Max Garcia, a fourth-round pick of the Denver Broncos in 2015, has played out his rookie contract and will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Should the team bring him back into the fold?
The Broncos don’t have exceptional depth along the offensive line and matters there are made worse by the fact that Jared Veldheer, Matt Paradis, Billy Turner and Gino Gradkowski are all unrestricted free agents as well.
Gradkowski likely doesn’t fit into the team’s future plans, but if you were to rank the other four linemen, it’s possible that Garcia is at the bottom of that list. Making matters worse for him is the fact that he is coming off of a torn ACL suffered back in November.
Garcia has had his moments in Denver but for the most part, has underachieved.
The Broncos have Sam Jones, a sixth-round pick last year, on the roster along with Don Barclay, a veteran the team signed to a futures contract shortly after the season ended.
Barclay, still just 29 years old, has appeared in 65 games during his career, making 25 starts.
The only way the Broncos should bring Garcia back is if Turner signs a big contract with another team. Turner should be prioritized over Garcia and the team should look to give him a new contract.
The injury Garcia sustained last season is a concern and because it happened in November, he may not even be 100 percent when the season starts. Regardless of Garcia’s status, expect the Broncos to address the offensive line in the upcoming draft.
