Entering the final year of his rookie contract, fourth-year pro Luke Wattenberg is poised to be the starting center for the Denver Broncos in 2025.
The Denver Broncos are set to return their top five offensive linemen from last season and several backups. Last year, their performance up front was a big reason the Broncos obtained their first playoff berth in nearly a decade. That continuity will be beneficial for them as they gear up for a tough 2025 campaign.
One of the starters set to return is fourth-year pro Luke Wattenberg. After being a backup for the first two seasons of his career, Wattenberg earned a shot to replace veteran Lloyd Cushenberry III who signed with the Tennessee Titans. After a strong training camp and preseason, the former Washington Huskies standout beat out the Alex Forsyth to win the starting job at center in 2024.
Barring some sort of surprise, that’s something I expect he will do again this season. Let’s take a deeper look at Wattenberg’s ‘24 performance and what the future holds for him playing in a contract year.
Pressure rate allowed this season:
Luke Wattenberg – 1.5% (2nd among Cs)
Quinn Meinerz – 1.8% (T-1st among Gs) pic.twitter.com/zXYYxdzuJN— PFF DEN Broncos (@PFF_Broncos) December 14, 2024
Player Profile
Age: 27 | Experience: 4th Year | College: Washington | Height: 6’5” | Weight: 300 pounds
Arm Length: 34-1/8” | Wingspan: 81-1/8” | Broad: 9’5” | Vertical: 29-1/2” | Bench Press: N/A
40-yard dash: 5.25 seconds | Short Shuttle: 4.57 seconds | 3-Cone: 7.25 seconds
Luke Wattenberg’s 2025 outlook with the Broncos
As I mentioned earlier, I expect Wattenberg to be the team’s starter at the pivot. Last year, he started 13 games and missed four due to injury. Overall, he played 824 snaps on offense was credit with five penalties.
Pro Football Focus gave Wattenberg a 63.3 grade for his efforts in ‘24. That ranked 30th out of 64 centers evaluated in the National Football League. He shined brightest with respect to pass blocking. The former Huskies standout sported an 82.0 grade in that department—second-best amongst centers in the NFL. Unfortunately, his 56.9 run blocking grade ranked 41st placing him in the bottom half of eligible players.
That’s a portion of his game that needs to improve, though I don’t expect him to ever be a powerhouse run blocker. However, his pass protection skills are top-notch. Keeping the middle of the pocket clean for Bo Nix was a big reason the rookie signal caller had success last season. In a way, Wattenberg excelling there does help make up for his deficiencies as a run blocker, though I’m hoping another year of adding strength plus more coaching from Zach Strief can help him get better in that fashion in ‘25.
Final Thoughts
It would be quite the curveball if Wattenberg wasn’t the Broncos’ starter at center in ‘25. Could Alex Forsyth beat him out? Sure, though I do feel it’s unlikely. Such a change would be the ultimate trade off in skillsets—as Forsyth is a much more accomplished run blocker than he is a pass blocker at this point in his career.
Entering the final year of his contract, Wattenberg has a lot on the line this season. If he can take a decent leap forward as a run blocker while maintaining his prowess as a pass protector, he could very well earn a contract upwards of $10 million per season. The big question is whether or not his next contract comes from Broncos or another team next offseason.