Denver Broncos wide receiver Chad Jackson pulls in a pass during camp. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

The Denver Broncos waived wide receiver Chad Jackson Monday, making room for Brandon Marshall to rejoin the 53-man roster. Marshall was reinstated Sunday, but the Broncos were granted a 54-man roster exemption to figure out who would be released to add their disgruntled wideout. Jackson ended up the odd man out.

Jackson, a former Patriot, actually joined the Broncos last year during the Mike Shanahan era. Assuming Head Coach Josh McDaniels had some say in Jackson’s status in New England as Offensive Coordinator, this is the second time McD has axed Jackson in less than 12 months.

Jackson, a fourth-year wide receiver, joined the Broncos as a free agent on Oct. 27, 2008. He totaled eight kickoff returns for 162 yards (20.3 avg.) and a 19-yard catch in four regular-season games for the Broncos.

The Denver Broncos announced their finalized 53-man roster Saturday evening, with a few minor surprises but nothing wholly unexpected. However, this roster won’t be finalized for long: an issue with one player will force the Broncos to tweak the roster again Sunday. Who on the roster could possibly be giving the Broncos trouble?

Brandon Marshall, who else?

Marshall isn’t listed among the 53 – he’s still listed undert Reserved/Suspended. So tomorrow, when his team-imposed suspension is scheduled to end, Marshall will have to be officially added back to the Broncos roster. Whether he likes it or not.

Marshall’s return does bring up some very real questions: what do the Broncos do to make room? If they add a player released by another team this weekend, how do they tweak the roster? They have several options. Let’s break it down.

PUP LIST
UPDATE: This article was originally published with “possible PUP-list candidates” based on current injuries. My understanding of the PUP list was incorrect; a player can only be placed on this list at the start of training camp, three weeks before the 53-man roster is set. The team then has until six weeks into the regular season to activate them.

(You would think after covering this very topic and writing about it extensively over the past three seasons that this would have stuck. Such is the art of navigating the complicated world of NFL PUP lists/practice squads/waived-injureds/etc. *Oops.* The Broncos’ only option to make moves around their roster is to release a player (see below). I apologize for the misunderstanding.)

RELEASE
There’s also a good chance the Broncos could release another player outright to make room for Marshall. Here are some players on the bubble who could be getting a belated visit from the Turk Sunday.

• OT Brandon Gorin – Hard for me to see the Broncos keeping two backup tackles when they have Russ Hochstein, who plays everywhere.  This was the guy I left off my prediction post in Marshall’s stead.
• WR Chad Jackson – The receiver could very well take the place of another receiver.  Jackson would be the guy.
• RB LaMont Jordan – OK, I’m bitter, sue me.  This guy is bigger and can block better than Darius Walker, but that’s about it.  Forgive me for wanting a player with upside at my fourth running back roster spot.
• S Josh Barrett – Barrett was on the bubble for a roster spot to begin with; his injury status certainly doesn’t solidify his spot in the locker room.
• DE/OLB Jarvis Moss – When push comes to shove, will the Broncos stick with their decision to stick with Moss?
• DL Le Kevin Smith – I don’t think Smith will be released, but is it possible he will be placed on Injured/Reserve?  Reports have surfaced indicating his knee injury is actually a torn meniscus, and that the team signed Vonnie Holliday in part because of this injury.
• LB Darrell Reid – Until his preseason-meltdown-saving interception Thursday, the outside linebacker hadn’t been playing well.  He lost his starting job to Mario Haggan in camp and had all of four tackles in three preseason games.  With nine linebackers on the roster, Reid’s spot was by no means a lock, and I actually wavered back and forth on Reid when predicting my final 53 prediction roster.  You heard it here first…

WAIVER WIRE
Finally, a semi-related note. If recent events are any indication, the Broncos will continue to adjust their roster by bringing in players waived by other teams.  Marshall’s return is a sure thing, but it’s likely they’ll do their due dilligence on other teams’ released players (like, say, New England‘s).  Will they invest in a quarterback while Simms and Orton are hurt, like Jeff Garcia or Brian Brohm? Will they take a look at former Boise St. running back Ian Johnson, who has experience in the zone blocking scheme and is a national headliner to boot? Keep an eye on the couple hundred players released over the past 48 hours; a few of them might wind up in Denver.

And if/when that happens, expect more of the possibilities listed above to become a reality.

