Why Broncos RG Quinn Meinerz is the team's most underappreciated player
The Denver Broncos have one player in particular who could be more appreciated, and soon, it could be too late. In other words, when he is a free agent, another team may appreciate him more.The Broncos finished 2022 with the worst offensive line in football. They allowed 61 total sacks, the worst in the league, […]
The Denver Broncos have one player in particular who could be more appreciated, and soon, it could be too late. In other words, when he is a free agent, another team may appreciate him more.
The Broncos finished 2022 with the worst offensive line in football. They allowed 61 total sacks, the worst in the league, and Russell Wilson was sacked 55 times, tied for the worst with the Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields.
Coming into the 2023 season, the Broncos tried to fix the offensive line, both for passing situations and to help with Sean Payton's run-happy offensive scheme. One piece they didn't have to fix in the offseason was their right guard position.
Quinn Meinerz held that position down last season and was fairly good. So far, he has been one of the Broncos' most underappreciated players.
APY: $1.18 million (rookie contract; 39th among right guards). There's a lot to like about a Denver defense that ranked seventh in yards allowed during an otherwise lost 2022 campaign. For this piece, I wanted to seek out the nuggets of good on offense. Ascending to full-time starter in his second season out of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Meinerz improved his leverage in pass protection more than any other guard in the NFL in 2022, per computer vision, increasing the amount of time he stayed even when contact was made with a defender by 0.9 seconds, on average. PFF also gave him the sixth-best offensive grade (77.7) among NFL guards. – Cynthia Frelund, NFL.com
Meinerz is a guy that could be one of the better right guards in the league if this season goes the way we think. Last year, he allowed three sacks, which isn't great, but he only allowed 16 total pressures, which is just four more than his counterpart Ben Powers.
Meinerz will be an unrestricted free agent in 2025. Right now, he is on a base salary of $1.18 million a year, and by the time he is a free agent, his value will be worth far more.
Meinerz rarely gets his name brought up when it comes to pieces on the Broncos' offensive line. However, he is one of the more versatile guys on the unit. In 2021 he played center, and last year he was the best guard on the team.
He needs to get talked about more because the pieces they signed this offseason get all of the attention. Of course, there is also the fact that Garett Bolles is returning from a season-ending injury, and Lloyd Cushenberry could have been better too. The things going on around him make it to where he doesn't get talked about enough.
However, in 2023 we will see him get plenty of love as he elevates his game even more.
Featured Image Via Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
