Sean Payton’s last four playoff teams in New Orleans had something in common other than Drew Brees at the controls. The Saints from 2017 to 2020 featured the same bookends at offensive tackle — Terron Armstead on the left, Ryan Ramczyk on the right.

“Even the most talented teams can be derailed by the offensive line,” Broncos offensive line coach Zach Strief, a fixture on those Saints lines a decade ago, told The Denver Post recently. “We put a lot of pressure on them this year. That’s part of the thought process in putting in guys like Ben Powers and Mike McGlinchey — they’re not just outstanding people but they’re great leaders, great linemen.

“We said the same thing last year: We’ve got to be able to run the ball and protect the quarterback, run the clock. Certainly, even with (more) experience at the QB position, we felt the same things last year.”

McGlinchey, Strief’s right tackle, is signed through 2027. Quinn Meinerz, his right guard, just signed a four-year deal with $45 million in guaranteed money. Powers, his left guard, is signed through 2026 — albeit, per Spotrac.com, with a potential out clause after this season.

“Building a foundation off the offensive line,” Powers said, “and having guys, and a lot of guys, be able to stick around for a long time, is very important.”

Especially this fall. The Broncos are handing the keys to a QB room that, going into 2024, had a combined 37 NFL starts. Denver’s QB1 last season, Russell Wilson, had made 173.

“Our team is young in general,” center Luke Wattenberg noted. “So I think it’s important for (the offensive line) to be out there leading this.”

If team payroll is any indicator, Payton agrees. The Broncos ranked fifth among NFL franchises in average annual value (AAV) of contracts committed to offensive linemen in 2024 as of mid-August ($76.23 million), per Spotrac. They’re currently on pace to sit eighth ($54.17 million) in 2025.

Payton stressed during his first July news conference with local reporters that the offensive line is the “most important position group on your roster. I think it permeates your building. I believe that, and it has served us well everywhere I have been.”

The assembled media got a teaser of what Strief already knew.

“That (comment) was not news to the players,” the Broncos assistant said. “That’s the reality of our sport. And I think you’ll see that, all around the league, if the line doesn’t perform, life gets very difficult.”

The Broncos performed, despite Russell Wilson’s various peccadilloes. One of Wilson’s more vexing quirks, especially in a Payton offense, was holding onto the ball too long. Of the NFL QBs who appeared in at least 12 games last fall, per FantasyPros.com, only Justin Fields with Chicago last year averaged more “pocket time” — the elapsed time from the snap to a throw or a pressure — than Wilson’s 2.7 seconds. Among the Broncos’ current crop of signal-callers, Jarrett Stidham was charted at 2.6 seconds last fall, Zach Wilson at 2.5.

How much better could that protection look if Stidham, Wilson and rookie Bo Nix continue to get the ball out quickly?

“I think we’re building the foundation blocks,” Powers said, “for something truly special here.”

The scouts at Pro Football Focus concur, even with the free-agent loss of center Lloyd Cushenberry. The analytics site ranked the Broncos offensive line 15th-best in the NFL, up from 21st after the end of the 2022 regular season.

Credit the additions of Powers and McGlinchey, free agents signed for Payton’s inaugural season in Denver. Credit Garett Bolles, one of the locker room’s elder statesmen and a quiet bedrock at left tackle. Credit Strief, whom Wattenberg said kept the expectations high but the grief low.

“I think his playing experience has been our biggest help,” the young center said. “Being able to coach guys through experience, I think that’s been the biggest key for his coaching style — relating to us, and he knows exactly what we’re going through, so he can relate to us and speak to us in players’ terms.”

What’s the best advice he’s given you since joining the staff?

“To just relax and play your game,” Wattenberg replied. “That was, before last camp that he’d said that to us, and (to) just go out there and (play) free, and you’ll play your best. And that’s what I’ve been doing, and I feel great.”

A happy line helps. A pricey line? Well, that depends on how you want to see the water in the proverbial glass. Four of the top six highest-spending teams in offensive line AAV last fall posted winning records and reached the postseason. On the flip side, five of the top six AAV offensive line spenders in ’22 wound up missing the postseason; ditto for ’21, when the league expanded the regular-season slate to 17 games for the first time.

“Hearing a coach say that (about your position) is just awesome,” Powers said. “You’ve just got to love it. We’re out there, we’re protecting everyone else on the offense — you’ve got to take pride in what you do. And you just have to play, man.”

Money Mashers

Show them the money! The Broncos have four of the NFL’s 40 contracts with the most guaranteed money for offensive linemen over the life of the deal. They also rank sixth among NFL franchises in average annual value (AAV) of contracts committed to offensive linemen in 2024. Here’s how the deals break down (mobile users, tap here to see the chart):

Source: Spotrac.com | * Plays for Tampa Bay

Source: Spotrac.com | As of Aug. 18

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Originally Published: August 28, 2024 at 5:45 a.m.