The Denver Broncos have one of the best offensive lines in the National Football League. It’s a unit that sports quality starters and boasts versatile depth players at multiple positions. Their success as unit has been a big reason why the fortunes of the franchise have improved drastically in short order. In order for them to make another Super Bowl run, the group will have to perform at a high level.
One player competing for a spot on this year’s 53-man roster is former Oregon standout Alexy Forsyth.
A former seventh-round pick of the Broncos in the 2023 NFL Draft, Forsyth didn’t appear in a regular season game as a rookie and spent the year on the practice squad. However, he earned the backup center job in 2024 and has held that position the past two seasons.
Last season, he appeared in every game and had two starts in place of Luke Wattenberg late in the regular season. Barring some sort of curveball, I expect him to be Wattenberg’s backup in 2026. Let’s discuss.
Player Profile
Age: 27 | Experience: Fourth Year | College: Oregon | Height: 6’4” | Weight: 312 pounds
Vertical: 20.5” | Broad Jump: 7’11” | Bench: 29 reps
2025 Statistics: 17 games played, 2 starts. 136 offensive snaps and 68 special teams’ snaps.
Alex Forsyth’s 2026 outlook with the Broncos
Forsyth’s spot as Luke Wattenberg’s backup should be safe this season. It would be a bit of a shock if someone unseated him. I don’t see a viable path for Michael Deiter or Reid Holskey to snatch that role away. Compared to them, Forsyth’s knowledge of the playbook of how they operate on that side of the ball is far superior. That in itself gives him a tremendous edge over the competition.
The upcoming ‘26 gridiron campaign will be his fourth season of his career. While he doesn’t have a lot of in-game reps since being drafted, he has appeared in every game over the past two seasons and started six of them. Last season, he had 136 total offensive snaps during the regular season and was not penalized.
When Wattenberg went down last year, I felt Forsyth performed adequately as his replacement. Per SIS DataHub, he had one blown block in pass protection and allowed just one sack. With respect to the blocking on the run, he was credit with two blown blocks.
Final Thoughts
In the last year of his rookie contract, Forsyth is poised to be the backup at center once again for the Broncos. While it’s possible another depth player could supplant him, I wouldn’t bank on that happening. If Denver likes what they see from Forsyth throughout the year, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the team brought him back on a short-term deal to continue being the team’s backup center.
