Five Rookies Left to Sign as Training Camp Nears

The Denver Broncos will kick off training camp next Thursday July 24, 2008, but in the meantime, they’ll need to settle on contracts with five of their nine rookies.

Safety Josh Barrett, one of the team’s seventh round picks, was the first draft pick to sign with the Broncos, despite a small hiccup with the league offices days later.  Fifth and sixth rounders DT Carlton Powell, RB Ryan Torain, and LB Spencer Larsen all signed contracts last week.

This leaves seventh round pick Peyton Hillis, fourth round picks CB Jack Williams and C Kory Lichtensteiger, second round pick WR Eddie Royal, and first rounder OT Ryan Clady left unsigned.

The day two picks, along with Royal, shouldn’t prove difficult to sign. The Broncos’ top rookie Ryan Clady may prove otherwise. Both Clady and the Broncos have voiced interest in getting a deal done smoothly and quickly, and the Broncos have already begun preliminary discussions with Clady’s representatives, a practice not common with the Broncos in years past. Even so, that’s no guarantee that contract negotiations won’t stretch until the last day, or even the last minute, as recent history suggests that the team’s first round pick won’t sign until the training camp reporting date.

There’s one other obstacle the Broncos face as training camp approaches. The roster limit imposed on the Broncos (and all NFL teams) at this time of the season is 80 men. The Broncos currently have 77 under contract, meaning they will have to release two players before they can get these rookie contracts done. Expect this announcement to come soon.

The Broncos got an early start to their rookie signings this year, but there’s still some work to be done in the next 10 days. Keep it locked here at BroncoTalk for the daily grind, and we’ll update you on the status of these contracts as the news breaks.