Mike Munchak's offensive line is already developing an identity

DENVER — Ever since John Elway landed Hall of Fame offensive lineman and renowned position coach Mike Munchak to take over the Broncos’ offensive line, the expectations in Denver outside of the UCHealth Training Center have been a Mile High.

The expectations are no different within the walls of the Broncos’ headquarters, either.

“I want people to turn on film and say, ‘Okay, we’ve got to play the Broncos o-line this week. Alright, we’ve seen them on film playing hard, finishing downfield, dumping people,” Ja’Wuan James said, recapping a conversation he had with fellow offensive lineman Ron Leary about what the identity of the new and improved line will be. “I really want people to look at it and have respect. That’s the big thing in this league is respect.”

The word “feared” hasn’t been paired with Denver’s offensive line in quite some time, despite shelling out big-time money and devoting top draft picks all along the unit in recent years.

“We want people to turn on the film and be like ‘Alright I got to bring my A-game today,’” James stated with passion on Tuesday at Godsman Elementary School in Denver, where he and United HealthCare surprised 70 students with new bikes and helmets

While Elway has devoted plenty of resources to the offensive line during his tenure, it’s been on another level in 2019.

Not only did Elway lock up arguably the league’s best offensive line coach in Munchak, he made James one of the league’s highest-paid right tackles to the sweet tune of $12.75 million per year and used his second pick in the draft on versatile offensive lineman Dalton Risner.

“I’ve heard a lot of good things,” James said, emphasizing his excitement to meet Risner. “Coach Munch talked him up. We heard he’s a nasty player, so that’s what we like in our offensive line… I feel like he’ll be a good addition to our team.”

“Nasty” is something the Broncos have looked for in their offensive lineman for years.

In the past, Elway’s sang the praises of Garett Bolles and Leary’s nastiness on the football field.

Not only do the Broncos believe their new on-field additions of Risner and James possess that same tough attitude, but they also have no question their coach possesses the same trait.

“He has it,” James quickly responded with a big smile, talking about Munchak. “He has it in him. He was a player. He was a heck of a player, a Hall of Famer. He has that in him.”

With Bolles at left tackle, Leary at left guard, Connor McGovern at center and James holding down the right side at tackle, it’s expected that the rookie will immediately step in as the team’s starting right guard.

“If he’s next to me, I see it as an opportunity to help another young player in this league get to his best and reach his potential,” James said.

Despite an expensive new tackle and a promising new rookie, the conductor of the unit is unquestionably the only one with a gold jacket in his closet.

“Coach Munch—I think he relates so well to us and that’s why every player he’s ever coached loves him because he was a player. He sat in that chair. He’s done it. He’s done it at a high level, Hall of Famer,” James said, describing the first few weeks of working under his new coach as “great.”

“He can definitely relate and communicate with us very well.”

Being nasty and intimidating is great, and likely what every offensive line strides to be. But with so many new pieces, even with Munchak leading the way, James acknowledged it can take up to an entire season for a new group of five linemen to gel and become one unit.

“Hopefully not, but you never know. You never know,” the 26-year old said. “I feel like we got a bunch of guys in the room that like to come to work every day, embrace the competition that’s in the room—we’re bringing in a rookie now, so that’s going to raise the competition. We’ve got a good room. A good group of guys.”

For years, Elway’s wanted an offensive line that’s respected around the league.

Led by Munchak, James is already envisioning a path where he and his unit can turn to Elway at some point in the season and say, in the soulful words of Aretha Franklin, “Baby, I got it.”