A 222 pound running back, Thomas Clayton most recently played for the Seattle Seahawks. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

The Denver Broncos will workout several players on Tuesday, according to multiple league sources. The team is not looking to sign players at the moment, but rather have emergency options down the road in case of injuries.

Among the most notable players Denver will reportedly workout Tuesday is veteran safety Darren Sharper, who most recently played with the New Orleans Saints. Sharper has connections to the Broncos coaching staff and would provide solid depth in the secondary.

With the Broncos receiving depth being tested, speculations have been made about the team also giving veteran wide receiver Terrell Owens a look.  With two young receivers on the practice squad in Eron Riley and D’Andre Goodwin however, it seems more likely that the Broncos would activate one of those two players before bringing in an aged veteran.

On Monday, the Broncos worked out punter Daniel Power and running backs Thomas Clayton and Jalen Parmele, according to Aaron Wilson of Scout.com. Denver’s “starting” running back, Knowshon Moreno, may miss at least one more game with a hamstring injury.

Meanwhile, former Broncos and Redskins running back Clinton Portis will work out for the Tennessee Titans today, whom the Broncos will play on Sunday.

We’ll keep you updated if any of these visits turn into signings.

A new series here at BT, taking a look at how the Broncos stack up statistically across the league. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

AFC West Standings:

The Denver Broncos are in a three-way tie with the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers atop the AFC West at 1-1, with Oakland winning the tie-breaker with the only division victory. The Kansas City Chiefs sit at the bottom of the division at 0-2.

The Broncos own the second best net points (-1), behind Oakland (0) and ahead of San Diego (-7) and Kansas City (-79). None of the teams however own impressive numbers — the Chiefs are just embarrassing. The Broncos have scored the third most touchdowns (5), behind Oakland (7), San Diego (6) and ahead of Kansas City (1). It is very early in the season, so the West is still to be won.

Individual Player Rankings:

Quarterback Kyle Orton has thrown the 13th most passing attempts (71), while throwing only the 19th most completions (39).  Ranking 17th overall in passing yards (499), Orton is in a nine-way tie for the 14th most touchdown passes (3) as well as the 14th-best long pass (52T). Only four quarterbacks have been sacked more than Orton, who has gone down seven times in the first two games (partly to blame is the offensive line for that statistic). Click here to read the rest of this entry »

• Knowshon Moreno might not be ready to go this week. [Denver Post]
• Klis discusses whether Willis McGahee has taken over the #1 RB spot in his latest mailbag. [Denver Post]
• In hindsight, perhaps Lance Ball should have spared McGahee a bit more, John Fox said. [MaxDenver]
• Fox is “very hopeful” to get some of his injured players back this week. [Denver Post]
• Brandon Lloyd‘s status Sunday was indeed a surprise, says John Elway, just as I hard surmised earlier. [ESPN]
• Practice squadders Eron Riley or D’Andre Goodwin could be activated for receiver help. [Sporting News]
• Kyle Orton provided the decisive score with less than two minutes in the game in last year’s victory over the Titans. [Titans Official Site]
• Jim Saccomano reviews the Broncos‘ rivalry with the Titans/Oilers franchise, and how Denver and Houston were once in the same division. [DenverBroncos.com]
• RIP Kenny McKinley, who died one year ago today.

Fat Tire: My Colorado beer of choice. (I'm an exiled Coloradoan; your favorite local brews in the comments).

The Broncos Six-Pack is a new weekly segment discussing six things we learned the day after the game. I hope you enjoy.

1. This was the 2nd best win in Kyle Orton’s Broncos career

Orton said it was his best, but we’ll leave those honors to his Week Five performance in 2009. (Since it’s a game I so often cite in my pro-Orton arguments on Twitter, I’ll remind you — Orton executed a 98-yard touchdown drive in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots to tie the game. Then he did it again in overtime, moving the Broncos into game-winning field goal range).

Back to 2011… Orton wasn’t perfect Sunday; he wasn’t even spectacular. His stripped fumble in the third quarter had his critics groaning once again. But considering the handcuffs placed on his offense by injury, he was efficient, careful, and dangerous enough to keep the Cincinnati Bengals defense honest.

