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Published on 08/13/2007 at Mon Aug 13 07:02.



Gerard Warren is on the Trade Block

Posted Mon Aug 13th by

[Gerard Warren]The Denver Post reports that the Broncos are trying to deal DT Gerard Warren. Warren did not make the trip to San Francisco today, according to the article.

The move comes in light of Warren not being an ideal physical fit in Assistant Coach/Defense Jim Bates‘ system. While Warren is great at penetrating the middle and using his athleticism to make the play, Bates looks for bigger defensive tackles to clog the middle and hold the point of attack. Recently acquired Jimmy Kennedy would move up to start along side Sam Adams, and Antwon Burton and Amon Gordon would likely compete to move up to second string status if the trade were to go through.  Rookie Marcus Thomas would continue to play on pass rush situations.

It was only last season that Warren signed a lucrative contract extension with the club.

Personally I hate this news. Warren really showed his worth in 2005, and showed his toughness last year as he battled through toe injuries. While I can appreciate that he’s not an ideal fit in the system physically, he’s still another one of the leaders of this defense, something we may not be able to afford to lose in the months following our defensive captain Al Wilson‘s release a few months ago.

He is one of the more underrated players on our team, and when he was healthy in 2005 he was a huge reason we ranked 3rd in the league in rush defense. Either way, it looks like the Browncos experiment is over… The Broncos better not settle on too low of compensation for the best Brown they ever signed.

  • http://www.mydenverobsession.com denverobsession

    First, I just don’t get why the Post is saying Warren wasn’t ‘a good fit.’ That part stinks to high heaven. Jimmy Kennedy is listed as the same height and weight as Warren for example. I think fitting into Bate’s system has nothing to do with this.

    More than likely this is a case where the broncos feel they have good depth at DT. And, more importantly, no considerable drop-off between 1st Team and 2nd Team talent. In that situation, they might be able to get a draft pick in 08 by trading the best known name on the line without hurting the team.

    I mean, we can’t keep ALL of the DT’s we have on the roster right now, and if we cut from the bottom, we don’t get any draft picks at all. And while I like Warren (and agree that he’s the best of the Browncows), he might not have shown enough difference between himself and players like Kennedy to justify keeping him over his cheaper counterparts.

    …just a thought. :)

    Jonathan Douglas
    http://www.mydenverobsession.com

  • http://broncotalk.net kmonty

    I agree to a certain point, but having depth on the defensive line is by no means a bad thing. It’s hard for me to believe Warren, who has played exceptionally for us in the past and played well enough hurt last year, isn’t that much better than the likes of Alvin McKinley, Amon Gordon, Antwon Burton or Jimmy Kennedy.

    We just signed him to a huge contract extension last year! He’s the leader of our defensive line, and now I’m starting to wonder about leadership in the locker room.

    -kmonty
    –BroncoTalk.net

  • http://www.mydenverobsession.com denverobsession

    Good points.

    I like Warren and agree that he was a big part of our success in 05. I also haven’t seen the preformance from the other DT’s to justify this move. However, I just can’t believe Shanahan would put him on the block if he wasn’t SURE we had players that could do the same job. I just have to assume that Bates and Shanahan have seen something we haven’t yet.

    If we do trade Warren and Bates’ D-line doesn’t finish in the top 5, there will be serious “what could have been” questions regarding Warren departure — that’s for sure.

    Jon