It was an inauspicious debut season in Denver for right tackle Menelik Watson, and it’s already over, thanks to multiple injuries. The Broncos put Watson on season-ending injured reserve Wednesday, after deciding that the combination of a calf injury suffered against the Chargers and a foot injury suffered in last week’s loss to the Eagles would be too much to overcome in 2017.
To take Watson’s place on the roster, the Broncos signed former Buffalo Bills tackle Cyrus Kouandjio. A second-round pick in 2014 out of Alabama, Kouandjio was never able to claim a starting role on the Bills for any length of time, and after signing a one-year deal with the Lions, he was unable to make their final roster. Fortunately for the Broncos, who are desperate for healthy bodies at the position, let alone quality starters, the 6-7, 325-pound Kouandjio, was still available.
At only 24 years of age, it’s entirely possible that Kouandjio hasn’t played his best football yet. He’s considered a good run blocker, but has consistently struggled against speedy end-rushers at the NFL level — a major concern, given that the AFC West has a collection of elite pass-rushers in Kansas City’s Justin Houston, Oakland’s Khalil Mack, and Los Angeles’ dynamic duo of Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram.
Nevertheless, Kouandjio still has potential — and besides, it’s not like the Broncos can afford to be choosy, anyway.
Backup Donald Stephenson has been inactive due to a calf injury of his own for the last two weeks in recent games, making Elijah Wilkinson the only healthy tackle on the roster. It’s almost inconceivable that the Broncos would start Wilkinson — who has been active for only one game after being promoted from the practice squad, and has yet to take a single snap — if they could possibly avoid it, so it’s entirely possible that Kouandjio may be pressed into immediate service against the fearsome New England Patriots on Sunday.
Having a revolving door at right tackle isn’t a recipe for success in the NFL — on or off the field — but the Broncos hope that Kouandjio can stop it from spinning… at least, for the rest of this season.
