Just a day after one of the most heartening wins of Sean Payton’s tenure in Denver, the Broncos will be forced to adjust around a massive blow to their offensive line.
The organization is placing guard Ben Powers on injured reserve, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Denver Post on Monday. Powers suffered a left biceps tear in the Broncos’ win over the Eagles, and flew back to Denver on Sunday night for further evaluation instead of heading to London with the team.
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Powers had surgery to repair the injury on Monday, a source told The Post.
Somehow, Powers managed to play all 74 offensive snaps against Philadelphia on Sunday, despite the injury. He injured his left bicep during Denver's final offensive drive, which ended in a field goal that extended the team's lead to 21-17, but he still finished the drive and the field goal before getting off the field and telling the team he was hurt. On one outside-zone run by J.K. Dobbins, film clearly shows Powers holding his left arm at a 90-degree angle after blocking for Dobbins and glancing at his bicep after the play, appearing to gingerly extend his arm.
Now, though, the move means Powers will be out extended time -- and the Broncos will need to replace a key piece on a dominant offensive line across a key stretch of the season.
The 29-year-old Powers was having a tremendous start to 2025 as a major cog in the Broncos' outside zone run game and a big reason why quarterback Bo Nix has stayed upright so often. Through Sunday, Powers had surrendered the fewest quarterback pressures (five) of any NFL guard.
A source told The Post that the Broncos are viewing Powers' injury on a nine- to 10-week timetable, with the intention that he's back before the end of the season. That'll mean Denver will have to get creative before December, with a few options who could step in for Powers at right guard.
The two most logical candidates for replacing Powers have each played more tackle than guard: Matt Peart and Alex Palczewski. During training camp, Peart served as the primary backup at left tackle and left guard, while Palczewski backed up right tackle and right guard. After Denver's final preseason game, Payton explained that sliding inside or outside can be easier than flipping sides on the line.
"A lot of times you’re finding out they prefer, like the left side or the right side as opposed to either side at one position," Payton said. That's because flipping from the right side to the left or vice versa requires reversing footwork patterns.
Palczewski was the first man off the bench Sunday when right tackle Mike McGlinchey missed a pair of snaps, and he's also been the team's jumbo tight end this season, a role Peart manned last year.
The Broncos could also consider practice squad veteran Calvin Throckmorton, who is more of a true guard by trade.
Over Payton's two-plus seasons in Denver, one of the keys to his building project has been an overhaul of the offensive line. Powers had started all 39 games since signing with the Broncos as a free agent on a four-year, $52 million deal in March 2023. His partner to the left, tackle Garett Bolles, also started all 39 games. The kind of chemistry and communication will be difficult to recreate and build with whoever slides into Powers' spot.
Denver dealt with a couple of bumps in the road up front a year ago. Right tackle Mike McGlinchey and center Luke Wattenberg each spent the minimum four weeks on injured reserve with injuries in the first half of the season. But by and large, it's a group that's played a ton together. This will be the most significant loss to date.
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Originally Published: October 6, 2025 at 4:02 PM MDT