The Lead
On a new-look offensive line, Broncos center Lloyd Cushenberry III will look to make his fourth season in Denver his most successful yet. The changes the Broncos have made to the offensive line have aligned with Cushenberry's win-first mentality, as he revealed last week in an interview with the Denver Post.
The most significant change the Broncos made this offseason was the hiring of Coach Sean Payton, who spent 15 seasons with the Saints and led the franchise to its first Super Bowl. A native of Geismar, Louisiana, Cushenberry saw the impact of winning firsthand.
"I have so many memories watching [the Saints] with my family and friends," Cushenberry told The Post. "So it's cool to be up close and personal with Coach Payton and hear him tell stories about the games I remember watching as a kid."
In free agency, the Broncos added two top offensive linemen with playoff experience in guard Ben Powers and right tackle Mike McGlinchey.
Cushenberry said that their experience and no-nonsense mentality has helped the Broncos' offensive line start to build its own winning habits through spring practices and training camp.
"They know what it takes to get where we're trying to get," Cushenberry said. "And they came in with that mindset even in the spring. Ready to work. No nonsense. Not really trying to be 'rah rah' guys. Just working. I feel like it's bled into the whole room."
Cushenberry is no stranger to playing in big games himself. Before his selection in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft, he was a team captain for the 2019 National Champion LSU Tigers and helped the Tigers win 25 of his final 28 collegiate games.
Though he emerged as a top center prospect, Cushenberry focused on the process and winning games rather than the draft in his final year at LSU, and he's taking that same win-first mentality into the upcoming season.
"Going back to college, I never really focused on 'the draft' this, 'the draft' that — I just focused on winning," Cushenberry said. "Because at a school like LSU, you win, it's going to come. And in the league, you win, good things happen. ... It's the same approach here, going into my last year."
Read more about Cushenberry’s perspective on the 2023 season here.
