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Ty Sambrailo first in line to replace Ryan Clady at left tackle

Is the Broncos second round pick the replacement for Clady?

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

With the news about Ryan Clady being out for the year, many of us(myself included) believed that veteran tackle Chris Clark will be the guy to replace Clady. He did an admirable job in 2013 and helped the Broncos reach the Super Bowl. However, Denver Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak says that Clark will remain at right tackle and that rookie Ty Sambrailo and Michael Schofield will compete for the job.

Sambrailo played left tackle at CSU, so he does have experience at the position. The Broncos drafted him to compete for the right tackle job, but it appears now that he is now competing for the job to protect Peyton Manning's blindside.

Head Coach Gary Kubiak sat down with his coaches today, and they agreed to start working the athletic rookie at left tackle during today's OTA practices.

"He's a very athletic young man. That's a lot to ask of a very young player," Kubiak said. "But we've got a good month here of work. I sat down with Rick and Clancy and James, and we felt like, 'Let's start working him there today.'"

Gary Kubiak believes that Sambrailo is athletic enough to play either tackle position. One of the reasons why they drafted him.

"We felt like when we drafted Ty he was athletic enough to play on both sides."

Also, look for second-year offensive tackle Michael Schofield to get reps at the left tackle position.

The Broncos will be heading into camp with no clear starter at left tackle now that they have Sambrailo and Schofield competing for the starting job. This is no big deal for offensive coordinator Rick Dennison. He says that they want competition at the position, and that "game situations are key for us."

"I hope there's competition through camp," Dennison added. "We don't want to have anything etched in stone. I think those guys really need to work and play, and even in a (preseason) game -- game situations are really key for us, especially with our system and how we work together. I think that's important -- game speed, playing against other players."

With Sambrailo and Schofield battling for the left tackle job, veteran Chris Clark will stay on the right side. The Broncos did just sign veteran Ryan Harris to compete for the right tackle job as well.

The Broncos will have competition at the left tackle position, and at every other spot on the offensive line except right guard during camp this year. It will be very interesting to see how this all plays out. Hopefully this all ends very well for the Broncos. If not, good luck Peyton.

Go Broncos!