Denver Broncos most pressing needs entering 2021 NFL Draft

2. Right tackle

The Denver Broncos thought they had solved a longstanding issue when they signed free agent right tackle Ja’Wuan James to what was, at the time, a record-setting contract for his position.

James missed the majority of his first season in Denver (2019) due to a knee injury that he didn’t feel comfortable enough to play on despite being medically cleared. With that water under the bridge leading up to 2020, James was expected to be a crucial part of the Broncos’ plans on the offensive line before he decided to opt-out of the season for concerns over the pandemic.

James has not really played much meaningful football since the 2019 preseason, so by the time the 2021 season rolls around, he’s going to be asked to play right tackle at a high level against elite competition, something he hasn’t done for a long time.

Because his contract tolled a full season, the Broncos don’t have much choice but to hope for the best. With that being said, they can plan for the future by drafting his replacement in 2021, which they could look into doing as early as the first round.

Certainly, within their first three selections, the Denver Broncos will be looking at the offensive tackle position because this year’s class of players there is deep and talented, even if it doesn’t have the type of top-end talent we saw come out in the 2020 class.