Thread: Broncos sign OT Menelik Watson

He has a nice bubble.

here's his injury history , and it is in fact quite extensive. . . i did find the one bit of news i was hoping for, though-- there's only the one major, season-ending tpe injury. . . which was a ruptured achilles, and that's plenty bad. . . but it was two years ago, and he has apparently recovered sufficiently to play, which you'd expect at his age. . . he missed one game with a concussion a few years back, and the rest of it is all soft tissue stuff. . . lots of calf, ankle, and other leg stuff. . . our current training staff tends to do a really good job both preventing and correcting those types of injuries, and i'm betting the FO had a lengthy, detailed conversation with them before pulling the trigger on this. . . not that it guarantees anything, of course, but it's not exactly like we have a big list of quality options to choose from here. . .

john has always been upfront that he wants to fill as many holes as possible before the draft, and that's exactly what this does-- gives us a capable body at right tackle for the moment. . . the long view will get figured out eventually, but this is the kind of move that let's us draft a shane ray or bradley roby, instead of being boxed into taking a tackle there if there's not a good value on the board. . . even if we don't add a vet LT still, at least we only have one gaping hole that needs addressed in the draft. . .

Originally Posted by dogfish

here's his injury history , and it is in fact quite extensive. . . i did find the one bit of news i was hoping for, though-- there's only the one major, season-ending tpe injury. . . which was a ruptured achilles, and that's plenty bad. . . but it was two years ago, and he has apparently recovered sufficiently to play, which you'd expect at his age. . . he missed one game with a concussion a few years back, and the rest of it is all soft tissue stuff. . . lots of calf, ankle, and other leg stuff. . . our current training staff tends to do a really good job both preventing and correcting those types of injuries, and i'm betting the FO had a lengthy, detailed conversation with them before pulling the trigger on this. . . not that it guarantees anything, of course, but it's not exactly like we have a big list of quality options to choose from here. . .

john has always been upfront that he wants to fill as many holes as possible before the draft, and that's exactly what this does-- gives us a capable body at right tackle for the moment. . . the long view will get figured out eventually, but this is the kind of move that let's us draft a shane ray or bradley roby, instead of being boxed into taking a tackle there if there's not a good value on the board. . . even if we don't add a vet LT still, at least we only have one gaping hole that needs addressed in the draft. . .

Dump Stephenson, take his 4 mil and add 3 more and give it to Beachum. Done

Originally Posted by CoachChaz

Dump Stephenson, take his 4 mil and add 3 more and give it to Beachum. Done

damn skippy. . .

Watson was athletic as hell in college. If he still has that after the Achilles issues, he has the raw material to play LT - but it's raw. He doesn't have the pro reps or the experience you'd expect from his age. Just leave him at RT. And somebody hydrate that guy. As dog said, he's got so many soft tissue injuries that I have to wonder about his hydration and stretching routine. Or maybe he's being poisoned over there in Oakland. Either way, I like him better than Stephenson last year.

One thing at a time.

That helps.

Troy Renck‏Verified account @TroyRenck 34m

Common thread between Leary and Watson, they play with attitude. Last year, #Broncos lacked nasty personality. @DenverChannel

Originally Posted by VonDoom

I agree. He's more naturally a RT, so why mess with him by moving him? We might still pick up a LT somewhere and there's still the draft.

There's no 1st year starting LT in the draft. There are some developmental guys who according to NFL experts would be 2nd round or 3rd round picks in a normal draft class. But, this is maybe the WORST LT class in decades. There might not be ONE SINGLE really good LT in this entire draft. But, because teams are desperate, some team will reach for a T in the first round. I just hope it's not Denver.

Reaching desperately to fill positions of need in the draft is something teams like the Browns do. Not Denver!

Originally Posted by Cugel

There's no 1st year starting LT in the draft. There are some developmental guys who according to NFL experts would be 2nd round or 3rd round picks in a normal draft class. But, this is maybe the WORST LT class in decades. There might not be ONE SINGLE really good LT in this entire draft. But, because teams are desperate, some team will reach for a T in the first round. I just hope it's not Denver.

Reaching desperately to fill positions of need in the draft is something teams like the Browns do. Not Denver!

Problem is...a reach in the draft might be better than our current alternatives. I'd throw Bolles/Ramczyk/Robinson out on the blindside before I sent Watson/Stephenson/Schofield/Sambrailo.

