Going into the NFL draft last month, right tackle was considered one of the Denver Broncos’ biggest long-term positions of need.
The Broncos ended up picking nine players, but none of them were tackles. Denver didn’t intentionally avoid the position, the team just didn’t have a tackle fall to them at the right point in the draft.
So the team will turn to their in-house options as short-term solutions. Speaking during rookie minicamp last week, offensive coordinator Justin Outten indicated that Billy Turner, Tom Compton and Calvin Anderson are the three candidates for the right tackle job this year.
“I think we have really good options at that position,” Outten said. “I think it’s a very competitive position. It’s a veteran position. There are three guys with Billy, Tom and Calvin. Those guys can battle it out, and I’m really excited about that position just to see how it plays out.”
The Broncos haven’t said this — and probably won’t say it to preserve a competitive environment — but Turner seems to be the clear favorite. He spent the last three years with the Green Bay Packers playing under Outten and new head coach Nathaniel Hackett, so he’s clearly familiar with the scheme.
Turner started 43 games over the last three years in Green Bay and he has 68 career starts on his resume. That experience presumably makes him the most likely candidate to start at right tackle in Week 1.
Outten’s not ready to name anyone a starter — or even a favorite — right now, though.
“It’s just a matter of just getting on the field and practicing — that’s the bottom line,” the coach said. “It’s way too early to go through that. It’s just the evaluation part of this. We’re all new and just feeling each other out.”
The RT competition will really heat up when training camp begins in July, followed by preseason in August. Denver will be required to release an initial depth chart for the first week of preseason and that will give us a better idea of where the offensive lineman stack up at that point.