Cam Newton rushes up-field alluding Marcell Dareus' grip. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Twenty-six hundred, that’s what the Denver Broncos second overall pick in the first round is worth on the NFL draft value chart.

That’s a lot of points.

Probably more points than anyone is willing to give up in order for the Broncos to trade back. Usually the gap in compensation is made up for by a player, but that’s impossible this year.

There are rumors that Denver is looking to trade back (who in the NFL isn’t?), certain fans hope that they will in order to pick up more picks in the middle rounds. The Broncos currently have seven picks in the draft, but do not have a fourth or a fifth round selection as of now.

The Washington Redskins (tenth overall), Tennessee Titans (eighth overall) and Arizona Cardinals (fifth overall) are all suspected to want to move up. I’ll throw the Cincinnati Bengals (fourth overall) in there for good measure, because they may be without Carson Palmer in 2011, which would put them in desperate need for a quarterback. Thus if either the Redskins, Titans or Cardinals were looking to jump ahead of the Bengals to choose a quarterback they would need to do it by either trading picks with the Broncos or the Buffalo Bills (third overall).

Here’s a breakdown of the likelihood of any type of trade.

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Running back Knowshon Moreno has been productive since arriving in Denver, gaining over 2,300 yards from scrimmage in two seasons. He has yet to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season, however. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

During the Mike Shanahan era, the Denver Broncos enjoyed years of reliable rushing attacks.  From Terrell Davis to Tatum Bell — and the four backs in between — Denver had a slew of 1,000 yard rushers over the last decade, but it all came to a screeching halt in 2007.

What would be the beginning of the end for Shanahan, continued on (and was exploited) during the Josh McDaniels era.  Though an offensive guru (or so we thought), McDaniels was never able to establish a good running game in Denver.  Casting away several promising backs (Peyton Hillis and Ryan Torain among them) and bringing in older models (such as Laurence Maroney and LaMont Jordan), undoubtedly contributed to McDaniels’ rushing attacks ranking near the bottom of the League in back-to-back seasons.

In 2009, McDaniels tried to address the problem by drafting Georgia star running back Knowshon Moreno.  The 23-year old back still hasn’t lived up to his high draft day expectations, however.  Although he has shown flashes of greatness and still has loads of potential, Moreno has just been a band aid to a wound that has been penetrating deeper and deeper.

With the defense and running game in shambles, the Broncos have turned to former Carolina Panthers Head Coach John Fox to fix their mess, and he appears to be just the man for the job.  A task this momentous will call for some reinforcements. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

To draft Peterson, or not to draft Peterson, that is the question at hand. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

The 2011 NFL Draft is now just two weeks away, and the great debate among Broncos fans has been, “Should Denver draft by need or select the best player available?” Which can be translated as, should the Broncos draft Alabama defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, because defensive tackle is their biggest need?  Or, should they draft LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson because he is arguably the best player in the draft?

Four months ago I wrote an article touching on the above mentioned subject, an excerpt of it can be read below:

“[This is] about rebuilding a defense by starting in the trenches. A good pass rush can make any good cornerback look like a great one (just look at New Englands’ Devin McCourty).”

My stance on the matter is as follows; although Peterson is an outstanding cornerback and would be a great commodity to any defense, Denver’s defensive line is in shambles, and needs to be addressed more than the secondary. Seemingly, there is at least one former Denver Bronco that agrees with me. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Trade Bait... There are several teams that may be willing to deal with Denver in order to trade up and select a quarterback second overall. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

• Earlier today, reports broke that the Denver Broncos were interested in trading down in the upcoming NFL Draft.  Ideally, the team would like to deal with either Buffalo, Cincinnati,  San Francisco or Tennessee.  [Previously on BT, ProFootballTalk]

• Without a new rookie wage scale in place, draft day trades would become unlikely, however.  The NFL’s proposed rookie compensation system would divert about $300 million a year from first-round draft picks’ contracts to veterans and player benefits.  [Denver Post]

• If there is a preseason, none of Denver’s four games will be nationally-televised, which is no surprise given the team’s poor record last season.  [MaxDenver]

• The Denver Broncos have conducted a private workout for Nevada outside linebacker-defensive ends Dontay Moch and Ryan Coulton, according to a league source with knowledge of the situation.  [National Football Post]

• Marcell Dareus, a defensive tackle from Alabama, and LSU cornerback-returner Patrick Peterson were brought in for their pre-draft visits to Dove Valley on Wednesday.  [Denver Post]

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Missouri QB Blaine Gabbert

Take it as it is, a rumor, but word is that the Broncos are having discussions with other teams, namely the Redskins and the Cardinals, about moving down in the draft.

Since there are such glaring holes in nearly every aspect of the team, it just might be a good move to pick up some more draft ammunition.

The bait I would think the Broncos are using for the second overall pick is Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert. There have been reports that Ken Whisenhunt and Mike Shanahan are big fans of the Mizz alumnus.

Peter King himself says, “And Gabbert will not get past Arizona.”

Be it fifth or tenth, whatever, who now?

