Targeting A Right Tackle For The Broncos via Free Agency

It has been suggested by the Denver Broncos CFO John Elway, that starting Right Tackle Ryan Harris would be allowed to test the Free Agent market, leading many to believe he won't return for the 2011 season. Further, Elway made it clear that the team would not be looking to replace him through the draft. Which brings us around to today's topic.

Right Tackles are usually a football team's best run blocker because his primary job is to open lanes for the runner and take on the defense’s best run stoppers. Most running plays are towards the strong side (the side with the tight end) of the offensive line. He must be able to gain traction in his blocks so that the running back can find a hole to run through. So he has to be a powerful run blocker first and foremost. Sure it would be nice if he can pass block as well, but the offense can give him help from the Tight End or a Running Back. If a team can't establish the point of attack in the run game, it will face third and longs the whole game.

Arm length is also important for a Tackle. This enables him to get his hands on the defender before the defender can get his hands on the Tackle. However superior reach and nimbleness are more necessary for the Left Tackle, since he is the one left alone to take on the league's best pass rushers one on one. The Right Tackle can make do with lesser attributes as long as he can block like a Road Grader.

Since Offensive Linemen don't rack up performance stats, I added the Combine numbers and the year they were taken in each profile below, as well as the games played and games started. I don't think there is much more than I could add to that, but hopefully it will be enough to consider the worth of each player. Let's begin with the incumbent.


Ryan Harris is 6' 5", 300 lbs, Age: 25 and in his 4th year. His 2010 salary was $466,890. At the 2007 Combine, he ran a 5.09 40 Yd Dash; 2,96 in the 20 Yd Dash, a 1.75 10 Yd Dash a 4.52  20 Yd Shuttle and a 7.78 in the 3-cone drill. He Benched 225 lbs 22 reps; had a 25 1/2" vertical Jump and a Broad Jump: 8'4". I couldn't find an arm length measurement for him. The dope on Harris is that he brings a rare package of athleticism and smarts to the position. He is very quick off the snap and can adjust well in space. His mobility makes him an ideal pass-blocker. However, Ryan is a little undersized and not exceptionally fast. He needs to improve as a run-protector and make better usage of his long arms and good leverage. He is considered a reliable starter, but has had a lingering durability issue.

Tyson Clabo is the starting RT for the Atlanta Falcons. He is 6' 6", 331 lbs, Age: 29 and in his 6th year. His 2010 salary was $1,552,280. 2005 Agility tests: 5.37 in the 40-yard dash; 4.88 in the 20-yard shuttle. He Benched 225 pounds 22 times. He has a 30" vertical jump, a 32" arm length and 9" hands. He scored 23/29 on the Wonderlic test. Clabo has started games at right guard, right tackle and one contest at left guard. Massive, powerful, and feisty, Clabo can push defenders around when he gets a lock on, especially blocking for the run. He uses his long, strong arms to tangle up opponents. Versatile enough to play several positions on the line. Tyson is not fast or very athletic and can have trouble with speedy and/or elusive types in pass protection. A former Bronco, Tyson was signed as an undrafted Free Agent by Denver in April, 2004 and waived in September of 2005. He is a solid starting offensive lineman and made his first Pro Bowl this year.

Ryan O'Callaghan starts at RT for the Kansas City Chiefs. He is 6' 7", 330 lbs, Age: 27 and in his 5th year. He made $655,330 in 2010. His 2006 Combine numbers: 5.37 in the 40-yard dash; 3.1 in the 20-yard dash; 1.86 in the 10-yard dash. He Benched 225 pounds 21 times. He had a 25" vertical jump and a 7'8" broad jump. His arm length is 33 1/8" and he has 9" hands.

