Offseason Reboot Pays Dividends

It wasn’t long ago that the Broncos had a lot of questions, on both sides of the field.  Eight months ago, it was “How will the Broncos bounce back from this disaster?” Two months ago, off-field issues involving a certain star wide receiver were dominating the headlines. Only a month ago, the questions surrounded the personnel the Broncos added this offseason. Namely – who was going to start at crucial positions for the Broncos this year?

Two preseason games and a training camp later, nearly all of those questions have been answered.  This team looks and plays better than their 2007 counterparts. The depth chart has been mostly settled with two and a half weeks until kickoff. Only middle linebacker and punter remain unsettled at the top of the depth chart.

Mike Shanahan, thus far, I’d say you’ve done one helluva job.

The Broncos are settled at wide receiver – rookie Eddie Royal answered the call, seemingly from nowhere, and has usurped Darrell Jackson and Keary Colbert for the #2 spot.  The right tackle position has been settled, by default more than anything, with Ryan Harris performing admirably.  The running back position is still in a bit of flux, but when is that not true in Denver?  For now, Selvin Young is holding onto the spot with Andre Hall nipping at his heels and Anthony Alridge not too far behind.

On defense, the defensive line didn’t go through as many changes as many expected.  Elvis Dumervil and John Engelberger are keeping their starting jobs from a year ago.  After seeing their play on both running and passing downs in the preseason, I’m okay with that on both counts.  At defensive tackle, new acquisition Dewayne Robertson will take a starting spot, along with 2nd year player Marcus Thomas.  These guys have a lot of pressure to improve the run defense from a year ago.  On passing downs, the Broncos hope these disruptive DT’s will cause enough problems for Dumervil to find himself situated in 1-on-1’s rather than constant double teams.

The safety spot is full of surprises – Marlon McCree is taking over for John Lynch after the veteran’s sudden departure, and even more surprising is the development taking place at the other safety spot.  Hindered by a groin injury, Hamza Abdullah has lost his starting job to Marquand Manuel, and that doesn’t appear to be changing.  Just a month ago Lynch and Abdullah were the starters.

The only battles still to be fought are at Punter, where Brett Kern and Sam Paulescu have both shown they can get the job done, and at middle linebacker.  Neither Nate Webster nor Niko Koutouvides have stood out, which isn’t a good thing in my mind.  The game against the Packers on Friday will go a long way to deciding their collective fate.

With a settled roster about a week from now, it’s time to really change gears and focus on the 2008 Denver Broncos campaign.  Can you smell the football Broncos fans?!