The benefits of swapping picks with Arizona outweigh the cons in this situation because the Cardinals almost definitely be selected Blaine Gabbert. If the Broncos do land themselves in fifth overall spot then the first five picks could possible go like this:

1. Cam Newton (Panthers)

2. Blaine Gabbert (Cards)

3. Patrick Peterson (Bills)

4. A.J. Green (Bengals) Click here to read the rest of this entry »

BRONCOS 2011 PRESEASON SCHEDULE
Wk. 1 at Dallas (Thu Aug. 11, 7:30 p.m.)
Wk. 2 vs. Buffalo (Sat Aug. 20, TBD)
Wk. 3 vs. Seattle (Sat Aug. 27, TBD)
Wk. 4 at Arizona (Thu Sept. 1, 7:00 p.m.)
All times local

The 2011 preseason schedule — if there is a 2011 preseason at all — for the Denver Broncos has been announced, with the Broncos set to open up the preseason in Dallas to face the Cowboys.

They’ll then return home to host one of their regular season opponents, the Buffalo Bills, followed by the Seattle Seahawks.

They’ll finish their exhibition campaign on the road in typical fashion, facing the Arizona Cardinals.

“The preseason is an important time for us to evaluate our roster and get a better feel for our players,” head coach John Fox said. “It plays a big role in our regular-season preparation in terms of our timing and execution in all phases of the game.”

UPDATE: Denver Broncos 2011 Schedule

Who’s going to the game in Arizona and wants to meet up? (This question goes for the current employed Broncos players as well).

Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler watches his pass as Denver Broncos linebacker Elvis Dumervil takes him down during the first quarter at Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver on August 30, 2009. Denver meets Chicago for the first time since trading away quarterback Jay Cutler. UPI/Gary C. Caskey

I have to give it to you guys, last week’s competition was fierce and extremely hard to pick from. Nonetheless, a the first Haiku Hero has emerged. To figure out who that is you’ll have to read it after the jump.

This week’s topic? Elvis Dumervil. Like before, I’ll take the first crack at it.

Elvis Dumervil
Seventeen QB take-downs
Will happen again

Think you can beat that? Try it after the jump.

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There has always been a debate on whether a team should draft out of need or the best player available. The 2008 Draft is the perfect example of this dilemma.

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Production now

In 2008 the Carolina Panthers selected Jonathan Stewart in the first round because he was the best player available despite the fact the fact that they had DeAngelo Williams on the roster. The Panthers went on to have one of the most dynamic rushing attacks the NFL in 2009 with Stewart averaging 5.1 yards a rush.

However, the Panthers have struggled terribly at the quarterback position, even in 2007 the Panthers had 4 different starting quarterbacks in one season. Many have aruged that Joe Flacco, who was taken by the Ravens 5 spots later, should have been the pick. Flacco though was not considered the best player available due to his experience playing at a smaller school and at a lower tier of Divison-I football.

Production later

With the 23rd overall pick of the 2008 draft the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Rashard Mendenhall even though Willie Parker had just come off an 1,316 yard season, which included a league leading eight 100 yard games. Mendenhall only had 58 yards rushing his rookie year, hardly an example of receiving an immediate return on an investment.

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Georgia Tech wide reciever Demaryius Thomas poses for photographs after Thomas was selected as the 22nd overall pick by the Denver Broncos in the first round of the NFL football draft at Radio City Music Hall on Thursday, April 22, 2010, in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

Currently, the Denver Broncos own seven draft picks in the upcoming NFL Draft in five different rounds, which can be seen below:

Round 1, 2nd overall.  With a 4-12 overall record in 2010, Denver was the second worst team in the NFL last season.  Thus, they’ll be selecting second overall on Thursday, April 28th, 2011.

Round 2, thirty-sixth overall.

Round 2, forty-sixth overall.  Last April, Denver traded wide receiver Brandon Marshall to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a second round draft pick in 2010 (which they traded to Baltimore to trade back into the first round last year and select Florida Quarterback Tim Tebow) and a second rounder in 2011 (46th overall).

Round 3, sixty-seventh overall.

The Broncos do not own a selection in the fourth round this year because then-Head Coach Josh McDaniels traded it to the New England Patriots last year in exchange for running back Laurence Maroney and a sixth round draft pick.

Denver does not own a fifth round pick either, as it was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last April in exchange for two seventh rounds (which the team used to select linebacker Jammie Kirlew and cornerback Syd’Quan Thompson).

Denver’s sixth round selection this year (and next) were also traded away (in arguably McDaniel’s worst decision ever) to the Cleveland Browns along with fullback/running back Peyton Hillis.  The Broncos received quarterback Brady Quinn.

Round 6, one hundred eighty-sixth overall.  The Detroit Lions received the 186th pick from the Philadelphia Eagles before trading it to the Broncos in exchange for cornerback Alphonso Smith and a seventh round pick. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

DeMaurice Smith leads the player effort in this offseason struggle.

Your wittiest, most cleverest captions in the comments and your winners from last time after the jump. Click here to read the rest of this entry »