Last season, Denver Broncos center Alex Forsyth was inactive for all 17 games as Lloyd Cushenberry anchored the offensive line. With Cushenberry leaving during free agency, Forsyth will now compete for the starting job this summer alongside Sam Mustipher and Luke Wattenberg.
Payton praised Forsyth’s intelligence, emphasizing that his smarts are a key trait for the center position. When the team drafted Forsyth, they knew he was a highly intelligent player, a quality that Payton believes is essential for a center. Payton advised against reading into the rotation of first-team reps during practice, as he is trying to test out combinations of players.
Forsyth played with quarterback Bo Nix at Oregon in 2022, and if Nix wins the quarterback competition, Forsyth’s experience with him could make him a perfect center for the team. Payton will let both the quarterback and center competitions play out on the field this summer, with first-team snaps rotating to give everyone a chance to prove themselves. It will be interesting to see how Forsyth’s intelligence and experience with Nix factor into the final decision when selecting a starting center for the Broncos.
