Offensive No Bull Positional Review: Center / Guards

I'm breaking down our team to look at what we have in the cupboard for this offseason. In doing so, I've gathered a bunch of data from www.nflgsis.com and www.profootballfocus.com to give us some stats to look at as we evaluate what our players did in the 2015 regular season. Also, www.overthecap.com contract info will be embedded when available. I'll add to that a synopsis of each player including their contract situation. Hopefully this helps Broncos Country here at MHR be better educated on the state of the team.

We're moving on to the offense now and starting with the big fellas on the interior. A couple big names have been lost since the 2015 season in Louis Vasquez and Evan Mathis (arguably two of our best linemen based strictly off of experience and raw ability).

The good thing in talking about our offensive line is that there's pretty much no where to go but up. Our line last year was one of the most poorly performing units in the NFL.

The other good thing is that at least on the interior, we've got some promising answers for a couple of positions. Let's dig in and look at what we do have on the roster currently.

Stats

Name	PFF	Pass Block	Run Block	QB Sk	QH	Hur
Max Garcia	-5.6	-11	6	1	3	16
Matt Paradis	-0.7	-5.4	3.3	1	9	19

Matt Paradis

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Matt Paradis seemed like a shaky Center early in the season, but really as time went on, he looked more and more the part of a starting NFL Center. He finished the year a champion and should continue next year as our starter in the middle.

The biggest weakness I've seen in his game is his lack of ability to read the "A" gap blitz and break off a combo to slow it down. This bit our team multiple times early in the year and continued to rear its ugly head even into the post season.

His strength is in run blocking. He really has settled into the run blocking aspect of our offense well and was really working his combo blocks well in the back half of the season.

Contract Info:

Paradis is on a very affordable contract through 2016 and will be looking to play himself into a hefty raise. He's played well enough that I'm hopeful he's kept for his 2nd contract after this year as long as he continues to play well.

Max Garcia

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Here's a rookie who really stepped in and made an impact in 2015. By late in the year, he was taking significant snaps (49% total in 2015). The sky is the limit for Garcia from my opinion and he's going to make John Elway look very smart for picking him in the 4th round.

Similar to Matt Paradis, Max has a lot to work on in pass blocking. Some of this from what I see can be fixed by raw physical development. The rest is just cleaning up technique. As a rookie, this is to be expected and isn't greatly alarming to me for a player heading into his 2nd year.

Garcia is very good in the run game. He blocks with power and has great technique as an attacking guard. Given the kind of offense we know Kubiak wants to run, having Garcia on the inside is going to be a big boon in 2016.

Contract Info:

This young fellow is going to be rocking the orange and blue for a very long time. We'll be happy here to have a guy on a rookie contract for the next few years as a starter.

Robert Myers, Jr.

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Robert Myers was signed in December of 2015 to our roster off of the Baltimore Ravens' practice squad. This could end up being a move that Broncos Country falls in love with given that we let go of long time starter Louis Vasquez.

Unfortunately we didn't see much of Myers on the field in 2015, but he's a guy we'll all want to be watching as we head into training camp. He's the kind of young talent who can really benefit from the coaching we have on staff. The big thing I want to see is how his footwork is. He's a giant of man, but can he move well in the ZBS?

Contract Info:

We've got a great situation here in a young promising player who doesn't cost a ton. If he works out, we can keep him around for a couple more years fairly cheaply (restricted free agency). If he doesn't, then no big cash lost.

Sam Brenner

Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

Sam Brenner was a guy last year who was getting juggled back and forth off the Dolphins' practice squad. In November, that cost them as the Broncos signed him to be depth in the middle.

I honestly think we made a pretty smart move here. Looking at some of the comments from the Phinsider, several of their fans weren't excited about losing their backup.

He didn't get any starts last year, but I'll be curious to see how good he looks in TC.

Contract Info:

Like much of our line, he's on a cheap contract looking to make a name for himself. I doubt he overtakes Paradis, but he could with some solid development forge a spot as a backup lineman.

James Ferentz

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

We claimed Ferentz off of waivers last year from the Houston Texans. He was their #3 C. Kubiak has to like the mobile aspects of Ferentz's game. He's a Center who can move, much like Matt Paradis and will be duking it out with Sam Brenner for a spot as our backup Center.

Contract Info:

Again, cheap option to kick the tires on here to see if he's an answer as a backup lineman. It may be unlikely for him to make it as a Bronco, but he's in a great place with great coaches.

Position Overview

Really we're in pretty good shape all the way around at Center and Guard. Keep in mind that some of our "Tackles" can easily be slid inside to play Guard. Ty Sambrailo is one guy who I could easily see at Guard (though I like him better at RT). Also, Michael Schofield might do better where he doesn't have to be so quick-footed.

We're all eager to see improvement at the line as the quality there directly correlates to the success of Kubiak's offense. Look for us to continue building a dominant line to get our run game functioning which will open up our play action game.