One of the top interior offensive linemen in this year’s class is heading to the Mile High City. Guard Ben Powers is set to join the Broncos on a four-year contract, per Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link).
Broncos GM George Paton said the team would be focusing on its offensive line, and this contract will bring one of the top interior O-linemen available to Denver. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport adds that the contract is worth $52MM and includes $28.5MM guaranteed (Twitter link).
This marks the third upper-crust contract the Broncos have authorized for a guard since 2017; they have added Ronald Leary (four years, $36MM), Graham Glasgow (four years, $44MM) and now Powers in that time. Neither of the prior two deals ended up panning out for the AFC West team — Denver cut Glasgow after three seasons on Friday — and this one will ensure Dalton Risner finds a home elsewhere. The former second-round pick is now one of the top free agents left on the board.
This agreement will put Powers firmly in the top 10 among guards, and Sirius XM’s Adam Caplan tweets he will earn $15MM in its first year. Powers, 26, has gone from needing to win a competition to lock down a spot as a Ravens starter in 2022 to becoming one of the most sought-after free agents on the market. The Broncos are giving Powers a $13MM signing bonus, and Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets his 2023 and ’24 base salaries will check in at $2MM and $12MM, respectively.
The deal essentially comes in at two years and $27MM, with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk adding most of Powers’ 2025 money does not become guaranteed until Day 5 of the 2025 league year. That gives him two seasons to prove valuable in Denver. Powers’ $27MM through 2024 is fully guaranteed.
This will give the Broncos a guard tandem of Powers and Quinn Meinerz; Pro Football Focus ranked the latter as its No. 6 overall guard in 2022. Powers checked in much lower, just inside the top 40, but the advanced metrics website ranked him as its second-best pass-blocking guard. ESPN’s run block win rate also placed Powers in the top 10 among guards.
For the Ravens, this will continue a trend. Often prioritizing compensatory picks, Baltimore has let the likes of Kelechi Osemele, Ryan Jensen and Bradley Bozeman walk in free agency over the past 10 years. Powers will parlay his 18-start contract year into big dollars, creating a need up front for the Ravens. The AFC North team still has Ben Cleveland and swingman Patrick Mekari under contract.
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