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How OL Graham Glasgow, who will reportedly join the Broncos, fits in Denver

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — When the legal-tampering period began Monday, the Broncos moved quickly to reportedly agree to terms with guard Graham Glasgow.

It's a move that could instantly solidify the interior of the Broncos' offensive line.

The former third-round pick has experience playing left guard, center and right guard — and he has missed just two games during his four-year career.

While playing right guard in 2019, Glasgow did not allow a sack and he had just three penalties enforced against him all season. The previous year, Glasgow allowed just one sack as he saw extensive time at center.

Glasgow's play also appears to be on the rise; he turned in his best season of his career in 2019, according to Pro Football Focus.

With Connor McGovern reportedly agreeing to terms with the Jets, it's too early to project whether Glasgow will slot in at center or right guard for the Broncos. As the team approaches the second wave of free agency and the draft, they could choose to add at either position.

Already clear, though, is that the Broncos have reportedly added a player that was perhaps the top interior lineman on the open market.

A review of the Lions' Week 17 game against the eventual NFC finalist Green Bay Packers makes Glasgow's talent quite clear.

The following plays stood out during DenverBroncos.com's review of the film:

  • On the Lions' first drive of the game, Glasgow helped double-team the defensive tackle before moving up to the second level. The Lions ran for 10 yards on the play.
  • Later in the first quarter, Glasgow held up one-on-one against Pro Bowler Za'Darius Smith and allowed quarterback David Blough to complete a first-down throw on third-and-8.
  • On first-and-20 on the same drive, Glasgow sealed off Dean Lowry to help set up a 15-yard run.
  • On Detroit's third drive, with Lowry lined up over his outside shoulder, Glasgow helped push Lowry inside to seal the lane for an 8-yard run.
  • In the second quarter, Glasgow held up one-on-one against Kenny Clark as the Lions completed a 42-yard pass. Three plays later, as the Packers overloaded his gap, Glasgow stepped to the inside linebacker. When the 'backer dropped back into coverage, Glasgow immediately stepped to his right to help the tackle with his assignment. Detroit completed a 15-yard pass.
  • On a second-and-12 in the red zone, Glasgow had the closest thing to a negative play in the first half. He was beat inside, but the throw was already out before the defender could apply pressure.
  • Glasgow's best moment came at the end of the first half, with Detroit lined up on its own 25-yard line with 20 seconds to play. Clark lined up over Glasgow's inside shoulder, and with the help of a double team, Glasgow sealed Clark off to provide a running lane. The Lions gained 40 yards on the play. Two plays later, Glasgow provided another running lane to get the Lions into field-goal range to take a 17-3 lead at halftime.
  • On a third-and-9 in the third quarter, the Packers overloaded Glasgow's side of the line. At the snap, he identified the correct defender and held up in pass protection.
  • On a third-and-2, Glasgow helped pass Za'Darius Smith off to the center and then went to help the right tackle with Preston Smith. He could have gotten a bigger punch on Za'Darius before passing him off.
  • On a fourth-quarter third down, Glasgow allowed his only pressure of the game as Kyler Fackrell beat him inside. Blough was able to scramble away for the first down.
  • During the Lions' penultimate drive, Glasgow worked to the second level to help Detroit break a 20-yard run.

Over the course of the Lions' 60 offensive snaps, Glasgow allowed just one pressure and had just a handful of plays that could be considered negative. That might even be nitpicking. On one such play, the Lions gained three yards before Glasgow's defender made the tackle.

And while Za'Darius and Preston Smith posed issues for most of the Lions' offensive lineman — especially in the second half — Glasgow didn't have issues against either player.

One game is an admittedly small sample size, but Glasgow's performance against Green Bay shows the type of football he could deliver in Denver.

Toss in Mike Munchak's coaching, and Glasgow could bring long-needed stability to the interior of the Broncos' offensive line.

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