Broncos guards Quinn Meinerz, Netane Muti inching closer to starts vs. Ravens in Week 4

“The Gut” had to fend off something new in his stomach last Sunday: Butterflies.

“I got in there and I believe it was (tight end Eric) Saubert, he came in there and he goes, ‘Is this your first play?’” Broncos rookie guard Quinn Meinerz, aka “The Gut,” said Thursday at UCHealth Training center when asked about his NFL debut against the Jets.

“And I’m like, ‘Yeah.’ And I’m like, ‘We don’t need to make it a big deal. I’m just going to go out there and do my job and just have fun with it.’”

More fun could be just around the bend. Depending on the health of first-team guards Dalton Risner (ankle) and Graham Glasgow (knee), both Meinerz and second-year blocker Netane Muti could get starting nods Sunday when the Baltimore Ravens roll into town for a Week 4 matchup.

The odds of that happening went up a few notches Thursday, given that neither Risner or Glasgow practiced for a second straight day.

“Muti and Meinerz are good players, and if they need to go Sunday, we’ll be ready,” coach Vic Fangio said Thursday of his offensive line injuries. “Continuity is always important, but when injuries happen, you test your depth. And right now, our depth has been doing good.”

Muti, a sixth-round draft pick in 2020 out of Fresno State, could be in line for his second start over the season’s first four weeks, and the third of his career.

The 6-foot-3, 315-pounder played on 43% of the Broncos’ offensive snaps in relief of Glasgow during last weekend’s 26-0 battering of the Jets, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com. He’d started for Glasgow at right guard during a Week 2 win at Jacksonville.

“You’ve just got to be ready, even on the sidelines,” Muti said Thursday. “You’ve got to stay ready (to play) the whole time.”

The Broncos collected 146 of their 343 net offensive yards and nine of their 14 first downs last Sunday in the second half. With Risner and Glasgow healthy, they’d forged a comfortable 17-0 lead at the break.

Meinerz made his NFL debut in the third quarter of Week 3 after Risner left, appearing on 37% of the Broncos’ offensive snaps for the afternoon.

“I kind of like his personality,” Broncos offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said of the rookie guard, a third-round selection out of Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater. “He’s kind of a tough guy and he runs around and hits people. I think he had some really good plays the other (day) and I’d anticipate he’ll build off that if he’s forced to play this (Sunday).”

Cracked Fangio: “Sometimes, that’s the best way to go get your first action, is cold turkey. Now (Meinerz) knows there’s a possibility he might have to play this week. Hopefully, he’s not getting overwhelmed.”

Or getting butterflies.

“I mean, we’re practicing against a great defense out there every single day, so I felt prepared,” Meinerz recalled. “But it’s a faster game compared to Division III, compared to the Senior Bowl. And a little bit faster than the preseason. So yeah, it’s definitely faster. But I was prepared for it.”

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