The Denver Broncos are not done making moves in NFL free agency just weeks ahead of the NFL Draft, as they continue to boost their depth on the offensive line. Now things appear set for a center competition in July.
Denver Broncos add Sam Mustipher to one-year deal
The Denver Broncos are boosting their offensive line depth even further this week, adding former Baltimore Ravens and Chicago Bears center Sam Mustipher to a one-year deal, as first reported by Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel.
Earlier in the week, the Broncos added veteran interior offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton to the mix. Initially, the idea was that Throckmorton could factor himself into the upcoming center competition between Alex Forsyth and Luke Wattenberg, but now it appears that Mustipher will be the more likely name to be thrown into the mix.
Mustipher will be a fifth-year player in 2024 and has a lot of NFL experience. He’s appeared in 52 career games and has started 42 games as a center.
The brother of former Broncos defensive lineman P.J. Mustipher started a total of 40 games as a member of the Bears from 2020-2022. As the Broncos look to find their next option at center after Lloyd Cushenberry’s departure to the Tennessee Titans in free agency, they’ll have three viable names who will compete.
During the NFL Annual Meeting last week, Broncos head coach Sean Payton discussed how tough it was for a guy like Cushenberry to depart, but also expressed that his confidence in Forsyth and Wattenberg made the decision easier to accept.
“Those would be the first—if not for either of those two, or both in the building, there’s a chance maybe we would have moved in the direction of extending ourselves, if you will,” Payton said. “But those are the two candidates today as we sit here that will have a good opportunity to win that job.”
Now Mustipher will be the third option to consider when the team takes the field for training camp in July. This will be one of many position battles that Broncos Country should keep their eyes on.