Kenny McKinley gets lifted by Nate Swift after a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

If I were to ask you if there was a receiver on the Denver Broncos roster that is in the top five for reception yards in the 2009 NFL Preseason, would you be able to guess who? Yes, of course you would; you read the title of this post silly. This is a Here’s the Deal Denver about our rookie receiver Kenny McKinley!

So here’s the deal, every since way before this whole Brandon Marshall thing happened, I predicted that two rookies would step it up and take over in Denver. Those two were McKinley and UDFA Nate Swift. Now Swift remains a bubble player going into the final 53 man roster, but McKinley is the truth. (Oh and Swift will at least end up on the practice squad, if he isn’t signed by someone else.)

So here’s the deal, Denver fans have every right to question head coach Josh McDaniels‘ decisions leading up to the regular season… There are is two one things that you can’t argue, the man knows wide receivers and the man knows quarterbacks ::runs to hide::. From Wes Welker to Randy Moss, from Jabar Gaffney to Chad Jackson before him, the man does to wide receivers what Mike Shanahan used to do to running backs. And McKinley is McDaniels new masterpiece, so low and behold.

Our man is poised to take over that number two spot by mid-season at least, no I’m not willing to call him the rookie of the year, but I wouldn’t have a problem saying that the kid will easily pull 600+ yards and five to six touchdowns. This is all regardless of whether Marshall is in play as a Broncos wide receiver or not. McKinley figures to be a major problem for potential defensive game plans and if he steps up then the Patriots West will be able to use Royal in the Welker role where he will truely flourish. However, whether it’s Royal or Marshall in that ‘X,’ spot McKinley looks to be the greatest option eventually this season at ‘Y,’. Let’s just hope that he’s getting his reps in with Rod Smith as you read.

No, this doesn’t mean that Denver is putting Brandon Stokley, Gaffney or Jackson to the side, but let’s face it… If anything is evident this is a new regime and they value youth just as much as experience and the healthier the canon fodder, the better. Don’t believe me? Watch how well the, ‘Youth,’ does tonight against the Arizona Cardinals.

What’s up Nation? Do you agree with me or not? I have felt like McKinley was Marshall’s replacement since we drafted him. There’s been little to combat my thoughts every since.

Marshall lined up on scout team offense for Denver last week. (AP Photo)

NOTE: Brandon Marshall is appearing on ESPN’s NFL Live to talk about his practice behavior.  10:30 p.m. MST (8/27/09).

Who does this guy think he is? Jay Cutler? Just kidding. Sorry, I’m being hissed at by thousands of fans, I can tell. You’d think just in the sense of team spirit that Brandon Marshall would want to suit up to play his buddy Cutler in those prime time Sunday night lights. Instead, given the opportunity, he’s attempting to outshine Cutler’s return to Denver and the media highlighting that. He’s giving his best effort of being bigger than the game on his own, without even playing.

I’m guessing that by now you’ve seen the footage from TheDenverChannel.com showing Marshall, punching passes instead of catching, walking through running drills and overall just being about as disruptive as possible to practice. Here’s what we’re forgetting and maybe Marshall is as well, no one wants this kid. He’s been on the trading block, ESPN’s John Clayton reported back when Marshall Saga first opened that the Denver Broncos never received anything over a fourth round draft pick offer for the brain dead wide receiver.

Kyle linked to a story earlier today over at The National Football Post titled ‘Is [Marshall] killing the [Broncos],’ (sorry they have two misspellings in the title). In which Matt Bowman stated that it’s time for Marshall to put his contact behind him, but I think at this point, we’re even past that. Marshall might as well put his career behind him and hope that his degree in Liberal Studies from the University of Central Florida can sustain his new career as a real estate agent. Who is going to want this guy? He’s damned, even if he’s not a trouble maker, trouble finds him! In nearly every aspect of his life, I don’t need to go through his rap sheet here- you all know the multiple stories… We’ve all defended the man, but he has just become indefensible. The man is a loser and it’s time for Denver to suspend him.

It’s almost painful to say as a Broncos fan, because as disappointed as I’ve been in him and as frustrated as I’ve been with the fact that nearly every time Marshall is thrown the ball I’m not sure if he’s going to catch it or drop it. Well, come to think of it, maybe Marshall’s been trying to get traded since 2007… Dropping passes on purpose and there was that incident of him and former offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates. I digress.

I have no problem calling the man what he is, a cancer, as Mercutio screamed as he lay dying in Romeo and Juliet, “A plague on both of your houses!”

