As the Denver Broncos look to fortify their offensive line for good, another option for repairing the oft-maligned unit has come available. On Monday the Los Angeles Chargers released Orlando Franklin, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Chargers released offensive lineman Orlando Franklin, per source. Chargers drafted two guards and deemed Franklin too pricey to keep.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 15, 2017
Franklin was a 2011 second-round draft pick of the Denver Broncos. He played four years at right tackle for the Broncos, starting 63 of 64 possible games. Denver never missed the playoffs with Franklin on the roster.
He departed for a big payday in San Diego in 2015, but played in only 10 games in his first year there. The Chargers moved him to left guard, and he started all 16 games in 2016, but as Schefter indicated, he was deemed too expensive for the team as they head to Los Angeles.
In 2015 and ’16, Denver ranked 16th and then 28th in rush yards per attempt. Their quarterback sacked percentage ranked 20th and 24th, respectively, in those years.
The Broncos have already added a guard in Ronald Leary and potentially shored up the left tackle position with first-round draft pick Garett Bolles. Menelik Watson, Donald Stephenson and Ty Sambrailo will all compete for the right and swing tackle positions. Denver has some depth at guard with Max Garcia the entrenched starter and Michael Schofield likely to step into a backup role behind Leary and Garcia. Last year’s draft pick Connor McGovern could make some noise on the line as well.
The intriguing thing about Franklin is his versatility. He’s been a starter at both guard and tackle, making him a possible fit in a number of spots for Denver.
The tricky part with Franklin would be his price tag. He was scheduled to make $7.6 million with the Chargers this year, who at present are looking at a $4.8 million dead cap hit with his release. After signing their draft picks, the Broncos have roughly $6.2 million available under the salary cap, according to Spotrac. An established veteran like Franklin will likely draw plenty of suitors, so Denver will have to decide if it’s worth getting into the bidding.