DT Gerard Warren may become trade bait

While many of my fan brethren are claiming they saw this one coming for nearly a year, I have to say I’m pretty shocked. I knew there would be turn over on our D-line when Bates came in, but Warren fit the Bates model better than most of our returning linemen and we just gave him a nice deal in the off-season. So, when the Denver Post reported today that Gerard Warren wasn’t traveling with the Broncos to San Francisco because Denver was attempting to shop him for a trade I was a rather surprised.

The Post is reporting that two different sources have confirmed Denver is looking to trade the defensive tackle (most likely for a 2008 draft pick). Now, I don’t know how much of this I’m buying because they also claim Warren wasn’t a “fit” for Jim Bates’ system. That’s simply hog-wash. Warren is 6’4″ and 325lbs. If Jimmy Kennedy is filling Warren’s slot, it’s not because he’s a bigger Bates run stuffer (officially they’re listed at the same height and weight).

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 D-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 they cut from the bottom, they don’t get any draft picks at all. And while I like Warren, he might not have shown enough difference between himself and players like Kennedy to justify keeping him over his cheaper counterparts.

Jimmy Kennedy will start in Warren’s 1st Team spot tonight. We also have Sam Adams, Alvin McKinley, Amon Gordon, Antwon Burton and rookie Marcus Thomas.

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