Can Denver Broncos Offensive Line Continue Recently Improved Play?

The Denver Broncos have been working to get better play from the offensive line. It has not always been effective, but the Broncos offensive line seemed to get on track in Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns.

Quarterback Peyton Manning was not sacked Sunday, and he finished the overtime contest with a fairly clean jersey. The rushing attack had the best game of the season against the Browns as Ronnie Hillman was able to eclipse 100 yards rushing for the second time this season.

After the game against the Browns, head coach Gary Kubiak praised the offensive line for their performance.

“I think that's the best we've played this year up front," Kubiak said. "I saw vast improvement with various players. We played a lot of people. [C/G] Max [Garcia] played a lot in the game. I liked what I saw from him. [T Tyler] Polumbus continues to give [T] Ryan [Harris] a break and [T Michael] Schofield continues to grow. I'm encouraged by how we played. That was a big positive coming out of the game.”

Kubiak summarized, “We haven't arrived by any means, but that was a big step forward. I'm excited about what they can become if they'll just stay the course and keep going.”

Can the offensive line continue their recently improved play? Let’s take a look.

Get Healthy

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Injuries and inconsistencies have plagued this offensive line in 2015. The injury bug first struck the Broncos in minicamp when All-Pro left tackle Ryan Clady was lost for the season with a knee injury. That was a devastating blow to the offensive line, but it was by no means the final injury to plague this unit.

The man who took over for Clady, rookie second-round pick Ty Sambrailo, began the season as the starter at left tackle, but he was lost for a few games with a shoulder injury. That created more movement at arguably the most important position on the line.

Sambrailo has been frustrated while he’s been out, but he’s also used this time to learn from observation.

“It's been frustrating, but also [I have] been very informed. I get to kind of watch the game from a different angle with a different appreciation for the speed of the game and kind of the intensity. I can kind of step back and watch players play.” Sambrailo summarized, “I don't have to worry about necessarily being prepared to go out there and compete. I can kind of look at it from a different perspective.”

In addition to Sambrailo, players like tackle Ryan Harris, guards Evan Mathis and Louis Vasquez have also been hampered by nagging injuries.

Kubiak knows a healthy offensive line can benefit the entire team.

“If we can get [G] Evan [Mathis] on the field full time and [G Louis Vasquez] on the field full time, which we seem to think that we can when we come back. Time will tell." Kubiak continued, "Ty was a participant today in practice. He took team [reps] and did everything, so it looks like we're heading toward him being back when we do come back.”

Kubiak theorized, “That'd be a nice problem to have. Let's see what happens, but the key is, right now, getting Ty back to where we need him.”

Protecting Peyton

Andrew Weber/Getty Images

We know the No. 1 mantra for this offensive line is protecting quarterback Peyton Manning. If he’s well-protected in the pocket, then Manning will do his best to pick apart opposing defenses.

Manning does his best to help out his offensive line by getting rid of the ball quickly and making good decisions as a passer.

“I know I've got five guys that are fighting for me," Manning said. "You try not to get too deep in the pocket, try not to hold the ball too long. Very often, you see a sack and I guess the offensive line gets the blame for it, but the quarterback held it too long or he got too deep in the pocket. I've always been real concerned about being sure I'm doing my part to help the offensive line. I think the idea is to work together.”

The line doesn’t need to hold their blocks for a long time since Manning can get rid of the ball quickly. Manning has the fourth-fastest average time before pass (2.24 seconds) in the NFL. The average time before pass in the NFL after six weeks is 2.46 seconds. That tiny bit of time saved by Manning is critical to keeping him better protected than other quarterbacks.

Spring the Backs

Jason Miller/Getty Images

The Broncos seemed to figure out their rushing attack in Week 6. Hillman may not be the backup much longer, as he’s now had two 100-yard games as a reserve runner in 2015.

The holes opened up by the offensive line are not huge, but Hillman has the speed to get to and through those holes before they close. Once in the open field, Hillman has the speed to take it to the house.

Hillman certainly appreciated the job the guys did up front against the Browns.

“The offensive line did their job today," Hillman said. "They made it easy for me and [RB] C.J. [Anderson] to run the ball. They really stepped up in a crucial time when we needed to run the ball.”

Left guard Evan Mathis wants to build off the success they had on the ground against the Browns.

“Just do it again, not necessarily go into overtime, but being able to just drive down the field like that," Mathis explained. "It'd be better to start off doing that in the first quarter, but we did go out there and we executed.”

Mathis emphasized, “We know we can do it. We've seen ourselves do it. We've put it on tape. If there is anything that caused flaws in the run game and pass game, we can look at what those were and correct those mistakes.”

Find the Right Combination

Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images

There have been several combinations for the Broncos offensive line from the start of training camp until now. Entering camp, the Broncos had two players who are no longer with the team on their first-team unit. Chris Clark was starting at right tackle, and Ben Garland was starting at left guard. Clark was traded away to the Houston Texans, and Garland was released.

The Broncos moved Harris to the starting right tackle position, and rookie Max Garcia spent most of training camp as the starting left guard. That changed when the Broncos signed Mathis as a free agent in late August.

Sambrailo’s injury vacated the spot on the right side when Harris moved over. That was filled by second-year tackle Michael Schofield. The Broncos spent a third-round pick on him in 2014, but he spent his entire rookie season on the inactive list.

Kubiak would not confirm what the starting lineup would be when Sambrailo returns from his injury.

“I don't know," Kubiak said. "Hopefully, Ty is ready to go and he's back full speed. We'll go from there, so we'll see.”

Sambrailo could be back after the bye week, and there’s a good chance that he’ll be starting at left tackle. That moves Harris out of the position, but he may not be starting back on the right side.

Harris has been a bit banged up this year, and the team may want to see what Polumbus can do at right tackle. It seems like Schofield could be the odd man out, and he may return to a backup role even though his play has been fairly steady over the last few games.

The only sure starters on the line seem to be center Matt Paradis and right guard Louis Vasquez.

Like Harris, Mathis has been banged up and is playing through injury each week. That has opened the door for Garcia to get more opportunities.

Summary

The Broncos offensive line needs to stay healthy if they want to gain valuable experience together and become more reliable. A rash of injuries have held them back to this point, but they have a chance for key pieces to be healthier after the bye.

As the schedule gets tougher, protecting Manning becomes more important than ever. They will be playing much better opponents coming up shortly, and a healthy Manning is the key to a deep postseason run.

The rushing attack needs to be effective by the time the postseason rolls around. To win in the playoffs, teams need to run the ball and play great defense. The Broncos have the defensive side of things set, but they need to be consistent when running the ball. That starts with better play on the line.

The quicker the Broncos can find the correct group of offensive linemen, the better it will be for the production and consistency of the offense. They might have a different combination coming out of the bye week than they’ve had before this season.

Harris has no idea what is going to happen to the offensive line after the bye week.

“I'm not a coach. I can't tell you what the bye week plans are," Harris said. "I know when I need to be where. This bye week, we'll be able to review what we've done well and improve on what we haven't done as well. Coaches will have that all ready for us tomorrow. We're eager to get started improving already.”

Broncos fans are eager to see the line jell and become a settling force for this offense. Can the offensive line continue their improved play? Yes, they can.

In fact, the offensive line can—and should—improve as the season continues.

All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via the Broncos media department unless otherwise noted. Advanced stats via ESPN's employees-only database.

Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac. Transaction history provided by Pro Sports Transactions.