The best teams and GMs can turn an a loss into a gain through a bit of magic.
It appears Broncos General Manager George Paton has done just that in the signing of Bobby Massie.
Massie, formerly of the Arizona Cardinals and most recently the Chicago Bears for five years, will be playing instead of Ja’Wuan James. James, signed in 2019, only played 63 total snaps for the Broncos in his two years with the team. That’s because he opted out of the 2020 season due to concerns about COVID-19.
James then tore his achilles tendon while working out away from the facility a week ago, landing him on the non-football injury list.
So Paton turned to the free agent market and found Massie, who’s an upgrade over James. Pro Football Focus said Massie was one of the most clutch offensive linemen in the fourth quarter or overtime in 2019.
“Massie missed several games last season with injury and put up a 63.2 grade in total, but he graded out better than any other qualifying right tackle in the fourth quarter and overtime of one-score games. Even then, his performance in pass protection was serviceable rather than stellar. Actually, it was the several nice blocks that moved defenders on double teams in the run game that boosted his overall grade to the top of the top right tackle position,” PFF explained.
Massie was a so-so player for much of his career until 2018, and over the last three years he’s only been called for eight penalties and only given up five sacks. Compare that to James’ seven penalties and seven sacks in 2018 alone. (That was the last time he played a full season.)
And in 2020, Massie enjoyed a career-high grade from PFF at 72.6, which was 36th-best among all tackles. His 70.8 pass-blocking was second-best of his career. Overall, he’s a well-established pass blocker but his run blocking only shines in spurts.
It’s likely Broncos head coach Vic Fangio was impressed with watching Massie on the offensive side of the ball when they were both with Chicago, and that both Fangio and Paton like his quickness.
The downside to Massie is his recent injury history. He missed six games in 2019 due to a pestering high ankle sprain. And then his 2020 was cut in half down to eight games due to a knee injury which sidelined him for most of the second half of the season.
Denver used seven of 10 draft picks on the defensive side of the ball two weeks ago in the NFL Draft, and they infamously didn’t take a right tackle. Now, they are thin at both tackle spots, although the interior of the line has some newfound depth.
If the Broncos are to find a way back to better than .500, they’ve got to keep Massie and Garett Bolles healthy, who will in turn try to keep either Teddy Bridgewater or Drew Lock (or Aaron Rodgers?) healthy behind center. And not just healthy, but clean; both Lock and Bridgewater enjoy much better passer ratings when throwing from a clean pocket rather than under pressure.
Paton may not have taken a tackle in the draft, but he did find a replacement for James in a hurry. And, an upgrade at that.
The Broncos defense built by Paton is likely a top-5 unit, and considering all Denver has invested in the offense in recent years, the team has a real chance to make the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
If he somehow trades for Rodgers, it’s all but certain Denver will make the playoffs. And, they’d be Super Bowl contenders immediately, too.