Broncos roster series: No. 79, OL Lloyd Cushenberry

Broncos Wire’s 90-man offseason roster series continues today with a look at fourth-year center Lloyd Cushenberry, No. 79.

Before the Broncos: Cushenberry (6-4, 315 pounds) was a team captain and Team MVP at LSU in 2019, earning second-team All-American recognition that season. Cushenberry was a two-year starter at LSU and he made the most of his opportunity at the 2020 Senior Bowl ahead of the NFL draft that spring, catching the attention of NFL teams.

Broncos tenure: Denver picked Cushenberry in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft. He won the starting center job right away as a rookie and anchored the team’s offensive line for all 16 games in his first season. Cushenberry started 16 games again in 2021 before missing nine games last season due to injury.

In three years (40 games) with the Broncos, Cushenberry has been penalized 12 times and has allowed seven sacks, according to STATS LLC. While his numbers don’t jump off the screen, Cushenberry is the team’s incumbent starting center going into 2023.

Chance to make the 53-man roster: Cushenberry is basically a lock to make the team and he is likely to start in Week 1. The center will face competition from Kyle Fuller and young centers Luke Wattenberg and
Alex Forsyth this summer, but with 40 starts under his belt, Cushenberry will be the favorite to at least begin the season as Denver’s starter.

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Story originally appeared on Broncos Wire