Broncos add some depth and experience to their center position.
The Denver Broncos have signed former Bears and Ravens veteran center Sam Mustipher to a one-year contract. He is the older brother of P.J. Mustipher, the Broncos’ former undrafted rookie who was with the team throughout training camp last year.
The former Notre Dame center went undrafted in the 2019 draft and eventually signed as an undrafted free agent with the Chicago Bears. He would play with the Bears for three seasons, appearing in 43 games total, 40 of which were starts.He started seven games his debut year and was the Bears’ starting center the following two seasons.
This season, he was a backup for the Baltimore Ravens and appeared in only 9 games, including two starts. He now joins a Broncos club that lacks a starting center, where he will compete with Alex Forsyth and Luke Wattenberg for the position.
The Broncos have made a good decision by bringing in a senior player with 40 career starts. Luke Wattenberg has mostly been a backup, while Alex Forsyth was a healthy scratch throughout his rookie season. So, Mustipher provides them with an experienced and veteran option to rely on if neither of the two younger players can earn the job this offseason.
The Broncos have signed their third veteran reserve offensive lineman this summer. They recently signed former Giants tackle Matt Peart and former Saints starter Calvin Throckmorton. Reserve players with starting experience should provide much-needed depth and length to the offensive line.
These signings appear to indicate to the team not picking an offensive lineman in the draft, unless they draft a left tackle early and then trade Garett Bolles.
They’ve added a potential experienced swing tackle, a guard who previously played and started under Sean Payton, and a seasoned center who may be the Broncos’ starter this season. So, unless Bolles trades unexpectedly, I believe they will target other areas of need in the draft.
