Quarterback Brock Osweiler is one of five rookies that Denver still has to sign. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

The Denver Broncos are negotiating contracts with at least eight players, including five drafted rookies.  The team hopes to have all the rookies signed by the time organized team activities end early next month.

The Broncos are trying to re-work defensive tackle Ty Warren‘s contract ($4 million), extend offensive tackle Ryan Clady‘s contract ($3.5 million this season), have kicker Matt Prater sign his one-year tender ($2.5 million) and sign Derek Wolfe, Brock Osweiler, Ronnie Hillman, Philip Blake and Danny Trevathan to rookie contracts.  Denver has already signed rookies Omar Bolden and Malik Jackson to four-year contracts.

• Warren is aging fast and missed all of last season so the Broncos are asking him to take a hefty pay cut ($2 million).  If Warren does not agree to re-work his deal, Denver may cut him.

• The Broncos placed their franchise tag on Prater earlier in the year, but Prater hasn’t signed the one-year, $2.5 million deal in hopes of receiving a larger, long-term deal.  Prater’s agent says $2.5 million is “well short” of what Prater is worth.  Last week, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed kicker Connor Barth to a four-year, $13.2 million deal which included $4 million in guaranteed money.  Before signing with Tampa Bay, Barth had received the same franchise tag Denver placed on Prater (one-year, $2.5 million).  Prater’s agent will likely seek a deal slightly better than the one Berth received.

• Clady is entering the final year of his five-year rookie contract and is due to make $3.5 million this season.  Fellow offensive tackles Jake Long (Dolphins), Branden Albert (Chiefs), and Duane Brown (Texans) are all entering the final year of their contracts and Clady and his agent may be waiting for the left tackle market to be set.  Cleveland’s Joe Thomas is the highest paid left tackle in the league, with a seven-year, $84 million deal.  Clady’s contract will likely be substantially less, perhaps in the $20-30 million range.

• According to the Denver Post‘s Mike Klis, defensive tackle Derek Wolfe will likely receive a four-year deal in the range of $7.641 million.  Klis bases his money numbers on the contract Colin Kaepernick —who was drafted at the same spot Wolfe was, 36th—received from the 49ers last year.  Because Kaepernick is a quarterback however, I expect Wolfe to receive a smaller contract, possibly even under $6 million.

• Klis also expects quarterback Brock Osweiler will sign a four-year deal, worth about $3.04 million.  Again, Klis bases his numbers on the contract running back Mikel Leshoure received from the Lions last season.  Because Osweiler is a quarterback however, I expect him to sign a contract slightly higher than Leshoure received last year.

• Per Klis again, Ronnie Hillman will likely sign a contract similar to the four-year, $2.75 million deal Nate Irving—who was picked at the same 67th spot Hillman was this year—signed in 2011.  Contradicting Klis again, I expect a bigger deal for Hillman than Irving signed last year.

• Philip Blake can expect a four-year deal in the range of $2.5 million.

• Danny Trevathan will also receive a four-year deal, which will look somewhat similar to Blake’s.

Who’s hot: RB Jamaal Charles. With Larry Johnson gone the way of the Bengal, their backup is playing a lot better than L.J. ever did in 2009. Charles rushed for 93 yards (6.6 average) against San Diego Sunday that included a 31-yard scamper and a touchdown. He’s averaging 5.2 yards per carry on the year.

Who’s not: Chiefs defense. Kansas City has 14 sacks on the season — Broncos OLB Elvis Dumervil has 14 of his own. They just got blown out by the Chargers to the tune of 43 points, and they tallied neither a sack nor an interception against Philip Rivers and company. They’re ranked 27th or lower in all major defensive categories: points allowed, yards allowed, pass defense and rush defense.

Matchup to watch: LT Branden Albert vs. ROLB Elvis Dumervil. Albert, drafted a few picks after the Broncos’ Ryan Clady, has given up six sacks this year, while Dumervil is the league’s leading sack-master with 14. Dumervil registered one sack against the Chiefs last year — presumably against Albert as a defensive end in the Broncos’ 4-3 front, in what was an “off year” for Dumervil, if you will, hampered by injuries and only tallying five sacks on the year. Elvis will give Albert all he can handle; expect Matt Cassel to be busy early and often Sunday.

Punter Brett Kern hasn’t been earning his paycheck either, shanking a punt earlier in the 2nd quarter that gave the Chiefs good field position.

Arrowhead is never an easy place to kick, but the Broncos need to rely on Prater to hit these kicks in a close game like this.

On a more somber note, Chiefs’ first round draft pick Branden Albert looks hurt – possibly badly hurt – and is being carted off the field. It looks serious, and I’d be surprised to see Albert back out there. Best of luck Branden.

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Saturday’s winner: Pat: “I told Spud the day i make it in the hall of fame is the day we get him fixed. Sorry boy.”

Brett Favre lands in Wisconsin.

Your wittiest, most cleverest captions in the comments.

Oakland Raiders: The new trend this NFL offseason is to get your rookies under contract asap, and the Raiders are no exception.  They already signed their 1st round pick Darren McFadden to a whopping 6-year, $60 million deal last week, and can now focus on practices.

When they’re on the field, they’re not afraid to talk a little smack, as Javon Walker did last week in reference to his former Broncos team.  Both Walker and JaMarcus Russell have been reported to be out of shape, but the general consensus is that this is an improved team from last year.  Mark your calendars, folks – week one should be fun.

Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs seemingly stole the draft – I disagreed with that assessment from day one – but nonetheless, their first three picks were as solid as anyone’s in the league.  While Glenn Dorsey has looked impressive, their other first round pick OL Branden Albert has suffered from what’s since been called a minor ankle injury.  The Chiefs hope these two players will address the offensive and defensive lines.