There is one certainty though, we can live without him, but can we ever live with him again? Sure, fans may point to Jabar Gaffney’s drop in the endzone when Denver played the Seattle Seahawks last week, but did you happen to see Marshall in the Pro Bowl last season at the goal line? Neither Peyton Manning or Cutler could get this guy to catch the ball, and those are two of the greatest quarterbacks in the league!

Let my kids look up to Brandon Stokley before they ever catch a glimpse of Marshall, I’ll take Eddie Royal at his worst over Marshall at his best. Yes, not having Marshall lining up at wide out is going to burn this season, but like a bad relationship that you should have cut off years ago, we’re just going to have to deal. As I’ve mused in previous podcasts and during live blogs I’m looking for rookie receivers Kenny McKinley and/or Nate Swift to step up a lot towards the end of preseason. Matter of fact, at this point we’re at the same place that we were last preseason, not knowing if Royal would step up, we only had Marshall and Stokley at receiver as sure things.

Well, now we’ve got sure things in Stokley and Royal and we’re only hoping that Gaffney, Chad Jackson, McKinley and Swift will step it up. Let us not forget about Tony Scheffler and Daniel Graham, not to mention our extremely talented backfield and the fact that they can catch. There are still only a handful of receiver sets in the NFL  that are more loaded with talent than Denver is, even minus Marshall.

So Nation, save the, ‘Trade Marshall for Anquan Boldin!’ Rants, there are free agent wide receivers as talented as Marshall still available. We’re not going to get anything for Marshall, he’s worth about as much as stock in an American car factory is right about now. We’ve got to stand strong as a team and hope that something brings Marshall to his senses. If he doesn’t have faith in Josh McDaniels, let a couple of wins prove him wrong. This situation isn’t going to turn into a Terrell Owens in Philadelphia thing, Marshall doesn’t have the talent that Owens did at that point. Nor are the Broncos returning from a super bowl loss.

Suspend him for conduct detrimental to the team, I’m pretty sure his lawyer can’t sue Denver, as at one point, if not currently he probably represented the Broncos (he represented Travis Henry two seasons ago as well). Play ball Marshall, you’ve seen what happened to Javon Walker when he tried this and read up on Ashleigh Lelie, because former Broncos receivers go the way of former Broncos running backs. They don’t survive outside the system. Now let’s focus on what’s important here, beating Jay Cutler the Chicago Bears.

UPDATED POST NFL LIVE INTERVIEW:

Just after publishing this post, Marshall did an interview with ESPN’s Trey Wingo, where Marshall said amongst a lot of ‘truthfully,’s and ‘honestly,’s (which is an indicator that he’s being anything but ‘truthful’ or ‘honest’ ), he started off by stating that he was just being, ‘Truthfully honest,” and that some of the footage was being blown out of proportion. He said that him sitting down and fixing his pants (which do not appear on the video) was blown out of proportion and that punting the ball was, ‘An air in judgement.’ If he could do it again, “I definately wouldn’t have punted the ball…” “Unfortunately yesterday, I kind of let my frustration get the best of me.” “I let my emotions get the best of me, but then again, half of that video was blown out of proportion.”

When asked what would happen if he didn’t get traded, “Well, then I have to be professional about it, I have to get ready for the season with the Broncos. Go out their and put my team in the best position to win… I feel like we have a great group of guys and a great chance of winning.”

He also referred to the fact that he was told that he would be traded, “Way back in the summer time,”

When asked if he would be a part of the Broncos roster when they played the Cincinnati Bengals Marshall stated that, “Honestly, you know what, there’s a lot of things up in the air right now… I can’t predict the future, I can only prepare for it.”

Overall, I felt like Marshall knows that he’s not going to be traded, he’s buckling down, is ‘honestly,’ embarrassed and will play for Denver this season.

But first a big back hand from a man that’s been to a couple of Super Bowls with Denver.

Former Bronco offensive lineman (and current Denver resident) Mark Schlereth followed the interview up immediately by stating that Marshall looked like a petulant child that hadn’t gotten his way and going on to say that,”The Denver Broncos are not Pat Bowlen, they’re not Josh McDaniels, they’re those other guys that you line up with and what you’ve done to them is disgusting.”

His lasting impression.

I’ve always loved Jake. 

With that love also comes understanding. 