Khalif Barnes is the backup RT for the Oakland Raiders. He is 6' 5", 325 lbs, Age: 28 and in his 6th year. In 2010, his salary was $1,200,000.  His 2005 Combine numbers: 4.94 in the 40-yard dash; 2.91 in the 20-yard dash; 1.76 in the 10-yard dash; 4.54 in the 20-yard shuttle and 7.57 in the three-cone drill. He had a 35" vertical jump and a 8'10" broad jump. He Benched 225 pounds 26 times. His arm length is 34 3/4" and he has 10 1/8" hands; His  Wonderlic score: 16. Very fast and athletic, Barnes runs the field extremely well and takes good angles when run blocking. He gets out well and makes contact on the second level. Barnes does lack elite strength. His balance, hand placement and knee bend could all use improvement. He also has a tendency to wear down at times. Khalif is considered a slightly above-average starter.

Jeromey Clary is the starter at RT for the San Diego Chargers. He is 6' 6", 320 lbs, Age: 27 and in his 4th year. In 2010, he made $466,630. At the 2006 Combine, he ran 5.33 in the 40-yard dash, 3.09 in the 20-yard dash and 1.87 in the 10-yard dash. He Benched 225 pounds 24 times, had a 26" vertical jump and a 8'6" broad jump. He ran a 4.63 20-yard shuttle and 7.8 in the three-cone drill. He has a 33" arm length and 9" hands. A solid technician who knows how to play, Clary has good speed and athletic ability and checks out well in almost every area a lineman needs to. He can play both tackle and guard. He is not the type who will really use his brute strength, instead he relies more on guile and very good fundamentals. Jeromey's lateral movement needs work because it can leave him flat-footed when speed rushers come at him. He is considered to be a very reliable starter. Clary had a limited season in 2009 when he ended up on Injured Reserve with an Ankle injury.

Jeremy Trueblood is the backup RT for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is 6' 8", 320 lbs, Age: 27 and in his 5th year. His 2010 salary was $1.759 million. at the 2006 Combine, he ran 5.25 in the 40-yard dash; a 3.09 20-yard dash and 1.88 in the 10-yard dash. Benched 225 pounds 20 times. He had a 27 1/2" vertical jump, an 8'0" broad jump, ran a 4.68 20-yard shuttle and a 7.82 time in the three-cone drill. Trueblood has a 33" arm length and 10 1/8" hands. Massive and mean, Jeremy excels above all at paving a road for the running game. He is a real mauler and a definite handful for defensive linemen. His huge, long frame can be a disadvantage at times since he'll occasionally get stood up and spun on by speed rushers with lower centers of gravity and quicker feet. He is considered an above-average starter.

Quinn Ojinnaka is a RT for the New England Patriots. He is 6' 5", 295 lbs, Age: 26 and in his 5th year. According to Yahoo, his 2010 salary was $542,280. At the 2006 Combine, Quinn ran a 5.47 in the 40-yard dash, a 3.1 20-yard dash, 1.83 in the 10-yard dash, a 5.11 20-yard shuttle and a 8.45 time in the three-cone drill. He Benched 225 pounds 21 times, has a 34 3/8" arm length and 9 5/8" hands. Ojinnaka has above-average raw tools and athleticism for the NFL O-line. A hard worker that can start or fill in at guard or tackle. He's a bit of an underachiever who hasn't developed his frame or game a great deal since turning pro. Quinn needs more bulk and power. He has had some off-field trouble in the past. Consider him a solid & versatile rotational O-lineman.

Jared Gaither has been the starting RT for the Baltimore Ravens until he was placed on Injured Reserve with a Back problem on Oct 25, 2010. He is 6' 9", 340 lbs, Age: 24 and in his 4th year. In 2010, his salary was $466,760 according to Foxsports. Gaither was selected as the heir apparent to Jonathan Ogden at Left Tackle, but the talented lineman has been injured often and had clashes with Coach John Harbaugh on his commitment to the team. Jered missed all of the 2010 season due to repeated flareups of a thoracic disc in his back. With Gaither out, the whole dynamic of the offensive line had to be changed. Michael Oher changed from right to left tackle, Marshal Yanda moved from right guard to right tackle and Chris Chester went from the bench to right guard. Reports are he is now healthy and wants to play LT because it is a higher paid position, but the Ravens won't overpay him after the injury and the chances are slim that he will be re-signed. 
  Simply huge, and very fluid and athletic for a man of his dimensions, Jered has good mass and muscle to go with his great length. He will dominate as a blocker when on his game. He has superior reach with his 36" Arm Length. The downside is that he didn't commit to his education in college and ended up a supplemental draft pick. Because of that, he needs to prove he can sustain his focus, intensity, and commitment in the NFL. He is considered a starting offensive tackle with star tools, when healthy.

