clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Menelik Watson admits his ‘technique is terrible right now’

NFL’s Sound FX catches Watson being critical of himself during the game.

Dallas Cowboys v Denver Broncos Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

During the Philadelphia game on Sunday, the NFL’s Sound FX caught a conversation between Eagles defensive end, Chris Long, and Broncos right tackle, Menelik Watson.

The clip starts with Long encouraging Watson that “not all the sacks were on him”, to which Watson replied that his “technique is terrible right now”.

Watson, who was put on IR this week due to a calf injury, has struggled in pass protection all year as he has allowed 9 sacks (most in the league) and 26 total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.

The biggest cause of his issues, as he admits, is poor technique in pass protection.

I pointed this out a few weeks ago in one of my film breakdowns.

Look at the difference between Bolles and Watson here. Bolles is rolling his hips into the block which creates a strong base, while Watson’s center of gravity is completely off and due to his poor footwork.

Offensive line guru and scout, Brandon Thorn digs deeper into Watson’s issues in this video.

However, Chris Long has a point. Not only has Watson been playing hurt, but the quarterbacks have not been helping him out much. Trevor Siemian and Brock Osweiler’s pocket presence is just as much to blame for the pass protection as the offensive line.

Unfortunately, even with his technique issues, Watson was the best Denver had at the right tackle position, especially in the running game. It will be interesting to see who eventually replaces him moving forward this season and, perhaps more important, if Denver’s quarterbacks continue to put more pressure on the offensive line due to their lack of pocket awareness.