahead of their Week 7 game against the New York Giants, a team with one of the best defensive fronts in the league.
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