On game days, Broncos center Luke Wattenberg looks to pancake defenders. On other days, he makes pancakes, among other things.

Wattenberg’s passion is cooking. So when he signed a four-year, $48 million contract extension on Wednesday, he figured he needed to reward himself with something for the kitchen.

“I think I’m going to get a Staub Dutch Oven,’’ Wattenberg said. “I want to grab one of those.”

With a Staub Dutch Oven costing between $300 and $400, Wattenberg obviously can afford plenty of other stuff to help his cooking needs. Then again, he doesn’t want to overdo it since he said he and his wife Naomi have “got a full kitchen right now.”

Offensive linemen are known for being rugged on the field, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be delicate in the kitchen. In fact, Broncos offensive line coach Zach Strief, who was a New Orleans tackle from 2006-17, is considered a very adept chef. When the Saints were honored at the White House in August 2010 after winning the Super Bowl in February 2010, Strief was invited to cook his “Zach’s Gulf Shrimp and Andouille Skewers” in the White House kitchen.

Wattenberg has great respect for Strief’s culinary skills. Otherwise, he said with a smile that he “can cook better than most” players on the team.

“I love making Korean food. I make my own kimchi,’’ Wattenberg, who is one-fourth Korean. “And I’ve got a lot of good Mexican recipes. Good tacos and carnitas. … I cook a lot of different stuff.”

Wattenberg said it has become a tradition on Cinco de Mayo to invite teammates to his house.

“I cook a bunch of Mexican food for the guys,’’ he said. “It’s fun. It’s awesome.”

As for Thanksgiving, Wattenberg knew the Broncos would be practicing Thursday in preparation for Sunday night’s game at Washington. So he and his wife celebrated the holiday on Nov. 20 during Denver’s bye week.

Naturally, Wattenberg did plenty of cooking.

“I did stuffing, macaroni and cheese,’’ he said. “We did a ham. We did roasted carrots. I did a cornbread pudding for dessert.”

Wattenberg, in his fourth Denver season, said he has talked about cooking with Strief, in his third Broncos season. He has also gotten plenty of restaurant recommendations in Denver from his offensive line coach.

“He’s a big-time foodie,’’ said Broncos tight ends coach Austin King, who has been close to Strief since they became teammates at Northwestern in 2001.

Strief, 42, said his love for food and cooking began when he was growing up in the Cincinnati area and it took another step when he was at Northwestern before being a seventh-round pick by the Saints in 2006.

“There was a show on PBS called ‘Great Chefs,’’’ Strief said. “I used to watch that a lot and at some point in college, I had the opportunity to cook dinners for people. My mom is Italian, so it’s kind of like your whole life revolves around (food).”

When Strief joined the Saints, he landed in a great food city. So that expanded his horizons and got him very interested in cooking seafood dishes, including some Creole favorites.

Strief eventually became involved with Café Reconcile in New Orleans, a nonprofit business established to give troubled young people a chance to learn the restaurant business to help prepare for careers. Strief’s “Dream Big” foundation donates money regularly to Café Reconcile.

“They train them basically to do anything you would do in a restaurant,’’ Strief said. “They have really great job placement opportunities for them and so it’s fascinating. I don’t know how many times in my time in New Orleans, I would be at a restaurant and one of those kids (from the program) would come out and say, “Hey, do you remember me?’’’

After retiring as a player, Strief remained in New Orleans as the Saints radio play-by-play broadcaster from 2018-20 and as their assistant offensive line coach from 2021-22 until taking the job in Denver when his former New Orleans coach, Sean Payton, was hired by the Broncos in 2023. Strief is co-owner of the Port Orleans Brewing Company, a restaurant in Uptown New Orleans.

In August 2010, when the Saints were honored at the White House, Strief was invited to cook in the kitchen with Sam Kass, then an assistant chef under President Barack Obama. Strief back then said he was “ecstatic” at the opportunity, and he touted how renowned shrimp are from Louisiana. He even had his recipe for “Zach’s Gulf Shrimp and Andouille Skewers” listed on the Saints website.

If Wattenberg’s Broncos ever win a Super Bowl, perhaps he will suggest a recipe to cook in the kitchen at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Homecoming for Tillman

When Broncos outside linebacker Dondrea Tillman takes the field Sunday night at Washington, his mind will flash back to the long road he took to make the NFL.

Tillman grew up outside of Washington D.C., and was lightly recruited out of Potomac Falls (Va.) High School. He played at Division II Indiana of Pennsylvania, and was undrafted by the NFL in 2020. He played four seasons in spring leagues before finally making the NFL in 2024 with Denver.

Now, Tillman will play his first game in his home area at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md. When Tillman was growing up, he said his father took him to four or five games there.

“It’s definitely going to be special,’’ he said. “It’s a big one for me, my first NFL game back in the city. It’s special for me. It’s going to mean a lot. I just got to play my best.”

Tillman has become a valuable reserve for the Broncos. He is looking forward to showing his stuff Sunday.

“I’ll definitely have a bunch of fans,’’ he said. “I have about eight to 10 tickets I had to buy for friends and family. I’m excited to see everyone.”

What I’m hearing

–Wattenberg, after signing an extension that runs through 2029, is thrilled that all five of Denver’s regular offensive line starters are now under contract through at least 2026. “It’s a huge deal,’’ he said. “I think it shows how well we play together. We just got to keep it going and keep getting better.” Left tackle Garett Boles and right guard Quinn Meinerz are locked up through 2028, right tackle Mike McGlinchey is under contract through 2027, and the deal of left guard Ben Powers, currently on injured reserve, runs through 2026.

–Jarrett Stidham, Denver’s backup to Bo Nix, hasn’t been approached for being in a Progressive Insurance commercial featuring backup quarterbacks, but he would welcome an appearance. “If you want to take over the marketing, you’re more than welcome,’’ he said. Among those featured on the commercials have been Case Keenum, Tommy DeVito, Teddy Bridgewater, Mitch Trubisky, Tyler Huntley and Joshua Dobbs. “They’re pretty good,’’ Stidham said. “It’s pretty funny. Those are fun.”

What I’m seeing

–The Broncos will face the Commanders with just two active tight ends in Evan Engram and Adam Trautman. With Nate Adkins ruled out for a fourth straight game with a knee injury, Broncos coach Sean Payton said Friday it was possible Marcedes Lewis, who has used up his three elevations off the practice squad for the season, could be signed to the 53-man roster. But Denver made no roster moves Saturday. Adkins is expected to return next Sunday at Las Vegas. With just two available tight ends at Washington, fullback Adam Prentice could be used more. Or perhaps wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey will get some tight end-like snaps.

–Broncos defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers donates $1,000 for each sack and $25 for each tackle to the Sarcoma Foundation of America in memory of his grandfather Billy Ray Myers, who died of cancer. Franklin-Myers has 4.5 sacks so far this season. He said at the end of the year he will round up any amount to the next thousand and could donate even more. There is an agreement with the Broncos that they will match any total donation up to $10,000. But there is no rounding up, so Franklin-Myers said a half sack gets a $500 match.