I understand that sending the bird towards the mile high sky was uncalled for. I understand the grudge he still holds from being benched for Cutler. I understand his lack of enthusiasm to compete with the gaggle of quarterbacks on the Tampa Bay roster. I understand his leaving the broken bones/bruises of the NFL to play handball professionally with his brother and father. I understand his easy transition to Sandpoint High School quarterbacks coach.

I understand that Denver fans have a love/hate/really really hate relationship with the Snake.

Say what you will, Jake Plummer is definitely his own man. I could list all of Plummer’s achievements on and off the field. I could list all of his shortcomings. Why? Why drudge up all of those useless details when the man left us a shinning piece of gold in Broncos history?

The Mustache roster photo.

Now (in)famous, this gem of a portrait will never cease to bring a smile to my face. A guy who never took his self too seriously, Jake was kind enough to give us the gift that just kept on giving, exploding onto the screen over and over and over again. Mustache!
In honor of Jake and his extremely self-aware/perverse/clever bio shot, I’ve decided to go through the brand new roster photos and dish out a couple awards for a coupla stills that the Snake might be proud of. Drum roll please. Let’s have some fun.

Click the names to see the pics
Ben Hamilton-The Plummer Award
Dear lord, maybe Ben Hamilton can get some snaps at QB this season? Heck, even fullback, anything to get this picture some more air time.

Andre Goodman- The Who Farted? Award
Maybe the photographer? Maybe Andre.

Ryan Harris- I Mean Business Award
HA HA HA…no? Sorry. Sorry.

Nick Griesen- Ugh, This Guy Is Taking My Sister Out Tonight Award
He picks her up at 10:00 on his crotch rocket, his collar is popped, his breath smells like wine coolers.

Chad Jackson- Manny & I Have The Same Dread Guy Award/Predator Award
Although you can say it’s making fun, I think CJ looks really cool.

Matt McChesney-I Saw That Guy @ The Bar Last Night Award
After the forth shot of Jose Cuevro.
Me: How many times you going to play that song?
Matt: I’m on a boat!
Me: Cut him off.

Clint Oldenburg-Ugh, This Guy Actually Is Taking My Sister Out Tonight Award
He picks her up at 8:30, his breath smells like wine coolers.

Seth Olsen- Jay Cutler chin & Dumb & Dumber Haircut Award
I checked, #6 is still available.

Blake Schlueter- We’re All Visiting the Underworld & This Guy Is Taking Us Award
Literally as I was writing this, his photo was changed to this one. The previous was a TCU pic with fog billowing out from behind him (dry ice baby). Somehow this picture still works for the award.

Nate Swift- Just Happy To Be Here Award
Every rookie must have been rushed to the photo room directly from the practice field. Check out the helmet marks.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are not those of Broncotalk. They are mine. I hope no one is offended. I almost didn’t post this. I didn’t want to offend anyone, then I found this.

Recently Jake was quoted as saying

” When people ask me what I’m doing these days, I tell them ‘whatever the he** I want’.”

Me too Jake, me too.

MUSTACHE!

“His salary request is affordable for a receiver who averaged 103 catches and 1,295 receiving yards the past two years. Larry Fitzgerald averages $10 million a year, Randy Moss $9 million, Andre Johnson has an eight-year deal at $7.5 million per and Anquan Boldin is holding out in Arizona trying to get a deal worth at least $9 million per.”

Brandon Marshall

However, Klis doesn’t appear to be aware of exactly how much Marshall is asking for, my best guess is somewhere near $5 million for this season, with around five or six years worth of a contract. Okay… And? My early prediction was that Marshall will face little or absolutely no suspension following the announcement of the Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch‘s suspension. However, NFL Spokesman Greg Aiello says that the matter is, “Still pending.”

The fat lady still hasn’t sung on the suspension and Marshall’s ex-girlfriend is singing to whomever is willing to listen. We’ll have to wait until Sunday when ESPN will air “Outside The Lines” featuring Marshall’s ex-girlfriend Rasheeda Watley‘s interview.