Marshal Yanda starts at RT for the Baltimore Ravens. He is 6' 3", 315 lbs, Age: 26 and on his 4th year. In 2010, he made $1.684 million. Agility Tests: 5.08 seconds in the 40-yard dash ... 410-pound bench press ... 540-pound squat ... 352-pound hang clean ... 28 1/2" vertical jump ... 31 1/2" arm length ... 9 1/2" hands ... Scored a 20/34 on the Wonderlic. As you can see from the summary above, Marshal is a converted Guard. Since replacing the injured Jared Gaither at the beginning of the 2010 regular season, Yanda has solidified the right side of the offensive line. A powerful player with good speed, Yanda continues to improve and work hard. He will plow the field for the run game but is also solid in pass protection. Marshal is a bit of a late bloomer. He's not a superb technician or athlete and isn't physically huge. He has also been bitten by the injury bug early in his career (IR with a knee injury in 2008). Yanda is considered a solid starting offensive lineman. Baltimore will likely choose to re-sign Yanda and let Jered Gaither walk.

Mansfield Wrotto is the starter at RT for the Buffalo Bills. Signed by the Bills from the practice squad on October 4, 2010, he is 6' 3", 310 lbs, Age: 26 and in his 4th year. Per Yahoo, he made $466,240 in 2010. At the 2007 Combine, he ran 5.40 in the 40-yard dash, a 1.83 10-yard dash, 3.12 in the 20-yard dash, a 4.92 20-yard shuttle and 8.34 in the three-cone drill. He had a 7'8" broad jump, a 25" vertical jump and Benched 225 pounds 27 times. A converted defensive lineman, Wrotto has good athletic ability, short-range mobility and quickness. He is a long-armed and tenacious battler who neutralizes defenders at the point. He is versatile enough to play either guard or tackle. Mansfield needs to polish his technique, both as a pass protector and run blocker. He has some upside but it'll take some coaching to bring out. Wrotto is considered a versatile rotational O-lineman or spot starter who can also play Guard.

Kirk Chambers is the 2nd string RT for the Cincinnati Bengals. He is 6' 7", 315 lbs, Age: 31 and in his 6th year. His 2010 salary is $620,000. In his 2004 Agility tests, he ran 5.45 in the 40-yard dash, 1.87 in the 10-yard dash, a 4.51 20-yard shuttle and 7.58 in the three-cone drill. He Benched 225 pounds 22 times, had a 28" vertical jump and a 8'7" long jump. He has a 32 5/8" arm length, 9" hands and scored 29/35 on the Wonderlic. Very tall and well-built, Chambers is a smart blocker who takes good angles. He also gets good position on opponents and steers defenders off the play. Kirk has some initial quickness and pop at contact. The downside is, he fails to bend his knees, plays up in his stance and loses leverage. He overextends at times, doesn't move well laterally and isn't a very good second-level blocker. His value lies in his versatility and ability to play along the line. He's not a power player and must go to the right team. Chambers is considered an average offensive tackle who plays Guard too.

Dennis Roland starts at RT for the Cincinnati Bengals. He is 6' 9", 320 lbs, Age: 27 and in his 3rd year. In 2010, he made $466,630. At the 2006 Combine, he ran 5.28 in the 40-yard dash, a 3.0 20-yard dash, 1.82 in the 10-yard dash. He Benched 225 pounds 19 times, has a 34 7/8" arm length and 10 5/8" hands. Roland is an imposing physical presence on the line. He has great agility and is tough to fool as a pass protector. However, he is not a powerful run blocker. His technique needs polish and he gets stopped too quickly at the line. He also needs to work on his decision-making. Dennis is considered to be a decent starter.