Meanwhile, the corner back position received two boosts through the draft – 2nd round pick Brandon Flowers has a starting spot penciled in, but a pleasant surprise for Kansas City came from 5th round CB Brandon Carr, who has also impressed.  The quarterback situation, however, is still up in the air.

San Diego Chargers: The Bolts made a few depth-adding moves this offseason, not the least of which was adding veteran C Jeremy Newberry as insurance in case Nick Hardwick isn’t ready from day one.  After coming so close to the Super Bowl last year, Norv Turner and crew didn’t need to make a ton of changes – they just needed to get healthy.

So far, it appears that’s exactly what they’ve been doing.  Quarterback Philip Rivers is ahead of schedule and is already leading the team in 11-on-11 drills.  Ladainian Tomlinson has been practicing as well.  The Chargers are the best in the division; if they’re as healthy as they seem, it could be another long year for Broncos fans.

The argument of “We have greater needs elsewhere” is getting old, I know, but it comes to a head again. Currently signed centers or guards total over 8 at the moment… more than enough to have solid competition come training camp to find 4 or 5 guys. The Broncos have much greater needs at defensive tackle and offensive tackle. They could also use help at linebacker, safety, and running back before considering an interior offensive lineman.

What’s more, centers and guards are very, very rarely taken this early in the first round. Last year, Baltimore used the 29th overall selection on Ben Grubbs, a guard out of Auburn. In 2006, Tampa Bay used the 23rd overall pick on a guard named Davin Joseph. Both were the first taken at their position that year. Taking a guard this early isn’t unheard of, but it’s close.

That being said, there is one player who has shot up the draft boards of late named Branden Albert. Some mocks even have him going as high as 5th overall to the Chiefs. His ability to also play tackle has seen his stock skyrocket, and if he falls to 12, the Broncos could be tempted. Is he worth the first round pick?

In my opinion, no. The Broncos should trade down if they’re interested in Albert, closer to his earlier grades in the mid-20′s. I’m a big fan of looking with my own eyes for talent, not following the hype others are spewing, and I just don’t see anything to make me believe Albert belongs in the Top 10. That makes me believe that pro scouts aren’t buying the hype either, and Albert’s recent rise in mock drafts may be irrelevant when the real draft rolls around.

Without a huge need and, in my opinion, a person that fits the 12th spot, the Denver Broncos would be much better looking elsewhere than at guard or center in the 2008 NFL Draft.

Mike Shanahan has called Denver Broncos center Tom Nalen the greatest center he’s ever coached several times. In my relatively short lifetime, born the year after John Elway was drafted, I scratch my head at trying to think of someone I’ve seen play it better. Nalen’s dominant present on the offensive line, both physically and mentally, was sorely missed last year and will be missed again in the years to come. He’s 36 years old now, and it’s common opinion that he has only one or two years left in the tank.

It’s well known that Nalen was drafted the year before Shanahan’s coaching debut in Denver, and that he was drafted for a mere 7th round pick. Some would say that the Broncos can again dig into the depths of the draft to find his replacement… I’m inclined to disagree. You can’t “count” on drafting someone of Tom Nalen’s caliber in the later rounds of the draft – most first round centers don’t live up to Nalen’s credentials.

However, the Broncos do feel like they’ve found his replacement, at least for a few years, in current LG Ben Hamilton. Hamilton is underappreciated among most fans, but his experience at both guard and center in college make him a valuable asset on the offensive line. He was brought in to replace Nalen in the future; ironically he’s already getting up there in age, and so the Broncos started grooming the next generation of interior o-linemen through recent drafts.

Chris Myers was brought in for this very reason, along with current LG Chris Kuper. Kuper showed improvement last year at LG, but he still struggled, and I’m not sold on him as a left tackle. Myers, of course, was traded earlier in the offseason.

At right guard the Broncos brought in Montrae Holland, who, in my opinion, was the best offensive lineman on the field last year. As depth, the Broncos also brought in long time veteran Casey Wiegmann a few weeks ago. This largely addresses the need of depth Mark Fenton is another guy worth knowing – he might develop into a player for the Broncos down the road. Other than that, the roster is full of depth fillers.

To recap our C/G roster: two guys up there in age, both coming off season-ending injuries. Holland, who played well but no one is certain he’s a long term player. Behind them we have a hybrid tackle-guard, another aged veteran as depth, and a young practice squadder with some promise. Not horrible, but it could be improved.

The only guard or center with a first round grade is Branden Albert, whose stock has simply skyrocketed as of late. Count me among those not buying it. I’ve watched the films Josh posted pretty closely; I’ve read the different scouting reports on him. Just because one of these “expert analysts” suddenly grades him Top 5-10 doesn’t mean he is Top 5-10. It’s funny how every other expert is now following suit.

He does offer experience at tackle, however, and the Broncos are always on the lookout for versatile lineman. A lot of fans are really high on this guy – would you approve us taking him in the first round?

In a bit we’ll tell you the arguments against it.

As draft day approaches, BroncoTalk will be giving you game tape highlights of some of the bigger (and smaller) names around the draft. In today’s installment: Virginia Left Guard now projected to be a top Left Tackle Branden Albert. Some of the videos he is hard to pick out being an interior lineman, so watch for #71 playing left guard.

The first video is Albert’s sports illustrated highlight reel with an overview of what type of player he is. After the jump the second video is NFL Network’s “First Draft” segment on the prospect. The third and forth videos are individual game highlights of Albert’s play and finally the last segment contains his combine clips.

NFL Network’s First Draft: Branden Albert

#71 Branden Albert and Virginia vs Miami Single Game Highlights. One of his better showings.

#71 Branden Albert and Virginia vs Maryland single game highlights. Glimpses of his downside.