Neither the Broncos or Marshall were willing to participate, but Watley had this to say,

“I feel like somebody has to stand up and stop him from doing this because the Broncos haven’t done it, the NFL hasn’t done it, the Atlanta police department hasn’t done it.“

Ouch. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorn, but Marshall’s really between a rock and a hard place. As quick as Marshall was able to request a raise on his scheduled $2.2 million due this season, head coach Josh McDaniels may be just as quick to quote another Marshall, straight off the Slim Shady EP…

Despite his horrible off-season, Marshall dropped more than a couple of passes during the season and where is he now? Orlando, FL… Rehabbing. So all we can do now is pray (no Mcdonald’s reference from me, but it would fit since there’s a new McRegime in Denver). I’ve referenced it before, but anyone remember the Pro Bowl last season when a combined six passes from Peyton Manning and Jay Cutler in the end zone were not received by big 1-5? Wait, Marshall didn’t sign a new manager did he? Someone certainly seems to be blowing smoke up something…

Three names Marshall; Eddie Royal, Jabar Gaffney and Brandon Stokley. More? Chad Jackson and the very underrated David Grimes. Still confused as to why we picked up Kenny McKinley in the fifth round this season? That’s a whole lot of people that are capable of catching passes, that’s even if the team’s planning on passing at all this season… With that many talented running backs, the jury’s still out on the team doing anything other than running the ball. Here’s the reason that your rookie contract has escalators Brandon- in case you do well! That’s why you’re making $2.2 million instead of $500k plus.

In other news, Tony Scheffler and McDaniels have apparently brushed off their pants and agreed to see eye-to-eye on Scheffler’s position on the team. Good work men.

Am I crazy Nation? It seems like every off-season has become the Marshall show. I’m not ready to turn him over, I honestly don’t think that he’s worth much in a trade. He just needs to understand his place right now. A fan favorite, but I’m getting tired of defending this horses ass. I’ll still draft him in fantasy football though, especially if he ends up in Chicago (haha).

UPDATE: Here’s a short clip from ESPN’s “Outside The Lines” regarding Marshall.

Another week, another… Bronco column. I was back to Beckett’s for the third week in a row, I’ve met several Broncos fans (shout out to Waylon and that gorgeous waitress)- we’ve formed a bit of a monopoly in the corner of the upstairs area. So if you’re in New York City, come join us. There are fans from everywhere, Harvard graduates, London footballers, men and women.

The loss to the Oakland Raiders brings me to something that I was going to write about a couple weeks ago- how am I going to justify to my girlfriend that she should spend her Sunday watching the Broncos with me? The women in our ragtag group of Colorado/Wyoming ex-patriots are dripping in sarcasm. For example, when Jay Cuter’s full-screen “Mr. 4^th Quarter,” graphic popped up, it showed that Cutler has thrown eight touchdowns and two interceptions in the fourth quarter this season.

“So he throws an interception twenty percent of the time?” said the young lady sitting next to me- surprisingly, this wasn’t the Harvard grad, but this does pretty much summarize why I love women.

Here are some facts, I’m going to give them to you straight:

• When Denver has had the lead in the AFC West following Week 11 (which they do now) they’ve gone to the Super Bowl. Every time (except once) whether they won or lost that Super Bowl is another subject entirely. The only year they didn’t go on to the big game was the 1978 season.
• Tatum Bell is a bit of a curse, last time he started was Cutler’s rookie season. The game which essentially knocked us out of the playoffs was the season finale versus the San Francisco 49ers (12/31/06). Against the Oakland Raiders he finished with six carries for 14-yards. Please, everyone, don’t rush to pick him up off waivers in your fantasy leagues.
• The Broncos have played 12 rookies this season, compare that to a team like the Kansas City Chiefs, who made it very clear that they were rebuilding this season- the Broncos, unless they completely fall on their face will be in the playoffs by years’ end… With those 12 rookies still playing, the future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades. We’re not one draft away from being a contender, last season we were one draft away from being a contender.
• Chad Jackson, Mario Haggans and Roderick Rogers all had significant playing time this game. With the exception of Rogers, was anyone really aware of the fact that Jackson and Haggans were on the roster?
• Peyton Hillis has scored three times in the last two games.
• As it stands, Denver will have the following running backs in their stable come the 2009 training camp: Selvin Young, Andre Hall, Michael Pittman, Ryan Torain, Anthony Alridge, Peyton Hillis, Tatum Bell and P.J. Pope. Let’s draft a running back! Seriously though, screw character, let’s get a guy whose friggin’ knee can hold up for longer than three games. There are an awful lot of nice guys sitting on our injured reserve right now.
• Don’t be too mad we lost to the Raiders, it was basically our third-team defense, if you don’t believe me go back to the training camp notes and see who was playing on what defense.
• Nate Webster, D.J. Williams and Champ Bailey are all expected back for the New York Jets game.

