The Denver Broncos will need to adjust their offensive line for rookie first-round pick Bo Nix, who has faced difficulties with sacks in his first two regular season games. Additionally, Nix will be missing one of his starting tackles for the next month.
“#Broncos star suffered a significant MCL sprain and is expected to miss about a month, sources say,” NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported on X on September 16. “Evaluations are ongoing, so the timeline is somewhat fluid. But he’ll be sidelined for a bit.”
Mike Klis from 9News confirmed the report. He sustained the injury during the final moments of the Broncos’ 13-6 defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“With 2:01 left in the game, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix threw from the Steelers’ 11-yard line high incomplete to the end zone,” Klis wrote on September 16. “McGlinchey was blocking edge rusher T.J. Watt’s while left tackle Garett Bolles was taking down the other edge rusher Alex Highsmith from the other side. McGlinchey got inadvertently rolled up from behind by Bolles and his defender and went down.”
McGlinchey was a strong advocate for Nix and had praised the rookie’s development since joining the team, which makes his absence even more impactful.
McGlinchey missed one game in 2023 during his initial season with the Broncos. In 2022, he appeared in all 17 regular season games and three playoff games with the San Francisco 49ers. He is currently in the second year of a five-year, $87.5 million contract with the Broncos, which was restructured in March to free up cap space, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.
Broncos Could Turn to Undrafted Rookie to Replace Injured Veteran Mike McGlinchey
After McGlinchey’s injury, second-year tackle Alex Palczewski, who replaced the seven-year veteran, stepped into the role. Palczewski, an undrafted free agent from Illinois in 2023, did not see game action as a rookie. He has played just two offensive snaps, both in the loss to the Steelers, and has been on special teams for six snaps in the 2024 season so far.
With McGlinchey sidelined, the opportunity might open for 2024 undrafted free agent Frank Crum, who has been a healthy scratch for the first two weeks of the season. Broncos head coach Sean Payton has praised Crum highly.
“His tape has been really good,” Payton said on August 30 when discussing Crum’s place on the 53-man roster. “We had to really compete in free agency to sign him. His size and potential stood out. He was never a candidate for release; we believed he earned his spot on the team.”
Payton also drew a comparison to Broncos offensive line coach Zach Strief, noting that while Crum is more athletically advanced at this stage, Strief had a similar development trajectory.
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