The Sports Xchange

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — In the first 11 days of training camp, the Denver Broncos changed 60 percent of their first-team offensive line.

For the mathematically challenged, that would be three out of the usual array of five. Even more interesting than the number is exactly who those three are. Surely, very veteran quarterback Peyton Manning is paying attention to the large number as well as who the players are.

Clearly, head coach Gary Kubiak wasn’t bluffing when he emphasized that the offensive line would see some shuffling during training camp. But few expected that the Broncos’ first depth chart of the 2015 season would have three players who never played a regular-season down in the NFL, including a pair of rookies.

Second-round pick Ty Sambrailo’s presence as the first-team left tackle wasn’t a surprise; he moved there the day after Ryan Clady tore his anterior cruciate ligament during the first OTA practice. But as of the fifth day of training camp, rookie Max Garcia and 2014 practice-squad player Matt Paradis were on the second team at left guard and center, respectively.

But they began receiving some first-team repetitions Aug. 6 after the Broncos returned from their first off day of camp, and did well enough to stay there, at least for the short term.

Even though Kubiak says that observers should read “not too much” into the depth chart, the presence of Paradis and Garcia up front sends a signal that, for the moment, those jobs are theirs to lose against veteran Gino Gradkowski and converted defensive lineman Ben Garland, both of whom worked with the first team throughout offseason work and the first five days of training camp.

“Don’t read too much into what’s going on up front or anywhere. It’s going to be very competitive,” Kubiak said. “They’re going to win and lose jobs in these preseason games and going against good players.”

And that will begin with a rigorous test Friday against the Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. For at least a possession, this young offensive line will get to face one of the most aggressive defenses with a crowd that should be in regular-season form, or at least close to it.

That could play into Kubiak’s rationale for giving Paradis and Garcia the nods: to see if they can handle one of the toughest environments imaginable. Kubiak also wants to see if they can deliver consistent play — particularly from Garcia.

“Max is up and down. Max is very strong, heavy-handed, so he has a lot of plays on film that are highlights. You go, ‘Whoa, look at that,’ but he has a lot of plays on the film that need to be better,” Kubiak said. “He’s the same way, a little bit like Ty. (He is a) good kid, played in a lot of big games. This stage isn’t too big for him, but he has to learn to play against great players down-in and down-out.”

The alignment might seem to be a surprise, but perhaps it should not be based on one of Kubiak’s statements at a pre-training camp press conference July 30.

“We are going to be very young up front,” he said. “And there is nothing wrong with that.”

Not if it performs. But the performance of the offense — and the health of the offensive line — could rest on the shoulders of newcomers.