Back to the words- I mused allowed that Denver could very well be an 8-8 playoff team, which would put them in a nice spot for the draft, while also letting us into that Russian roulette round known as the playoffs. Are we the Pittsburgh Steelers of 2005? I don’t know, we might be if we could keep guys healthy.

Doom and gloom, that’s for fans from Detroit, we’re the other D city. This was Oakland’s Super Bowl, we got tagged in a trap game, it’s happened twice this season. People start mentioning MVP, Pro Bowl, Player of the Week and then Denver kind of makes a mess on the bed.

Here’s the good news, Mike Shanahan’s pissed, in his post game press conference he said, ““I think there was a lot of plays out there that people could have made, that they didn’t make today. We had a few drops, and that doesn’t help our quarterback. Obviously the interception [Cutler] threw doesn’t help either. They challenged us man-to-man the whole game, and normally plays that we make the second half we didn’t make. If we made those plays, it would have changed the momentum of the game. But congratulations to them, they did it, and we couldn’t get it done.”

Why is Shanahan pissed?

On what it felt like coming back to Denver, former Bronco receiver Ashley Lelie said, “It’s like being wronged, like having your ex-girlfriend cheat on you, and then coming back and playing like this, is like getting her back. It felt good to come back and get a ‘W’ most importantly. But, playing well definitely makes it feel even better.”

Now, another former Bronco/current Raider Gerrard Warren said that, “We just have to continue to build; getting a win against a divisional opponent is always big. Things are wide open, and we’re not looking ahead, but if we were able to run the table, we might be able to squeak into the playoffs.”

The Broncos played so bad that the 3-8 Raiders think that they have a chance at the playoffs…

Against Oakland- gone were the short passes, it was bombs away and Denver couldn’t capture that lightening in the bottle that throttled them ahead in the game against Cleveland. Cutler played scared and after the game, he even threw his teammate Champ Bailey under the bus, “We knew they were going to come in and play hard. They played good defensively. They have the best cornerback [Nnamdi Asomugha] in the game. He takes away half of the field. They have a good defensive line and linebackers and they came out to play. They had a good game plan and they were smart about [it].”

Fact is, the Raiders, Chiefs, Chargers- whatever, they’re better than they’ve played this season. The AFC West is the whipping boy this year, but check back in 2010 and this will be the toughest division in football. Denver will win against the New York Jets next weekend and I will spend this week trying to show you why. The thing is, I don’t call Denver wins, I never guarantee a win, but I promise that Denver will beat the Jets…

KOA sideline reporter Andy Lindahl is reporting on Jet 107.9 (10/27) that Marlon McCree is running with the first team defense once again and expects him to start in the Miami game.  After live blogging the Patriots game I don’t think any of our readers will be sad to see Calvin Lowry riding the bench.  Lindhahl also thinks that McCree or Manual would be a pretty good safety if not paired with the other guy, making the case that they’re both guys in their 30s with a similar playing style that could use fresh blood next to them.

Other topics on the table for discussion is the pickup of Chad Jackson, the former 1st round pick out of Florida by the Patriots.  Andy says he doesn’t understand the pickup and thinks it’s a mistake which I pretty much completely disagree on.  Trying to keep discussion on the positives rather than what our defense is going to look like without the Bailey company on the field they bring up the schedule.  That it’s very realistic that Denver could go 5-0 over this next stretch if they decide to show up.  Lindhahl also points out that the entire season could be put back on track if Ryan Torain starts to play this weekend and eventually becomes the player and starter that the Denver coaching staff and media thinks he can be.  “Look at the Patriots, as banged up as they are, they can still win games when they can run the ball.”

The Denver Broncos were very busy on Monday. The team added three players to their active roster while shuffling its practice squad considerably.

As previously reported, WR Chad Jackson signed with the club. Tackle Matt Murphy was also signed as Erik Pears was placed on the Reserve/Non-Injured list. Cornerback Josh Bell was promoted from the practice squad.

A familiar face joined the practice squad – center Greg Eslinger, whom the Broncos drafted in 2006 and released in 2007. Eslinger spent some time on the Cleveland Brown‘s active roster in 2007 and finished his season on the practice squad of the Houston Texans.

Finally, the Broncos added CB Rashod Moulton to the practice squad, an undrafted rookie from Fort Valley State University.

