JaWuan James has opted out per source. Broncos lose RT for year.

[Rich_C]

Time to move on from Ja'Wuan James. He made three starts and played 63 snaps last year which was 6.2%. I don't think he completed any of the games he started. As per the CBA, he has opted out of the 2020 season. It is my understanding that opting out is irreversible, so he's done for this season.

As far as Offensive Tackles are concerned:

~ Garrett Bolles played 1015 snaps last year which was 99.9%. He has started every game the last three seasons;

~ Eli Wilkinson played 835 snaps last year which was 82.19%. He had seven starts at RG in 2018, and twelve starts at RT last year;

~ Jake Rodgers has been in the league since 2015 on the practice squads of seven different teams (three times with the Steelers) He made the 53 man roster of a team for the first time last year in Denver and made his first appearance in a game and his first NFL start and played 118 snaps (11.61%) which is almost twice as many as Ja'Wuan James;

~ Denver also has Calvin Anderson, Quinn Bailey and Hunter Watts;

~ These guys are coached by a very good O-Line Coach, Mike Munchak;

~ It is not outside the realm of possibility that Denver will acquire another Tackle either via free agency or trade.

Pissing, moaning, whining, crying, bellyaching, bickering and arguing about Ja'Wuan James will get real old real fast, and will detract from studying and speculating about the O-Line for 2020 which includes two very interesting rookie draftees (i.e., Lloyd Cushenberry and Netane Muti) and a great pair of starting Guards (i.e., Graham Glasgow and "Route 66" Dalton Risner)

Me doth wonder why we went after Multi. Could the hope have been that Risner start the move to RT? or is Glasgow's contract have an out after a year or two...i mean it is never a bad thing to have awesome depth BUT if Multi can get back to normal he was a great OG prospect.

[the0rangecrush]

Me doth wonder why we went after Multi. Could the hope have been that Risner start the move to RT? or is Glasgow's contract have an out after a year or two...i mean it is never a bad thing to have awesome depth BUT if Multi can get back to normal he was a great OG prospect.

Muti has top end raw talent. We can take the time to develop him with the interior set in some capacity. If he proves to have that talent and skill refinement then I could see the real battle being between Cush and Muti. Whoever performs better with Risner and Glasgow plays.

[FR Tim]

If I understand the situation correctly, I don't think it's that big of a deal. His contract is just moved to next year when he'll play under the same terms as this year. He'll have an extra year to heal and we'll get the same year of service as if he played this year....before we move on. I think the year off may do him some good.

Interesting perspective on James. Not sure I agree.

James has proven to be less then committed to playing for multiple seasons now. Why are you assuming he is going to do all the behind the scenes grind of working out and preparing his body for another year? Will he be dedicated to returning or enjoying his time off too much for a year? He has to prove it.

As for the contract. I hate that it rolls over a year. Just keeps the Broncos on the hook for a guaranteed contract two more years before they can even buy him out. For a player with questionable dedication to his career choice.

Broncos have a desperate need to add a competitive OT. Even if Wilkenson be a dependable RT they still need a swing OT.

Let’s just hope Shurmur is working on his playbook emphasizing the rushing game, screens and TE protection on the edges.

[samparnell]

Me doth wonder why we went after Multi. Could the hope have been that Risner start the move to RT? or is Glasgow's contract have an out after a year or two...i mean it is never a bad thing to have awesome depth BUT if Multi can get back to normal he was a great OG prospect.

Denver had the second pick in the sixth round which is a spot where a team can gamble on a prospect with some question marks, like injury history. Netane Muti is a very physical, hard-hitting Guard. If he is healthy, he will make the roster, but most likely won't be in the five. If he takes to Munchak's coaching/teaching he will become a starter if he can break the chain of injuries.

If he hadn't had the season ending injuries he suffered at Fresno, some scouts said he would have had a second round grade. When an offensive lineman is playing in a non-conference game at Tuscaloosa and has 'Bama D-Linemen pointing at him and whining to the refs about how he's too rough, gotta believe he's doing something right. That kind of player is worth a sixth round pick.

Muti played mostly LG at Fresno which was Munchak's position in the NFL. He doesn't strike me as anything but a G. He doesn't have the length for T. If/when he plays himself into the starting group, his best spot will most likely be G and probably LG.

Dalton Risner will most likely play LG this year, but Dalton has versatility. He can play either G, C, RT and probably LT in a pinch. Graham Glasgow is under contract for the next four seasons. His last three seasons at K-State, Dalton was All-Big 12 at RT and All-American his last year.

In the event Netane Muti is healthy and in the top five OL, he could facilitate "Route 66" moving to RT. His style of play would fit the interior wall Denver is trying to cultivate in front of Lock. However, I'm inclined to think we are a year away from that. Muti is in a good place where he can receive attention from the athletic trainers, strength and conditioning coaches and nutritionists. Being coached by Mike Munchak is a big deal. We'll see if he can overcome his injury history. If so, Denver will have one of the nastiest Guards in the league.