And as much as I condoned a Beachum signing in earlier posts...I'd still start the rookies over him at LT. Statistically speaking...both Okung and Stephenson were better than Beachum in 2016.

Troy Renck‏Verified account @TroyRenck 4m

First version of #Broncos signing Watson. He brings unique perspective to the game. @DenverChannel http://bit.ly/2n8FaTf

Troy Renck‏Verified account @TroyRenck 9m

#Broncos Watson said he loves to play aggressive. Understands he was brought in to help line become more physical." @DenverChannel

Troy Renck‏Verified account @TroyRenck 9m

#Broncos Watson said he loves to play aggressive. Understands he was brought in to help line become more physical." @DenverChannel

Troy Renck‏Verified account @TroyRenck 14m

"We were rivals and now we are family. I have done a lot of learning. Looking forward to getting on the field" -- Watson. @DenverChannel

What Watson and Leary bring is a physical and nasty attitude. You have to like the mentality of the linemen Elway is bringing in, even if you don't like the players.

Originally Posted by Ziggy

What Watson and Leary bring is a physical and nasty attitude. You have to like the mentality of the linemen Elway is bringing in, even if you don't like the players.

Mantality? Sure. Quality? Not so much.

Other than Leary and Stewart...Elway hasnt brought in anything to write home about for 3 years.

Originally Posted by CoachChaz

Mantality? Sure. Quality? Not so much.

Other than Leary and Stewart...Elway hasnt brought in anything to write home about for 3 years.

I love the Leary signing. Watson is a wait and see for me. He hasn't stayed healthy long enough to really figure out how good he can be. Maybe he's trash. Maybe he's not. I still love the mentality.

I love it as well. But agree with Chaz. as much as Kiz gets under my skin, I have to nod to his article today which questioned whether it was Manning or Elway that was the draw the last few years. We can't always expect people to just come to Denver cuz it's a great place and gots the the gosh darned GOAT running the team when we offer peanuts. So we end up signing guys like Watson and Stephenson. We would have been far better served to sign Schwartz last year and not keep this stupid shuffle going. I learned something when I lived in Philly and that was that if Andy Reid is ready to move on from a player. He's probably trash. Hence my frustration when we let the Chiefs find the o lineman who played Von the strongest during the Super Bowl run and then we signed the guy they dumped to get him.

Originally Posted by CoachChaz

Problem is...a reach in the draft might be better than our current alternatives. I'd throw Bolles/Ramczyk/Robinson out on the blindside before I sent Watson/Stephenson/Schofield/Sambrailo.

And as much as I condoned a Beachum signing in earlier posts...I'd still start the rookies over him at LT. Statistically speaking...both Okung and Stephenson were better than Beachum in 2016.

There are some total STUDS in this draft class. And at #20 the Broncos are going to be in a position to draft an elite TE, an elite RB in Christian McCaffrey who should have won the Heisman if the voting wasn't totally screwed by East Coast idiots who only watch the SEC, and a bunch of really good DEs who can rush the passer. I short, this is the WORST possible time to reach for some mediocre (at best) OT like Ryan Ramcyzk, Bolles and Cam Robinson. All three have major question marks.

I don't want any of them at #20. I want a star. And there are plenty of potential stars -- IF you can avoid screwing up in FA and having to draft a LT to fill a gaping wound!

O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama - "Howard could be a mismatch weapon in the NFL in the passing game while also being a quality blocker to be a three-down starter. Howard has upside and could be a dynamic NFL tight end. Howard has top-20 potential in the 2017 NFL Draft."

And what about Jabril Peppers who might fall to #20? Height: 5-11
Weight: 213 lbs.
Arm length: 30 ¾”
Hands: 9 5/8”

*40-yard dash: 4.46 sec.
Bench press: 19 reps
**Vertical jump: 35.5”
*Broad jump: 128”
*Best among linebackers (Peppers tied Wisconsin’s T.J. Watt for first in broad jump)
**Top five among linebackers
He can line up in multiple positions. If he's lining up inside, and the offense moves a guy outside he can go out and you're not in a liability in coverage.

I don't insist on this guy, but it points out that there's a ton of really great talent to look at at #20. Some guy will fall and you have to be ready to grab him, the way Elway did with Bradley Roby and Shane Ray, both of whom are Pro-Bowl caliber players.

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