ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- When the Denver Broncos' veterans report for training camp July 22, there will be plenty for owner Greg Penner, coach Sean Payton and the rest of the Broncos' brass to discuss.
One subject includes how the offense can improve on its playoff season in 2024, from second-year quarterback Bo Nix on down to the running backs, receivers and tight ends. And the answers will largely rest on how an offensive line that returns intact will perform.
"I've said it's one of the rarest things I've been a part of," right tackle Mike McGlinchey said. "We, this offensive line, take our responsibility seriously ... to set a standard."
There won't be many starting positions up for grabs when the Broncos convene for Payton's third training camp as coach. But even in that backdrop of stability, the Denver offensive line stands out as the write-it-in-with-a-Sharpie position group.
It is the return on a major investment the Broncos have made over the past two years. The five starters from last season -- left tackle Garett Bolles, left guard Ben Powers, center Luke Wattenberg, right guard Quinn Meinerz and McGlinchey -- took virtually every snap with the starting offense in the offseason program. That will continue into camp and the regular season as long as they stay healthy.
McGlinchey (five years, $87.5 million) and Powers (four years, $51.5 million) were signed in free agency in 2023. Meinerz, a third-round pick in 2021, signed a four-year, $72 million extension in July 2024, while Bolles -- the longest-tenured Bronco -- signed a four-year, $82 million extension last December. Even with Wattenberg, a fifth-round pick in 2022, on the last year of his rookie deal, the Broncos will have the fourth-highest salary cap charge of any NFL offensive line in 2025.
That's exactly how Payton wants it.
"That group played well last year," Payton said. "All five are important, and the way they play ... the experience and the toughness of that group is extremely important."
Everything the Broncos want to do to further ramp up their production -- they increased their scoring from 21.0 points per game in 2023 to 25.0 in 2024 -- rests on their group up front. Their optimism seems well-placed, as the Broncos led the NFL in both pass block win rate (73.8%, more than 3% higher than the next-best team) and run block win rate (74.9%) last season. Meinerz led the way, earning first-team All-Pro honors, as the Broncos surrendered only 24 sacks (third fewest in the league) en route to their first playoff appearance since 2015.
Nix finished his first season with 29 touchdown passes, the second most for a rookie in NFL history. And when running back J.K. Dobbins signed with the Broncos in June, he announced it was a "no-brainer" in part because the "line is amazing."
"I think it just comes with our calmness, our composure, our competitiveness and the grit that we have," Bolles said. "I love all those guys."
Nix has said he believes the offense's high retention -- nine of the 11 offensive players who started the 2024 season opener and 19 of the 22 offensive players in uniform that day are still on the roster -- has been significant in his progress. But he specifically credits the offensive line for helping him build confidence, maintain his footwork, go through his progressions and keep proper timing on each play.
It helped that Nix didn't have to concern himself with frequent protection lapses and the impact of that pressure on his mechanics. That's not something that other rookie quarterbacks could say. Chicago's Caleb Williams was sacked a league-high 68 times last season while Washington's Jayden Daniels (47) suffered the sixth-most sacks in the NFL. Even New England's Drake Maye, who started five fewer games than Nix, was dropped 34 times.
That, plus a second season in Payton's offense, has Nix feeling good entering training camp.
"Honestly, it felt weird because it hasn't been since high school [his offense hasn't changed from one year to the next]," Nix said. "I'm just used to learning different things, so it's good not to have to learn an entire new system this year, and have the same playcaller and have the same quarterback coach, the same guys you're throwing it to. The same center and the same line ... You're going to see it in ways that you can't even understand."
Nix also continues to build his relationship with Wattenberg, the youngest player on the line. The fourth-year man won the position battle last year, and his coaches and teammates notice a marked difference in his comfort level in offseason workouts compared to 2024.
That communication improvement has happened with the veteran linemen, too. League personnel executives noticed communication bobbles between Bolles and Powers in their first season together on the left side in 2023. But there were fewer moments of miscommunication last season, and they're expected to be even less frequent in 2025.
"I always say the sky is the limit for us," Bolles said. "We know what kind of players we have, how we work together ... we all want it on our shoulders and all we want to do is make it so our backs can run and protect Bo at all times so we can win. That's it."