After revamping the Denver Broncos offensive line at tackle and guard, new head coach Sean Payton is bringing in competition to hopefully solidify the center position.
Lloyd Cushenberry and Kyle Fuller set to compete for Denver Broncos starting center job
Kyle Fuller is coming to the Denver Broncos. Not the Fuller that Broncos Country is familiar with.
Fuller, an offensive lineman initially drafted by the Houston Texans in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft, is coming to Denver on a one-year deal as first reported by KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson.
The new Broncos offensive lineman comes to Denver after spending the past three seasons as a member of the Seattle Seahawks, where he snapped the ball to Russell Wilson.
During his three-year stint in Seattle, Fuller appeared in 40 games and started in 10 of them — with nine of those 10 starts coming in 2021.
The move indicates that Sean Payton will more than likely move forward with Lloyd Cushenberry, Fuller, and Luke Wattenberg competing for the starting job during training camp.
With Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey manning the tackle spots and Ben Powers and Quinn Meinerz maintaining the guard positions, Cushenberry, Fuller, and Wattenberg will attempt to solidify themselves as a starter under new offensive line coach Zach Strief.
This upcoming season will be important for Cushenberry who has experienced a variety of ups and downs throughout the first three years of his tenure in Denver.
Granted, Cushenberry has been involved in two different offensive scheme changes in his first three seasons and will experience his third in 2023.
The former third-round center has an advantage heading into the team’s offseason program which kicks off on April 11 featuring Voluntary Minicamp on April 24-26, OTAs from May 23-25, May 30-June 1, and June 5-8 before Mandatory Minicamp sets the stage for Training Camp on June 13-15.
Cushenberry started 16 games in each of his first two seasons and started in eight games for Denver last season before suffering a groin injury in Week 8. He missed the remainder of the season.
Fuller’s lack of starting experience is evident, but under Payton’s direction, he’ll receive a new slate in the Mile High City.
One potential wildcard to the position competition could be 2022 fifth-round draft pick Luke Wattenberg getting the chance to compete for the job as well. The Broncos rookie struggled last season, but he was thrown into the fire and put into some unfair situations as outlined by previous head coach Nathaniel Hackett.
Last season is over and 2023 will be an entirely new slate for every player on the roster under Payton.