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Denver Broncos wide receiver Eddie Royal (19) is helped off the field after an injury in the second quarter of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2011, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

The Denver Broncos receiving depth just took another hit.

According to Mike Klis of the Denver Post, slot receiver Eddie Royal will miss up to four weeks with a groin injury while “receiving” tight end Julius Thomas will also miss at least two weeks with a high ankle sprain.

This leaves the Broncos with Eric Decker and Matthew Willis as the only healthy active receivers on the roster. Head Coach John Fox said Monday that reserve quarterback Tim Tebow will not move to receiver to fill the void, as he did on Sunday when Royal went down in the first quarter. Fox said Tebow played well but will stay a quarterback, and the team will look to other receiving options.

Second year receiver Demaryius Thomas (Achilles/finger) could be ready to play as early as this week (although that is unlikely), as well as veteran Brandon Lloyd (groin). Rookie tight end Virgil Green and fullback Spencer Larsen each lined up as a receiver at one point in Sunday’s game, and remain emergency options for Denver. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

I love me some BT Game Balls, because that means the Denver Broncos won the day before. One of our longest-running columns returns following the gritty 24-22 win Denver pulled out against the Bengals Sunday. Alright staffers – WHO YA GOT?!

WR Eric Decker

I know he wants that fumble back, but he came through when there weren’t really any other options to throw to. This was his opportunity to shine, and he did that in a big way — five receptions for 113 yards and two touchdowns. -E. Halsey Miles

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Denver Broncos Eric Decker runs for a touchdown untouched against the Cincinnati Bengals during their NFL football game in Denver, Colorado September 18, 2011. (Photo by Mark Leffingwell/Reuters)

Yours truly drafted Denver Broncos wide receiver Eric Decker in both of my fantasy football leagues. That was a smart move.

If your a fantasy football owner and Decker is (for some odd reason) still available in your league, sign the second year pro as quickly as you can. The former Minnesota standout receiver is really catching on with the Broncos.

Coming in at 6’3, 218 pounds, Decker fittingly wears the jersey number of another former fan favorite receiver, Ed McCaffrey. Through the first two games of 2011, Decker has been just as reliable for the Broncos as McCaffrey was back in the good old days.

Decker has caught eight Kyle Orton passes for 166 yards (a fancy 20.8 yards-per-catch average) and two scores. He’s also played a role on special teams, returning five punts for 128 yards, including a 90-yard touchdown return. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Highlights of the Denver Broncos 24-22 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals can be viewed below.

• Video highlights: Broncos 24, Bengals 22. [DenverBroncos.com]
• More highlights from NFL GameDay. [NFL.com]
• The aggressive defense and running attack were among Andrew Mason’s Three Observations. [MaxDenver]
• Broncos shrugged off injuries to five starters, and two more during the game, to overcome the Bengals. [ProFootballTalk]
• Key defensive plays made the difference in the end. [Denver Post]
• Eric Decker got 2nd Most Valuable Player honors from MJD. [Shutdown Corner]
• Indeed, wins make everything feel better. [Denver Post]
• Mark Kiszla spent Sunday with a veteran Broncos fan, who lamented the state of Mile High. [Denver Post]
• Injured Jamaal Charles is likely out for the rest of KC‘s season. [Washington Post]

Willis McGahee, Eric Decker and Von Miller resurrect the Mile High Salute in 2011. (Photos courtesy Reuters, Getty, Denver Broncos)

Terrell Davis approves… The Mile High Salute is back! Thank you Willis McGahee, Eric Decker, and Von Miller!

The Mile High Salute was a beacon of the Denver Broncos‘ Super Bowl years, but it never should have been relegated to that history. Like the Lambeau Leap or the Terrible Towel, it’s a tradition that should have transcended the individual players or fans that employed it. It’s a reminder of Denver Broncos pride and a staple of Mile High Magic… elements in Broncos country that have been sorely missed in recent years.

May the Mile High Salute never leave the Rocky Mountains again.

(Thanks to BT Staffer Jon Heath for putting the photo together).