Corey Hilliard is the starting RT for the Detroit Lions. He is 6' 6", 300 lbs, Age: 25 and in his 4th year. His 2010 salary was unavailable, but he made $460,000 in 2009. At the 2007 Combine, Hilliard ran 5.29 in the 40-yard dash, 1.83 in the 10-yard dash, a 3.09 20-yard dash, 4.65 in the 20-yard shuttle and a 7.45 in the three-cone drill. Benched 225 pounds 28 times. He had a 29" vertical jump and a 8'10" broad jump. Corey has an ideal frame for an offensive lineman. A pretty good tactician with long arms, he can be a real mauler when he gets locked on. He flashes good competitive intensity. Hilliard is not an elite athlete and isn't very fluid. He struggles when he finds himself in open space and needs to add more mass to his frame. Considered a backup offensive lineman.

Michael Toudouze is the backup RT for the Indianapolis Colts. He is 6' 6", 310 lbs, Age: 27 and in his 3rd year. On 12/14/2010, he signed an undisclosed contract. At the 2006 Combine, he ran 5.1 in the 40-yard dash, 2.93 in the 20-yard dash, a 1.73 10-yard dash, 4.7 in the 20-yard shuttle and 7.45 in the three-cone drill. He Benched 225 pounds 23 times. Had a 26.5" vertical jump and a 8'4" broad jump. His arm length is 34" and he has 10 3/8" hands. Michael is massive and mobile, with solid quickness and speed for a huge man. He is solid as a run blocker when he puts his mind to it and has good intangibles and intensity on the field. Toudouze has spent most of his time on the Practice Squads of the Titans and Colts. A "developmental prospect" with great size but raw ability, Michael is a late bloomer who's still developing his overall technique and conditioning level. He really needs to settle on a clear role and find his niche. He is considered a depth offensive lineman with upside.

Zach Strief is the 2nd string RT for the New Orleans Saints. He is 6' 7", 320 lbs, Age: 27 and in his 5th year. His 2010 salary was $1.759 million. At the 2006 Combine, he ran 5.41 in the 40-yard dash, 3.1 in the 20-yard dash, a 1.85 10-yard dash, a 4.83 20-yard shuttle and 8.01 in the three-cone drill. Benched 225 pounds 19 times. He had a 21" vertical jump and a 7'10" broad jump. His arm length is 33" and he has  9 7/8" hands. Strief is a colossal man-child who is smart and intense, a competitor who knows how to wrap up his man. He reads defenders well and can contain speedy blitzers. He plays nasty and with an impressive edge. The negatives:  Lacks great mobility. He has the size to be a much better run blocker. Zach doesn't blow anyone away with speed or footwork and needs to work on staying in game shape. He is considered to be a good rotational offensive lineman.

Wayne Hunter is the backup RT for the New York Jets. He is 6' 5", 318 lbs, Age: 29 and in his 7th year. He made $626,240 in 2010 according to Yahoo. He Bench pressed 225 lbs. 37 times, had a 31" vertical jump and a 5.10 40 yard dash time at the Combine back in 2003. Hunter has excellent upper-body strength and is a good pass blocker. He has good overall athletic ability and decent footwork and he is bright and coachable. Wayne doesn't get great push run-blocking. He is a converted defensive lineman who needs to keep developing his technique. He also needs to trust his skills more. He is considered to be a backup tackle with starter tools.

Langston Walker is the starting RT for the Oakland Raiders. He is 6' 8", 365 lbs, Age: 31 and in his 9th year. In 2010, his salary was $1.2 million. In 2002, his 40 Time was 5.26. He had a 10 yd time of 1.78, a 20 yd time of 2.99, a 4.95 20 yd Shuttle time and a 3-cone time of 8.09. Broad jump: 8' 6", Vertical jump: 28 1/2" , Bench press: 21 Reps. His arm length is 34 3/4" and his hand width is 9 1/2". Langston is a huge (in both length and bulk) man. He is extremely strong and effective on short-yardage situations. He latches on well, has a feisty disposition and is a very hard worker. However, Walker isn't a great technician. He fails to bend at times and can get out-shifted by pass-rushers. He also needs to improve his leverage. He is an adequate starter.

