PITTSBURGH — When Ja’Wuan James opted out of the 2020 season, the Broncos moved Elijah Wilkinson to the right side and signed veteran right tackle Demar Dotson.
But there was not a competition for the right tackle job, despite Dotson’s 106 career starts at the position. The job was Wilkinson’s. Near the end of training camp, on Aug. 28, Vic Fangio acknowledged Dotson could take over the starting right tackle role, but it would be depended on Wilkinson’s play.
“It’s up to Elijah to lose it too. As long as Elijah is playing the way we think he’s capable of playing, he’ll be the right tackle,” Fangio stated. “If he’s struggling, then we have Demar there to replace him with.”
Wilkinson did, in fact, struggle throughout camp. But no move was made.
After Week 1, in which the Broncos didn’t allow a single sack as a team, no move was made at right tackle, understandably so.
On Sunday, against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Wilkinson allowed four sacks. In the first half. Four.
But no move was made during halftime. No. 68 was sent out to finish the game on the right side of the Broncos’ offensive.
Will Wilkinson make it another week as the Broncos’ starting right tackle after Sunday’s performance?
“We need to take a good look at it and not have that happen again,” Fangio said about the immense pressure put on the Drew Lock and Jeff Driskel after the Broncos 26-21 loss to the Steelers.
On Sunday, the Broncos’ offensive line allowed 19 quarterback hits and seven sacks — including a sack that knocked Lock out of the game. While not every hit and sack was at the hands of Wilkinson, at least half of the sacks were.
“We got to do a better job of blocking our guys, No. 1,” Fangio said about the pressure the Broncos’ offensive line allowed. “And if we have to help them more, we’ll have to help them more. In protection, there’s a lot of moving parts in it. It’s not just all the o-line.”
Less than a month ago, Fangio stated, “If [Wilkinson’s] struggling, then we have Demar there to replace him with.”
Well, Wilkinson’s struggling. Not just on Sunday, either. In training camp, Von Miller had his way with him. Last year, when he took over at right tackle when James was battling injuries much of the season, Wilkinson struggled. But playing against T.J. Watt on Sunday took the cake.
If Fangio and the Broncos do make the switch, Dotson won’t need much time to get up to speed at right tackle. The 34-year-old tackle spent the first 11 years of his career in Tampa Bay where he racked up 106 starts and played in 130 games at right tackle.
Wilkinson’s 21 starts on the offensive line fall 85 starts short of Dotson’s.
While the Broncos will take a “good look” at what happened to allow so much pressure to Denver’s quarterbacks, it won’t be difficult to see that Wilkinson struggled. And, according to Fangio, if Wilkinson’s struggling, Demar Dotson is right there to replace him.
