Broncos’ Quinn Meinerz Ranks Among NFL’s Elite Guards

The Denver Broncos have one of the best guards in the NFL in Quinn Meinerz. The Broncos also have a solid but overpaid guard in Ben Powers.

As the offseason marches on, Pro Football Focus continues the top 32 players at each position. Next up are the offensive guards, so where did Meinerz and Powers check in?

Remember, there are 64 starting guards in the NFL. There are also many good guards around the NFL, which may have made these rankings more challenging than some of the other positions. 

According to the rankings via PFF's Matt Cameron, Meinerz ranked third. There's an argument that can be made for Meinerz to be ranked as low as fifth and as high as second. So, putting him third is more than fair.

Meinerz is a dominant run blocker and a strong pass protector, though he can have some down moments. There is a reason the All-Pro has the sixth-best odds right now to win the new Protector of the Year Award and the guard with the highest outlook. 

“Meinerz has quickly become one of the most destructive interior blockers in the game, capturing the first All-Pro nod of his career in 2024. The 26-year-old guard has notched an 83.0-plus PFF overall grade in each of his past two seasons, and he finished 2024 as the only guard to earn an 80.0-plus PFF grade as both a run blocker and pass protector," Cameron wrote.

Meinerz is a testament to drafting and developing. When he was drafted, few people had heard of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he came from.

However, Meinerz put his head down, put in the work, and is now among the best guards in the NFL. Kudos for a job well done; he has earned every cent of the contract extension he received last season. 

As for Powers, he didn't make the top 32, and while you can make an argument for Powers to be ranked higher than a couple of players from 28-32, none of them are concrete. It's a fair ranking for Denver's left guard. 

Powers is overpaid and a bit overhated by some fans. He's a solid starter who has some issues, but he's a guy a team can be confident going to war with. Just because he's overpaid doesn’t mean he's awful. 

Powers is the eighth-highest-paid left guard in the league, averaging $13 million per year. When you add in right guards, he's the 17th highest-paid guard in the NFL, earning about $3-6 million more per year than what he probably should be. This is why he could end up as a cap casualty after the 2025 season, unless he steps up his game in a significant way. 

The Takeaway

The Broncos have a solid duo at guard, even if Powers isn’t a top 32 guard. Powers would probably land somewhere in the 34-40 range, a little below the middle of the pack. The Broncos desperately needed a solution at left guard, and they overpaid for it when Sean Payton arrived in 2023. 

Having Meinerz, though, adds stability to Denver's offensive line and should for years to come. He can help cover up many issues on the offensive line, and if he can be more consistent game-to-game as a pass protector, he could easily end up the best guard in the NFL, and his contract extension is already a steal for the Broncos.

By overpaying Powers and underpaying Meinerz, it all balances out for the Broncos.