Willie Colon has been the starting RT for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He ended up on Injured Reserve on Jul 21, 2010 with a torn Right Achilles tendon. He is 6' 3", 315 lbs, Age: 27 and in his 4th year. He didn't play in 2010, but his 2009 salary was $2,198,000.  I searched high and low, but the only measurable I could find is his 40 Time of 5.36 seconds. Willie displays superb technique and really knows how to use his girth plowing the field. A good listener and a very hard worker. He doesn’t have the quickness or arm length to handle outside rushers. While an excellent run blocker, Colon needs to improve his footwork in pass protection. There have been rumors over the last few years that Colon should move to offensive guard. These were founded mainly because of Colon's unspectacular pass protection, as well as his size. 6'3" is an ideal size for an NFL guard, but is considered undersized for a tackle. Still, he has been reliably one of the Steelers best linemen, starting every game for the last 3 years.
Willie is considered a very consistent starter and if he regains full health, Pittsburgh may decide to re-sign him.

Sean Locklear is the starting RT for the Seattle Seahawks. He is 6' 4", 310 lbs, Age: 29 and in his 7th year. His salary in 2010 was $1,050,000. His Combine 40 Time was 5.16. he ran a 1.77 in the 10 yd; a 3.00 in the 20 yd; a 4.61 20 yd shuttle and a 7.86  3-cone time. He had an 8' 4" Broad jump, a vertical jump of 29" and he Bench pressed 27 times. Sean has a 31 3/8" arm length. More of a finesse-type blocker, Locklear moves his feet well and can block in space. He can pull and trap and has some initial pop and good functional strength. He knows how to get low and anchor and gets good position when pass blocking. His technique isn't top-notch, however. Sean has a tendency to play too upright and loses leverage at times. He doesn't always sustain and finish his blocks and can be out-muscled when run blocking straight ahead. He is considered a reliable starter.

Jammal Brown starts at RT for the Washington Redskins. He is 6' 6", 313 lbs, Age: 29 and in his 6th year. He made $3,295,330 in 2010. At the 2005 Combine, he ran 5.06 in the 40-yard dash, a 2.94 20-yard dash, a 1.77 10-yard dash, a 4.67 20-yard shuttle and 7.93 in the three-cone drill. He had a 31 1/2" vertical jump and a 9'1" broad jump. He has a 34 3/4" arm length and 9 1/8" hands. His Wonderlic score was 12. Jammal is a terrific athlete. He has great agility and initial quickness, gets into his blocking stance in a hurry and slides well. Brown uses his hands extremely well and has great overall technique. His bulk is less than ideal and he doesn't get a lot of push in the running game. He isn't a nasty blocker or a top finisher and has had some significant injury issues. The two-time Pro Bowler missed all of the 2009 season with a hip injury and a sports hernia. He also has a Super Bowl Ring with the New Orleans Saints. Jammal Brown is considered a very good starter (when healthy).

After searching the numbers for each team, I found that backup Right Tackles in the NFL will make anywhere from $405,000 - $640,000 in 2011. The starters make $4 Million and up. Ryan Diem of the Indianapolis Colts will make $5.4 million for the 2011 season. That should give you a ballpark figure as to what a Free Agent Right Tackle will command for a salary.

It hasn't been ordained for certain if the Broncos will return to a Zone Blocking scheme in 2011, but there is historical evidence that makes it likely. The Carolina Panthers made the switch to zone blocking under offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson for the 2007 season and have been running it up to the present. Davidson just got hired by the Minnesota Vikings, so he will bring the scheme north with him. Some teams base their entire offense on the Zone Blocking scheme, including the Washington Redskins, Indianapolis Colts, Oakland Raiders, Houston Texans, Seattle Seahawks, and Green Bay Packers. For what it's worth, the players above that have been in a prevalent ZB offense are Ryan O'Callaghan, Sean Locklear, Khalif Barnes, Langston Walker, Michael Toudouze, Corey Hilliard and Wayne Hunter.

If the Broncos pursue a Right Tackle in Free Agency this year, they will find some promising candidates.

Go Broncos!