Who has the edge in Denver Broncos' starting center battle?

The Denver Broncos were officially back to work this week, starting training camp with an acclimation practice on Wednesday. The team’s quarterback battle will rightly gain the attention of most fans, but there’s another position without a clearly-defined starter on the offense: center.

The Broncos will return four out of five linemen from last year: left tackle Garett Bolles, left guard Ben Powers, the team’s new $80 million man and right guard Quinn Meinerz, and right tackle Mike McGlinchey. But last year’s starting center Lloyd Cushenberry departed the team for the Tennessee Titans in free agency during the 2024 offseason, leaving a decided void.

Forsyth’s Job to Lose

As things stand, it appears 2023 seventh-round draft pick Alex Forsyth is the name penciled into the starting center role. According to reports, Forsyth worked with the starters for much of OTAs and mini-camp this year, rotating with Luke Wattenberg, a 2022 fifth-round selection.

In January Broncos GM George Paton called Forsyth a “future starter” in the eyes of the team.

An established relationship with rookie quarterback Bo Nix will likely help Forsyth in his quest to become the starter. Nix and Forsyth played for one season at the University of Oregon.

For now, it appears that Forsyth has the inside track on the job. That could change when the pads come on in training camp, and fans shouldn’t forget about Sam Mustipher, who the Broncos signed in April. Mustipher has started 42 games in his career with the Baltimore Ravens and Chicago Bears, but has never stood out as one of the league’s elites at the position.