The Denver Broncos have assembled one of the best offensive lines in the National Football League over the past several seasons. When Head Coach Sean Payton was hired, he brought in Zach Strief, who has been instrumental in coaching up and developing the roster’s offensive line. Additionally, General Manager George Paton has made several high-profile free agency signings and extended several in-house players that were on the roster prior to their arrival.
In the 2026 NFL Draft, the Broncos used one
of their fourth-round selections on Boise State offensive tackle Kage Casey. During his four-year collegiate career, Casey was a three-year starter with 41 starts at left tackle. His play in the offensive trenches made him a two-time All-American selection. He certainly fits the team’s vision as a high character player who has been durable and played a lot of snaps.
With the Broncos set to return their core five initial starting five from last season, Denver won’t be banking on Casey to make an immediate impact as a rookie. However, he certainly will be a valuable depth player for the Broncos who has the ability to play multiple spots for them on the offensive line.
Player Profile
Age: 22 | Experience: Rookie | College: Boise State | Height: 6’5-5/8” | Weight: 315 pounds
Arm Length: 32-3/4” | Hand Size: 10-1/4” | Broad: 8’7” | Vertical: 31” | Bench: 20 reps
40-yard dash: 5.2 seconds | 3-Cone: 8.01 seconds | Shuttle: 4.85 seconds
Kage Casey’s 2026 outlook with the Broncos
As noted above, Casey isn’t expected to be a starter for the Broncos as a rookie. While he was a left tackle in college, Denver announced him as a guard when he was selected in April. During rookie minicamp, Payton discussed the vision the team has for Casey and lauded his versatility—something he had stated in his pre-draft presser as something the franchise valued when evaluating offensive line prospects.
“He’s got flex, so guard/tackle flex. He is one of those guys who we felt could do a lot and even go inside and play center. We are working him in at guard and tackle.”
Casey was a standout pass protector in college and quality run blocker. His 2,700+ career collegiate snaps was one of the highest marks of any offensive lineman this past draft. He doesn’t have the longest arms, best strength, and his agility testing was only average, but he won routinely on a snap-by-snap basis due to his technique and high football IQ.
Final Thoughts
The Broncos have kept nine offensive linemen on their final 53-man roster the past several seasons. I don’t expect that to change this year. Casey will most certainly be one of those players in the mix for a backup/swing role for the team in 2026.
With left guard Ben Powers in the final year of his contract, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Casey earn that starting spot for the team in 2027. However, he will have competition with Alex Palcezswki, who performed admirably in place of Powers when he missed time with injury last season and earned a two-year contract extension this offseason. Overall, Casey will start his career as a developmental backup, but I believe he will be a future starter for Denver.
