LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 24: Offensive guard Connor McGovern #60 of the Denver Broncos waits to take the field against the Washington Redskins at FedExField on December 24, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Alessandra del Bene/Getty Images)

With the departure of Matt Paradis, Connor McGovern will shift to the center position. He is also preparing for the biggest role of his career.

The Denver Broncos are beginning to start life without Matt Paradis. The longtime center was not brought back and signed with the Carolina Panthers. Now Connor McGovern is taking over as the starting center.

But that is not the only big change that will be coming for McGovern. With the departure of Paradis, he now moves in as the veteran presence in the Denver Broncos organization on the offensive line. While the team does have Ron Leary and Ju’Wuan James, McGovern will be the longest tendered offensive lineman on the Broncos roster in 2019.

But Connor McGovern has been ready for the challenge since before free agency began.

“They kind of told me that there is a chance we bring in somebody and there is a chance we don’t. Once free agency cleared itself up, then I focused solely on center.” -Connor McGovern (via Denver Broncos PR)

It was kind of surprising to me that the Denver Broncos did not look at center during free agency or the draft. I would have thought the team would have attempted to look at a center. It appears as if Denver was looking at Mitch Morse until he signed with the Buffalo Bills. With not a lot of high grade centers out there, it was clear Denver was going to stick with McGovern.

However, the Denver Broncos fared well with McGovern after Paradis went down with a season ending injury. The team was effective in the running game in the first three games after the bye last season. Connor McGovern was a huge part in that.

Now that he has half a season under his belt at center, the Missouri offensive lineman is looking to provide a spark to the Denver Broncos offensive line in 2019 and beyond.