It took three days for George Paton’s decision to pass on tackles in the NFL Draft to come under serious fire. On May 4th, the Broncos veteran Ja’Wuan James suffered a torn Achilles that ultimately led to his release from the roster. On May 12th, Paton signed former Bear Bobby Massie to a one-year contract, presumably to replace James as the starting right tackle. A day later, the Broncos doubled down at the position by signing former Giant Cameron Fleming to a similar one-year deal.
Credit where credit is due. Rather than take a leap of faith with Calvin Anderson’s development after 132 offensive snaps in 2020, the Broncos’ first year general manager chose to add two experienced competitors in order to try to solve a roster hole that’s lingered since the Peyton Manning era.