[samparnell]

Interesting perspective on James. Not sure I agree.

James has proven to be less then committed to playing for multiple seasons now. Why are you assuming he is going to do all the behind the scenes grind of working out and preparing his body for another year? Will he be dedicated to returning or enjoying his time off too much for a year? He has to prove it.

As for the contract. I hate that it rolls over a year. Just keeps the Broncos on the hook for a guaranteed contract two more years before they can even buy him out. For a player with questionable dedication to his career choice.

Broncos have a desperate need to add a competitive OT. Even if Wilkenson be a dependable RT they still need a swing OT.

Let’s just hope Shurmur is working on his playbook emphasizing the rushing game, screens and TE protection on the edges.

Elijah Wilkinson played in most of the first fifteen games at RT because James didn't finish any of the three games he started. The RG for the first twelve games was Ron Leary, and Austin Schlottmann started the last four. Wilkinson will have Graham Glasgow to his left and Fant/Vannett to his right much of the time. That, and having Lock under Center, should constitute a big improvement which will help Eli out as he enters his second year at RT.

We'll find out in about a month if Munchak thinks the Swing Tackle is on the roster, or if one needs to be signed. In house possibilities are Jake Rodgers, Calvin Anderson, Quinn Bailey and UDFA Hunter Watts.

[JvDub95]

Broncos bringing in RT Demar Dotson for visit

[samparnell]

Broncos bringing in RT Demar Dotson for visit

IMO Denver needs to sign a veteran T. Depth is too thin for comfort.

[JvDub95]

Dotson is a former Buccaneer. He is currently 34, undrafted in 2009 and he was the starting RT there since 2012.

[lvbronx]

Interesting perspective on James. Not sure I agree.

James has proven to be less then committed to playing for multiple seasons now. Why are you assuming he is going to do all the behind the scenes grind of working out and preparing his body for another year? Will he be dedicated to returning or enjoying his time off too much for a year? He has to prove it.

As for the contract. I hate that it rolls over a year. Just keeps the Broncos on the hook for a guaranteed contract two more years before they can even buy him out. For a player with questionable dedication to his career choice.

Broncos have a desperate need to add a competitive OT. Even if Wilkenson be a dependable RT they still need a swing OT.

Let’s just hope Shurmur is working on his playbook emphasizing the rushing game, screens and TE protection on the edges.

I'm assuming James is a "constant" whether he plays for us this season or next and all the concerns you bring up apply to both situations evenly. The difference is, a year may help James physically and it may even help him mentally to feel more confident. If not, we're in the exact same situation next year as we would have been this year. Either we break even or we come out ahead.

I think the biggest issue is even more concern about his dependability from coaches and teammates. My own concern was we were "OK" at tackles as long as nothing went wrong, and something went wrong. We didn't seem to have a Plan B. I feel the same way about CB this year. We're OK if nothing goes wrong but I don't see a Plan B and I see some pretty good chances of something going wrong.


BTW, I didn't assume, I used the phrase "I THINK the year off MAY help". Why would you think it has no chance of helping?

[beastlyskronk]

I think the year off may help James stay healthy. I believe his body isn’t built to sustain his weight and a year off (or half a year) of the olineman diet may could help. If he shows up around 300 he may be able to work himself back into the lineup.

[L.M.]

I think we had to know that a tackle who played 63 snaps last year may be a reliability problem this year.

there were too many holes to fix them all in one year. I still think we had a good off season. Now we will see what the backup OT plan was.

And he collected $17M cash from us last year. That's $269,841.26 per snap.

[bronx_2003]

And he collected $17M cash from us last year. That's $269,841.26 per snap.

To be fair to James he played THREE games in 2019, so its unfair to expect him to do any work until at least next September. Its nice that he can sit on his butt for 2 years while collecting millions. Surely he deserves nothing but respect for this brave and courageous decision, you could even say he's a hero lol

[samparnell]

To be fair to James he played THREE games in 2019, so its unfair to expect him to do any work until at least next September. Its nice that he can sit on his butt for 2 years while collecting millions. Surely he deserves nothing but respect for this brave and courageous decision, you could even say he's a hero lol

James started three games, but Wilkinson finished each one at RT.

[Spice 1]

And he collected $17M cash from us last year. That's $269,841.26 per snap.

I'll block a sedan for $269, 841.00 per rep.

[FR Tim]

Was reading a bit about Dotson. Seems like a decent choice from what was left in free agency.

Good size and athleticism. Consistently average or better grades. Part of a top 10 Bucs oline ( even though he was the one waived) that protected a QB that liked to hold the ball too long but still threw a lot of deep routes.

Looks like he plays a lot of snaps, gives up about 3 sacks and gets called for 10 holds a year.

Overall not a bad OT addition if he plays similar and of course he is actually signed.