Expectations and projections for Bobby Massie with the Broncos in 2021

The Denver Broncos filled their massive hole at right tackle with a massive man by signing Bobby Massie.

The 6-foot-6, 312-pound offensive tackle signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Broncos one week after Ja’Wuan James tore his Achilles.

Here’s what to expect from the 10-year veteran right tackle his first year in Denver.

Projections for 2021: 9 starts; 16th-best right tackle; 1 holding penalty; 3 total penalties

Bobby Massie will have two goals once training camp starts. The first is to prove he’s healthy, which has been no easy feat for him recently. The second is to win the starting right tackle job, which he absolutely should if he’s able to stay healthy.

Once he wins the job, despite having a massive presence on the right side of Denver’s line, don’t expect to hear Massie’s name called much. That’s for good reason too.

Since joining the Chicago Bears in 2016, Massie has only had 14 penalties called on him that were accepted. Of those, only four were holding penalties. That’s less than one accepted holding penalty per year for the right tackle. In fact, Massie only had one holding penalty that was accepted in the past three seasons.

To put that in perspective, Garett Bolles had 21 holding penalties called against him that were accepted since 2017. That doesn’t include the 11 that were declined.

In Bolles’ tremendous 2020 season, he had two holding penalties called against him, while Massie only had one. Regardless of the circumstances, don’t expect much yellow laundry to be thrown because of Massie.

Much like Bolles, Massie was an ironman at the start of his career. From 2014 to 2018, the right tackle started 76 of a possible 80 games for the Arizona Cardinals and Bears. However, since turning 30, Massie hasn’t had the easiest time staying on the field.

In the past two seasons, Massie’s played in 18 total games. In 2020, he missed the second half of the season with a knee injury, while in 2019 he was only able to play in 10 games.

The injury bug has already followed him to the Mile High City. Massie was sidelined during Denver’s offseason program after suffering a pec strain. The Broncos are optimistic he will be ready for training camp, but his recent injury history certainly raises concerns about his availability.

The key for a successful season in Denver will be staying healthy. However, the recent downward trend is not encouraging. If he’s able to bounce back, he’s proved throughout the majority of his career he can play near an entire season. But it would be naive for the Broncos to not have a contingency plan for if Massie gets injured. That’s precisely whey they signed Cameron Fleming and also have Calvin Anderson on the roster.

When the former fourth-round pick is on the field, he’s at least an average right tackle in the game. Having played right tackle his entire career, he will slide right into the Broncos’ offensive line and have a minimal learning curve outside of learning the new offense.

Considering the Broncos signed Massie in mid-May, they ended up with a darn-good option at right tackle for only $4 million. The key will be if he’s able to stay healthy, which the past two years would say is no guarantee.