If we’re being honest, we probably want the descriptions of our favorite offensive linemen to fall along the lines of how we would describe some type of post-apocalyptic gladiator.
For the Denver Broncos, that gladiator up front is offensive guard Quinn Meinerz, who established himself as one of the NFL’s top interior offensive linemen in 2024.
Meinerz also earned NFL All-Pro honors for the first time as the Broncos made the playoffs for the first time since the 2015 season, when Meinerz was still attending tiny Hartford Union High School in Hartford, Wisconsin.
Headed into 2025, it’s apparent the rest of the NFL has fully caught on to what type of player the 6-foot-3, 340-pound NCAA Division III product is after he was named to ESPN’s annual preseason list of the Top 10 interior offensive linemen as picked by NFL executives.
Meinerz came in at No. 8 on the list, which was topped by Kansas City Chiefs center and 2-time Super Bowl champion Creed Humphrey.
“Meinerz entered a new stratosphere in Year 4, earning All-Pro first-team honors along with a four-year, $72-million extension,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote on July 12. “He was one of five interior offensive linemen to appear on at least 75% of the ballots … The numbers bear that out: His 96.6 pass block win rate led all offensive linemen with at least 800 snaps played. Meinerz is emblematic of the Broncos’ culture. In 2021, corner Pat Surtain II and Meinerz were two of the first three draft picks of the GM George Paton era in Denver.”
Something else Meinerz and Surtain have in common is both signed massive extensions before the 2024 season. Meinerz for $72 million and Surtain on a 4-year, $96 million deal as he became the first Broncos player since linebacker Randy Gradishar in 1978 to be named NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
From Division III To Superstar NFL O-Lineman
Meinerz took an unusual path to the NFL. He started two seasons at NCAA Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2018 and 2019 and sat out all of 2020 after the Division III season was canceled because of the pandemic before being drafted by the Broncos in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft.
Meinerz played his way into a starting role as a rookie in 2021, taking over at right guard in Week 9. He started all 13 games he played in 2022 and in 2023 started all 17 games for Denver and was good enough to be one of the top earners in the NFL’s Performance-Based Play bonus system, netting an extra $747,705 following the season.
Broncos Offense In Way Better Shape In 2025
The Broncos made the playoffs in 2024 largely because of an elite defense, elite offensive line and rookie quarterback Bo Nix seemingly getting better by the game down the stretch.
Denver should have a much more well rounded offense in 2025 — especially at running back — where Meinerz and his cohorts seem primed to open holes for the team’s first 1,000 yard rusher since 2019.
Second round pick RJ Harvey had consecutive 1,600 yard seasons at UCF in 2023 and 2024 and free agent J.K. Dobbins could also make an impact after signing a 1-year, $2.745 million contract on June 10.
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