The Denver Broncos will have to reconfigure some things in front of rookie first-round pick Bo Nix, who has already struggled with sacks through his first two regular season games.
Now, Nix will be without one of his bookend tackles for the next month.
“#Broncos OT Mike McGlinchey suffered a significant MCL sprain and is expected to miss about a month, sources say,” NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported on X on September 16. “Evaluations are ongoing, so the timeline is somewhat fluid. But he’ll be sidelined for a bit.”
9News’ Mike Klis confirmed the report. McGlinchey suffered the injury in the closing minutes of the Broncos’ 13-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“With 2:01 left in the game, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix threw from the Steelers’ 11-yard line high incomplete to the end zone,” Klis wrote on September 16. “McGlinchey was blocking edge rusher T.J. Watt’s while left tackle Garett Bolles was taking down the other edge rusher Alex Highsmith from the other side. McGlinchey got inadvertently rolled up from behind by Bolles and his defender and went down.”
McGlinchey was a big supporter of Nix and the progress the rookie had made since arriving, adding to the significance of his loss.
Being a QB isn’t just about leadership & performance on the field, but in the locker room & beyond, so I asked Mike McGlinchey about how Bo Nix is doing there.
“He has come in and be authentically himself, and I think that’s all you can ask for for him — and for us.”
McGlinchey missed one game in 2023, his first season with the Broncos.
He played in all 17 regular season games and three playoff games with the San Francisco 49ers in 2022. He is in Year 2 of a five-year, $87.5 million contract that the Broncos re-worked in March to create cap space, per ESPN’s Field Yates.
Broncos Could Turn to Undrafted Rookie to Replace Injured Veteran Mike McGlinchey
Second-year tackle Alex Palczewski replaced the seven-year veteran, McGlinchey, after the latter’s injury.
An undrafted free agent out of Illinois in 2023, Palczewski did not appear in a game as a rookie.
He has just two offense snaps to his name, both of which came in the loss to the Steelers, per Pro Football Reference. Palczewski has logged six snaps on special teams through two games in 2024.
The door could be open for impressive 2024 UDFA Frank Crum, who has been a healthy scratch in the first two weeks of the season.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton spoke very highly of the former Wyoming Cowboy.
“His tape has been really good,” Payton told reporters on August 30 when asked why Crum made the 53-man roster. “He was a guy that we had to really battle in free agency on. But, man, his size and upside. He wasn’t one we were considering [cutting]. We felt like he made this team.
“I coached his position coach, who we took in the seventh round [in 2006]. Now, [Broncos offensive line coach Zach] Strief was four years before, 5 years before he started at tackle. Now there was a season or two where he was the jumbo tight end, and everyone in the stadium got tired of hearing, ‘74 reporting.’ But – and I’m not making the comparison – but he’s much further along athletically than Zach. And so we’re really encouraged with him.”
Former Giants OL Looms as Dark Horse Backup Candidate
Payton often defers to veterans. He notably listed Nix third behind Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson QB3 on the Broncos’ initial unofficial depth chart.
It could take a poor performance from Palczewski for Crum to get serious consideration.
Matt Peart could factor in as well. Peart spent the first four seasons of his career with the New York Giants. He signed with the Broncos in free agency, and he could be a dark horse candidate to replace Palczewski if he struggles and the Broncos make Crum inactive again.
The Broncos will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3. Tampa likes to blitz which should provide an early test for McGlinchey’s replacement, whomever that may be.
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