When Quinn Meinerz took the field for Day 1 of Broncos Camp he was in for his first big test.
The Broncos’ new coaching staff brought a new blocking scheme and taught the basics of it during organized team activities this spring. Afterward, Meinerz went home to Wisconsin to practice what he learned.
“That’s the fun part of that month off after the OTAs, because you’re getting coached every single day and now I know what the expectations are,” Meinerz told DNVR. “A lot of things were changing during the offseason before OTAs. You’re like, ‘I don’t really know what’s gonna be happening.’ So now it was cool to learn all the coaching, learn all the plays and then take this last month to really dial in on the details.”
While throwing towels, footballs and helmets on the ground to serve as landmarks for footwork drills can provide valuable work, Meinerz wan’t able to evaluate his results. There were no wins and losses.
But when training camp opened on Wednesday, he lined up across from Dre’Mont Jones, D.J. Jones and others, and put his work to the test.
“I’m gonna stay humble,” Meinerz said. “I feel like I had a solid first day of practice, but that’s the first day of practice. It’s a matter of how many practices you stack together.”
The humbleness extends to Meinerz’s signature gut, which sparked his nickname “The Belly.” He was uncomfortable with the attention, which shouldn’t be a surprise considering he played Division III football in front of about as many fans as he sees at training camp practices.
“I didn’t want it to be a distraction,” Meinerz said. “It was almost turning more of a distraction internally where I was being more conscious of like keeping it covered but I’m just gonna keep doing my thing not let it be a distraction.”
Meinerz joined the Broncos as a third-round draft pick out of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He earned a start in his fourth career game last season, and then took over the starting left guard job for the final eight games of the season.
Now, the 23-year-old is competing for that same job this season.
“His aggressiveness, his ability to displace people—it’s hard to do in this league,” offensive coordinator Justin Outten said on Friday. “His construction of his body—[he’s] built like a gap-almost body type, but he can move very well for his size. It’s really cool to see him move around. His ability—he just uses length which is really important in this system and any system. He can cover up guys, and he does a pretty good job with it.”
Meinerz’s primary competition is another 23-year-old: Netane Muti, a Tonga native who was chosen by the Broncos in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Fresno State. In two seasons, he’s started four games. He’s a big dude, he led his entire NFL Combine in bench press reps, and he moves remarkably well for his size.
“He’s gained ground in the sense of [being] another [gap-]type body type,” Outten said of Muti. “When you look at him, you’re saying, ‘OK this is a guy that’s going to play downhill.’ Another athletic guy that can move in this system at the guard position. Those two guys are battling each and every day and they both have really good characteristics that fit our system.”
It’s worth noting that Graham Glasgow, 30, has started at right guard every game he was available for since joining the Broncos ahead of the 2020 season. He struggled last season, though, and the Broncos appear to be trying to get younger at the position. Glasgow is entering the third year of a four-year, $44 million contract.
The starting offensive line still isn’t set in stone and probably won’t be anytime soon. Even putting the pieces in place by the start of the season isn’t a guarantee.
“We’d like to have it done Week 1,” offensive coordinator Justin Outten said. “That’s definitely something you want to try to hang your hat on, but we’re not going to sit here and put it in concrete and say, ‘This is how we’re going to roll for the rest of the season.’ They’re always going to be competing throughout the season.”
There are two big question marks on the offensive line. The first is at right guard, with Meinerz and Muti competing. The second question is at right tackle, where Billy Turner is the favorite but 26-year-old Calvin Anderson could prove he’s ready for a starting job.
The problem right now is that Billy Turner is on the Physically Unable to Perform list with a knee injury, leaving Anderson as the Broncos’ top option in camp. Turner started 43 games for the Packers over the past three seasons, in the same blocking system the Broncos run, with current Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett serving as offensive coordinator.
Denver won’t commit to a starting tackle until Turner takes the field.
“That’s the thing with Billy,” Outten said. “Coming off an injury like he had and the rehab process of it, you have to give him a chance. It’s not fair to Billy.”
If the competition along the line drags into late August, which it seems poised to do, the Broncos will be wasting valuable time to build chemistry up front
Rather than assigning each blocker a defender to be responsible for blocking before the snap—like in the previous scheme—the new zone blocking system is about running horizontally off the snap and creating leverage to make blocks. Pairs of linemen typically work in tandem. More often than not, one lineman chips a defensive lineman so the other can gain leverage, and then the first lineman extends to the second level and hits a linebacker.
Chemistry is key in this system and every day the starting five lineman aren’t working together feels like a waste. The one perk of letting various linemen work with the starting group is that they’ll have a head start on that chemistry if they need to sub in during a game.
The chemistry has gotten good reviews so far in camp.
“I think the line, in general, has done a fine job,” Hackett said. “They’re really communicating well. They’re passing off stunts like I’ve never seen before this early which is great.”
There’s a caveat, though.
“It’s not full pads,” Hackett said. “I think that’s where we’re going to see more. Right now, all of those guys are playing really well, and we just want to keep them amped up and get the pads on so we can get an even better evaluation.”
The pads come on this Wednesday, and that’s when the competition will really heat up.
