When you mention the name Shelley Smith to Ty Sambrailo, you see his face light up. The Broncos offensive linemen hadn’t played a down together before this offseason, but share the pride of being former Colorado State Rams.
“When I was coming out of high school, it was Shelley’s senior year,” said Sambrailo, a second-round draft pick by the Broncos this year. “When I was getting recruited by (CSU) I was watching film, and he was one of the best players. I would always watch him from afar, and he’s been a great Ram.”
Smith didn’t have the direct Rams- to-Broncos pipeline Sambrailo did. The five-year veteran was drafted in the sixth round by Houston where he spent the first two years of his career with Gary Kubiak and Rick Dennison. He didn’t play a snap for the former Texans coaches, but he must have done enough to impress them to take another shot on him in Denver.
Smith signed a 2-year contract worth $5.65 million in March with hopes he would compete for a starting job on the offensive line.
“I feel like my chances are very good. There’s a lot of competition in the room,” Smith said. “I believe it’ll be the best five guys, and I hope I’m one of them.”
His biggest competition might come from former Air Force and Broncos practice squad player Ben Garland, who ran a lot of snaps with the first team offensive line in minicamp.
“We are very competitive right now. Shelley is pushing Garland,” Kubiak said. “But how it’s going to end up, I don’t know.”
Because of injuries, free agency and trades, the Broncos will have at least four new starters on the offensive line when the season begins in September. One advantage Smith might have on his competition is the experience he has working in Kubiak and Dennison’s zone blocking schemes.
“We’ve had Shelley before; we had him in Houston, and then we lost him,” Dennison said. “We know what he is because he’s a CSU guy. He’s athletic, he knows what to do and he’s developed.”
Smith spent two years in St. Louis and last season in Miami, but returning to play under the coaching staff that gave him his first chance played a huge role in his decision to return to Colorado.
“It’s like a second home. It’s awesome to come home and see familar faces and play for Coach Kubiak and his staff again,” Smith said.
Regardless of the Kubiak-Smith connection, the starting left guard job will be won in training camp. Garland and Smith both hope to fill the role vacated when Orlando Franklin signed a five-year, $36.5 million deal with the San Diego Chargers in March.
The Broncos return only one player with a positive Pro Football Focus individual blocking grade that started at least one game in 2014, right guard Louis Vasquez. Smith was listed as the 64th best guard in the league by PFF last season. There are only 64 starting guards in the league when each season begins.
Smith and the entire offensive line will have to play a lot better to protect quarterback Peyton Manning and provide holes for the Broncos’ running backs.
The connection between Kubiak and former Houston players has been well-documented, but Kubiak also has shown an affinity for Colorado State. Both of his sons, Klint and Klay, played for CSU. With running back Kapri Bibbs and linebacker Shaquil Barrett returning, the Broncos have four Rams on their training camp roster. There are four former CSU players currently on the other 31 NFL rosters.
Smith and Sambrailo said they plan to take a trip to Fort Collins this summer when they’re off. But their first goal is to win football games. Whether they’ll be starting next to each other, that’s for training camp to decide.
Cameron Wolfe: 303-954-1891, cwolfe@denverpost.com or
Broncos’ Left Guard Position At-a-Glance
Shelley Smith and Ben Garland will compete for the Broncos’ left guard position during training camp:
Shelley Smith
— A former sixth-round pick who has a reputation of an agile, zone run blocker.
— He started three of 11 games at guard for the Dolphins last season.
— The former Ram battled a knee injury that held him out for a month and he never gained his starting job back last season.
— Released in March.
Ben Garland
— A former Air Force nose tackle who earns his keep as a gritty, tenacious player.
— The 27-year-old Grand Junction native originally was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2010.
— After spending two years honoring his military commitment and two years on the Broncos practice squad, Garland made his NFL debut last November against the Oakland Raiders.