No quarterback signing yet… if my math’s right, the Broncos will have to release someone to make room on the roster for the backup QB, expected to be Darrell Hackney. Andre Hall, possibly? Full press release after the jump.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos on Monday announced several roster transactions, including the additions of free-agent wide receiver Chad Jackson and tackle Matt Murphy to their active roster.

Denver also on Monday signed cornerback Josh Bell to its active roster from its practice squad while adding center Greg Eslinger and cornerback Rashod Moulton to its practice squad.

Jackson (6-foot-1, 215 pounds) is a third-year wide receiver who spent his first two professional seasons with New England, which selected him in the second round (36th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft from the University of Florida. He competed in training camp with the Patriots this season but was waived on Aug. 31.

In 14 career games (1 start), Jackson has totaled 13 receptions for 152 yards (11.7 avg.) with three touchdowns along with four rushes for 22 yards (5.5 avg.). He owns five career punt returns for 83 yards (16.6 avg.) and six kickoff returns for 106 yards (17.7 avg.). The wide receiver also has appeared in three career playoff games, returning four kickoffs for 78 yards (19.5 avg.) and adding one special-teams stop.

Jackson was a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award (nation’s top receiver) and a first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection as a junior at Florida. He attended Hoover High School in Hoover, Ala., and was born on March 6, 1985.

Murphy (6-foot-5, 264 pounds) is a seventh-year tackle who spent the last two seasons with Buffalo after playing for Houston (2003-05) and Detroit (2002). Selected by the Lions in the seventh round (253rd overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft from the University of Maryland, Murphy has appeared in 28 career games (3 starts) at both the tackle and tight end positions.

Murphy, who started a career-high two games with the Texans in 2005, was inactive for Buffalo’s 2008 season opener before the club released him on Sept. 13.

A tight end and defensive end at Maryland, Murphy attended New Haven High School in New Haven, Mich., and was born on Feb. 23, 1980.

Bell (5-foot-11, 177 pounds) is a rookie cornerback who spent the last five weeks on Denver’s practice squad after joining the club on Sept. 24. He entered the NFL with the Chargers on May 2 as a college free agent from Baylor University but was waived by San Diego on Aug. 31.

During four seasons at Baylor, Bell totaled 94 career tackles and 12 pass breakups. A first-team all-district selection at Skyline High School in Dallas, Bell was born on Jan. 8, 1985.

Eslinger (6-foot-3, 291 pounds) is a third-year center who begins his second stint with the Broncos, who selected him in the sixth round (198th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft from the University of Minnesota.

He signed with Cleveland’s active roster from Denver’s practice squad on Nov. 14, 2007, but was inactive for all four games with the Browns. Eslinger finished that season on Houston’s practice squad and competed in its 2008 training camp before he was waived on Aug. 30.

A consensus All-American who received the Outland Trophy (nation’s best interior lineman) as a senior at Minnesota, Eslinger attended Bismarck High School in Bismarck, N.D., and was born on April 23, 1983.

Moulton (5-foot-11, 184 pounds) is a first-year cornerback who joins the Broncos from Jacksonville, which released him from its practice squad on Sept. 1. He entered the NFL with the Jaguars on May 14, 2007, as a college free agent from Fort Valley State University and spent his entire rookie campaign on the club’s practice squad.

Moulton played defensive back, running back and wide receiver at Fort Valley State, where he also returned kickoffs and punts. He posted five interceptions while averaging 7.9 yards (19-151) on punt returns as a senior.

A three-year starter at Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg, Fla., Moulton was born on Nov. 6, 1980.

The Denver Broncos lost linebacker Boss Bailey (knee), backup quarterback Patrick Ramsey (elbow), and offensive tackle Eric Pears (appendectomy) for the season this week. On Monday, expect many of these vacant roster spots to be filled.

Multiple reports indicate that WR Chad Jackson, a 2006 2nd round draft choice of the New England Patriots, has agreed in principle with the Broncos to a deal to be signed Monday. Jackson had a great career at the University of Florida and a blazing 4.2 40-time at the combine, but struggled to see the field with the Patriots.

It has also been reported that practice squad QB Darrell Hackney will be signed to the active roster on Monday.

Additionally, the Broncos released DT Steven Harris from their practice squad.

I was watching Jackson closely before the 2006 draft and was hoping he would fall to us. We ended up with Javon Walker instead, and we all know how that turned out. While WR is low on the priority list in my book, this move has some upside. Darrell Jackson, you’ve been put on notice. Let’s get healthy, sign a defensive player (or two), and get this season back on track.