You didn’t have to be an NFL head coach to see what the biggest problem for the Denver Broncos offense was in a 13-11 win over the New York Jets in Week 6 in London.
Against the Jets, the Broncos looked like their offensive line was totally out of sync, thanks in large part to the play of Matt Peart, who was making his first start of the season in place of the injured Ben Powers.
Peart was about as bad as an NFL offensive lineman could be against the Jets, where he was called for 3 penalties. Peart is currently ranked 108th out of 109 eligible NFL offensive guards with a 29.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.
Peart, 6-foot-7 and 318 pounds, was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury after he returned from London and underwent an MRI.
“For second straight week, Broncos are placing their starting left guard on IR after he just played every offensive snap in game,” Denver 9 News reporter Mike Klis wrote on his official X account on October 14. “This time Matt Peart going on IR with knee injury per source. He played all 60 snaps vs Jets. Tests run after he returned to Denver from London. Peart had replaced Ben Powers, who played every snap vs Eagles, but now on IR with biceps injury.”
While it’s not totally clear what the Broncos might do with their lineup after they’ve lost both Powers and his replacement, there’s one unique idea that might actually work really well.
One Broncos Starter Could Shift Positions
Peart’s struggles probably necessitated a shift in plans to something that didn’t include Peart, which Locked on Broncos podcast host Cody Roark had at the ready.
“The Broncos need to figure out how to maybe make the best overall adjustment, which in my opinion is sliding Luke Wattenberg over from center to left guard,” Roark said on October 14. “I understand Luke has had his struggles of his own this year, but I actually think that he might be better suited at guard in this situation. Then you start Alex Forsyth at center … Last year, Forsyth, when he started for Wattenberg when he had an inury, I thought he did fantastic in the run blocking assignments and in pass protection.”
Peart signed a 1-year, $1.292 million contract with the Broncos in March 2024 and played in all 17 games for the first time in his career while making 2 starts.
He re-upped with the Broncos on a 2-year, $7 million contract in March 2025.
Peart’s Play Became Talking Point Online
Peart was an easy scapegoat for the Broncos’ overall struggles as an offense against the Jets — a game where the Broncos defense did the heavy lifting by allowing just 82 yards of total offense.
With every Denver fan in the world already hoping quarterback Bo Nix will magically learn to hit receivers on long passes, Peart’s struggles were only amplified.
“So it turns out the only reason why Matt Peart was so horrible last week was because he was playing injured for 95% of the game,” Broncos Fan Da Real Con Man wrote on X. “This ISN’T what I meant when I said I didn’t want to see Peart back on the field. I feel bad for hating on Peart now, and I hope he recovers well.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Broncos Urged to Make Drastic Changes on Offensive Line appeared first on Heavy Sports.