If the two personnel moves the Denver Broncos made along the offensive line this offseason pan out, this unit has the potential to be one of the best in the NFL. That’s what the addition of a Mike Munchak can do for a unit.

Everywhere he’s been as an O-line Coach, Munchak has been the tide that has raised all ships. There’s no reason to think that will change in Denver.

And it just so happens that the Broncos gave Munchak a sneaky-good projected starting five. The icing on the cake for Munchak’s O-line, though, was the additions of veteran RT Ja'Wuan James and the rookie second-rounder Dalton Risner.

The Broncos signed James to the richest right tackle contract in the league history, giving him a four-year deal worth $51 million this past March. The deal featured $27M in full guarantees, per Over The Cap.

Some fans balked at the idea of John Elway — the GM who has traditionally struggled to identify and acquire right tackle talent — setting the market at the position. But listening to Mike Munchak talk about James, the rationale becomes clear; the Broncos are paying for James’ four prime years.

“(James) fits our system exactly to what we’re trying to do,” Munchak told Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post. “He’s a young player (26) that still has his best years ahead of him. I’m looking at it this way: We’re going to get him for his best years — six, seven, eight (and) nine. This should be the best he plays. Hopefully we can get the best out of him.”

It was a roll of the dice for Elway, as all big free-agent contracts are, but it likely came with Munchak rubber-stamping it on some level. The front-office czar was willing to risk making James the highest-paid right tackle in football not only because of the quality of player he’s proven to be since arriving in the league as a Miami Dolphins first-rounder back in 2014, but also because Elway knew he’d be getting what should be the best years of James’ career.

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However, what makes the James signing all the more intriguing is the fact that he’ll be teamed up with Munchak — one of the league’s best O-line coaches. James truly has the opportunity to take his game to the next level under Munchak’s tutelage, and it doesn’t hurt that the sixth-year tackle will be playing in a Rich Scangarello scheme that really suits his athletic skill-set as a trenchman.

Under Scangarello, the Broncos will deploy the zone-blocking scheme predominantly, which prioritizes light feet, lateral quick-twitch ability and athleticism — all traits that James possesses in spades. It’s a great scheme fit matched with world-class coaching.

That’s how Elway hedged his bet with regard to paying James. And considering the depredations the Broncos have suffered at the right tackle position throughout most of Elway’s front-office tenure, I can’t fault the GM for swinging away on James under those conditions.

Smoothing the transition from Miami to Denver even further is the presence of Assistant O-line Coach Chris Kuper, who served on the Dolphins staff in the same capacity from 2017-18. All in, Kuper was with James and the Dolphins three years, and that familiarity has allowed James to settle in quickly to his new football environs.

With their OL acumen combined, Munchak and Kuper are poised to help Ja'Wuan James reach his full potential as an NFL right tackle.

"It will help a lot,” James said back in March when he was introduced as a Bronco at team headquarters. “I love 'Kup.' 'Kup's helped over the last three years and he's going to help with the transition as well as Coach Munchak. I just got done talking to him and I'm excited to work with him. He's one of the best in the business. I feel like he's going to help me reach my full potential."

The key for James will be staying healthy. He's only played a full 16-game schedule twice in his career. James did miss an OTA practice last week after he "tweaked his hip" but it was purely a precautionary move by the team. There's no need to risk the team's highest-paid O-lineman during OTAs.