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The Denver Broncos roster review brings us to Center, Matt Paradis. Perhaps the most important aspect of looking forward to Paradis’ upcoming season is his health. Most of 2017 saw Paradis playing through injury. However, coming into 2018 his hips are healthy, and he looks like he will be the anchor of a strengthened offensive line.
Name: Matt Paradis
Position: C
Height: 6’ 3”
Weight: 300
Age: 28
Experience: 4th Season
College: Boise State
Paradis has bee the brightest spot on an offensive line unit that played more like a squad of matadors than blockers last year. In 2017 Paradis didn’t allow a single sack. He was one of the best centers in the league, and he did all his work on two bad hips that prevented him from doing any leg work.
Matt Paradis had solid year after surgeries on both hips. Prevented him from any leg lifting for several months. This will be first offseason in 7 yrs can work out fully and not worry about hip issues. So hell yeah going to get better. Has not missed snap in 3 years #Denver7
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) January 3, 2018
With a clean bill of health, a solid veteran QB, and a more experienced group of lineman, Paradis is poised to have another great season.
The Good
This is all about health for Paradis. Looking at his stats, and seeing what the Broncos offensive line has been in recent seasons, Matt Paradis is the guy who gives fans hope. Playing along side Ronald Leary, and Garrett Bolles being a year older will benefit Paradis. Having a solid group of blockers will help. That being said, nothing will benefit him more than having a clean bill of health.
The Bad
Here’s the thing about health. It can be gone in an instant. And with old injuries, they can pop up at any time. Paradis will start the season healthy, and he has proven he can play through injury. Still, hip injuries can catch up quick, and will impact everything he does. He should get through the season fine, but those injury concerns will always be in the back of his head.
Quotable
Paradis spoke at length in May about how the offensive line needs to improve. He knows he can be better (if that’s possible for a guy who gave up zero sacks), and so can the rest of the offensive line.
“I thought I improved in certain areas last year, but it was so hard,” Paradis said. “It wasn’t just hard for me, but as an O-Line, we have to come together. It takes all those reps playing against each other to get that unity and the cohesiveness so you’re not tripping over each other’s feet. I wasn’t able to do that. Just for the O-Line, it’s been nice. And then personally, I’m always looking to improve. I got a lot of things I can improve on. So, it’s going in that direction.”
Status
Matt Paradis is the leader of the Denver Broncos offensive line. His status is obvious as the unchallenged starting center. He will continue to be the anchor of the line. Most importantly, he will finally be healthy, and capable of reaching his full potential in 2018.