The Denver Broncos have solid depth at just about every position on the roster as well barrel toward the 2025 NFL season, but there could be room for a player to earn a role as the team’s backup center.
That could open the door for a player who went undrafted in April but quickly signed a deal with the Broncos.
Denver Broncos Undrafted Rookie Spotlight
Name: Joe Michalski
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 300 pounds
Position: Center
School: Oklahoma State
Joe Michalski began his college career at Oklahoma State in 2019. He redshirted that season before being used primarily on special teams, though he was inserted into games when injuries popped up. He stuck with the team and was one of the leaders of the offensive line in 2023 before making 12 starts at center for the team last season.
He is a student of the game and offers versatility along the line as he can play multiple positions, though his best path to success in Denver may be at the center position.
He plays with good pad level and his vast experience at a top college program will count for something at the next level. He is also a great blocker if he can get to the second level as he opened up many running lanes for Ollie Gordon, one of college football’s best running backs over the last handful of seasons.
Chances of making final 53-man roster (1-10 scale):
Michalski will have his work cut out for him to make the team this year, and that’s just being honest. The Broncos are set in terms of starters for one of the best offensive lines in the league. But in addition to the talent pool the team already had behind those starters, four more offensive linemen were added as undrafted players.
Xavier Truss has already been featured in the Undrafted Rookie Spotlight and two others, Clay Webb and Marques Cox, will be covered soon.
For Michalski, he needs to take advantage of every single rep he gets this summer. Luke Wattenberg is entrenched as the team’s starting center but Alex Forsyth doesn’t have a firm grip on a roster spot despite the high hopes the team had for him. He didn’t play well last year and after being the player who was tumbled backward on the infamous blocked field goal in Kansas City, there is still a bad taste in the mouths of many when it comes to him.
The Broncos also have Nick Gargiulo, a seventh-round pick who spent the 2024 season on the practice squad, who can play center as well. The team has options and Michalski will be one of them. But his best bet is to spend the 2025 season on the practice squad, take in as much knowledge as he can, and come back in 2026 with a chance to make the team.
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