As the Broncos push toward the midpoint of the 2023 season, all manner of storylines have developed.
They range from remarkable on the good side of the ledger (Jaleel McLaughlin’s rise from Division II to instant impact NFL rookie) to remarkable on the other side (take a look at those Broncos defensive marks).
There’s all sorts of middle ground, too, and it adds up to a rough start to the Sean Payton era. Models peg Denver’s playoff chances at the moment at 1%, and the Broncos need to find a way to upset Kansas City and stop a 16-game losing streak to avoid hitting their bye week at 2-6.
Here’s a development thatap playing out a bit below the radar: Center Lloyd Cushenberry is playing the best football of his career and making himself some money in the process.
Denver’s fourth-year offensive lineman is in the final year of his rookie deal and, after entering training camp as perhaps the biggest question mark on a remade offensive line, he’s putting together a high-quality first half.
“Yeah, I just feel like I’m just continuing to try to build,” Cushenberry told The Post. “Itap Year 4. I feel like the game has kind of slowed down for me and I’m starting to see things more.”
Cushenberry has been healthy after he spent the final nine games of 2022 on injured reserve with a groin issue. He could have returned, but after only fair results early in the season, the Broncos opted to keep him on the shelf and finish the year with Graham Glasgow at center.
Cushenberry’s bounced back this fall and he gives new offensive line coach Zach Strief and assistant Austin King substantial credit.
“They’ve made a big impact on me this year,” he said. “They not only tell you, ‘Ok, you’re struggling at this, fix it.’ They actually explain what you’re struggling with, whatap causing it, how to fix it and what itap going to take to fix it. They just do a great job of coaching the details and itap made me a better player.”
Coach Sean Payton in the offseason said he thought playing between Ben Powers and Quinn Meinerz would benefit Cushenberry, too, and thatap been the case. Meinerz has continued to move toward the upper echelon of guards in the NFL and Powers, a veteran, has settled in over recent weeks.
Cushenberry also said a second year playing with quarterback Russell Wilson has only helped their rapport.
“You want that quarterback/center relationship where he brings ease,” Wilson said this week. “You know what he’s going to call, how he’s going to call it, how we’re going to work together and orchestrate the whole thing together. He’s the heartbeat of that line up front and he does a great job of it, man. I’m really excited for him. He’s been healthy, too. Last year he got dinged up and that was unfortunate, didn’t work in his favor.
“But itap working in his favor now and itap working in our favor as a team. Itap going to continue to.”
In the bigger picture, Cushenberry is setting himself up well for a second contract, be it in Denver or somewhere else. In the meantime, he’s the epitome and epicenter of an offensive line thatap playing better than its getting credit for.
Number to know
More trench talk: No one metric captures football perfectly, but Their offensive line has the second-best run-block win rate in the NFL (74%) and the eighth-ranked pass-block win rate (61%). Meanwhile, the defense checks in No. 31 in pass-rush win rate (31%) and last in run-stop win rate (27%).
Hindsight is 20/20
Sometimes the eye test and analytics line up. Russell Wilson against Green Bay had success throwing to his wide receivers. He went 11-for-11 throwing to Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton combined for 140 yards and a touchdown. The lone incompletion came on a throwaway over Marvin Mims, Jr.’s head. That worked out to a 143.1 passer rating. Compare that to 7-of-13 for 60 yards and an interception (34.1 passer rating) against Kansas City in Week 6. Naturally, the Chiefs secondary and defense overall are much better than the Packers’ unit but itap still part of the recipe for Round 2.
One impressive stat each for Sutton and Jeudy, from NFL Next Gen Stats: Sutton hit 21.05 miles per hour on his 33-yard catch early in the game. That was the fastest Week 7 mark by any receiver in the NFL. Jeudy, meanwhile, generated an average of 4.7 yards of separation per target (third best in the league) while operating mostly downfield (9.4 yards of depth per target). If their numbers look more like that against the Chiefs and Denver still runs the ball, the game will be close.
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