The Denver Broncos have announced their 2010 practice squad:

• LB Kevin Alexander
• OL Jeff Byers
• WR Britt Davis
• DL Lionel Dotson
• TE Riar Geer
• RB Bruce Hall
  
• S Kyle McCarthy
• LB Worrell Williams

Baraka Atkins tackles Terrell Owens of the Cincinnati Bengals. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

Minnesota Vikings tackle Chris Clark has been claimed by the Denver Broncos off waivers.

Outside linebacker Baraka Atkins has been cut by the team to make room.

Clark was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2008.

This move likely indicates that right tackle Ryan Harris may not be completely heeled from the injury he suffered in week four of the preseason against the Vikings.

Atkins loss leaves the Broncos very thin at outside linebacker with only three proper outside linebackers on the roster. My best guess is that if needed be Mario Haggan would slide over and either Wesley Woodyard or Joe Mays would fill in at middle linebacker.

Part two of our look at the Denver Broncos. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Defensive Ends: Ryan McBean, Justin Bannan and Le Kevin Smith

Analysis: McBean played so well in training camp and preseason he made Jarvis Green (and the $3 million plus the Broncos will pay him this season) worthless. If McBean is the bar to which the coaches in Denver want to set for what the team is looking for in a defensive end then Bannan is his equal. Bannan is one year removed from his personal best season and both players function ideally how any team would want their defensive ends to function in a 3-4 defense. Smith likely provided fans a few peaks at the teams line up this preseason, all wondering who number 99 was. He alone had five tackles against the Detroit Lions in week three. You won’t see these guys appearing on the stat line a whole lot as this defense requires the nose tackle and the two defensive ends to primarily occupy the opposing team’s center and guards. You will likely see career years from all of them this season though as most are getting their first opportunity to be featured in a defense.  Marcus Thomas also serves as the Broncos fourth defensive end. GRADE: C+

Nose Tackles: Jamal Williams, Ronald Fields and Marcus Thomas

Analysis: Joe Collier (architect of the Orange Crush) said, “The nose tackle and the inside linebackers, those are three guys that are very important. But when you go through it, the nose tackle is probably the single-most important guy.” The nose tackle is considered the most physically demanding position in all of football. Now, as far as nose tackles go, currently in the NFL you don’t get much better than Jamal Williams and he’s the type of player that Broncos fans have been screaming for, for at least five years. Williams is coming off the second major injury of his career and is three seasons removed from his last pro bowl. Though the Broncos are definitely good at helping players get their swagger back (Brian Dawkins) and I’d expect them to do the same with Williams at 34 years old. Fields started every game for Denver last season at nose tackle last season and seemed to have his best games when the team was losing, he’s an apt backup and does well in a relief role. Thomas has been largely a disappointment in his career and was on the bubble as the Broncos made their final cuts. Thomas was told that he’ll have to step up and could likely be the next one out if the Broncos are to sign someone else this week. GRADE: C+

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Andre Brown breaks a tackle against the New York Jets in preseason. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

One of the surprise cuts yesterday was running back Andre Brown from the New York Giants.

The Denver Broncos moved quickly to swoop him up off the waiver wire. Brown was expected to sign with the Giants practice squad, but will be implemented immediately into the Broncos game plan.

Brown was drafted by the Giants in the fourth round of 2009, but suffered a ruptured achillies tendon in training camp and was placed on injured reserve. He led the Giants in the 2010 preseason in rushing yards.

He has yet to notch a statistic during the regular season in the NFL.

The signing leaves question marks as to who will leave from the Broncos current roster (and it may not be a running back necessarily, but likely will).

Denver’s practice squad should be announced today.

UPDATE: To make room for Brown the Broncos have waived Bruce Hall if he clears waivers he will likely be added to their practice squad.

A look at who's where on the Broncos depth chart. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

This isn’t speculation, it’s here. The Denver Broncos have updated their depth chart following the final cuts of the day.

On the surface it’s basically the same, but there are some things that need to be noted.

The offense:

• Why is there no movement at quarterback?
• Is Lance Ball really the fourth best running back in Denver?
• Eddie Royal is listed as number two with no one behind him.
• There are two backups at offensive tackle D’Anthony Batiste and Zane Beadles (starting left guard).
• New tight end Dan Gronkowski is immediately third on the depth chart.
• Eric Decker is third on the depth chart at wide receiver behind Jabar Gaffney and Matthew Willis.

While I don’t see the depth at quarterback changing, I can see Brady Quinn being made the third string/emergency quarterback on game day. Bruce Hall must have a heck of a fan in Broncos running backs coach Eric Studesville (both came over from Buffalo), Ball clearly outplayed Hall in the preseason. The Broncos are either masking Decker by not putting him directly behind Royal or there’s something we’re not aware of. Depending on how hurt Ryan Harris is, Batiste could start week one and  is the only backup for the recently returned Ryan Clady besides Beadles who is scheduled to start at left guard. Willis being listed in front of Decker at outside receiver makes sense, Decker not being listed behind Royal doesn’t.

Defense and grades after the click. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

The Denver Broncos started the day with twelve thirteen roster spots needing to be freed up to cut the roster down to the 53 required by the NFL.

There are more than a few players on the bubble in Denver, but here’s the days activities thus far (and we’ll keep updating):

UPDATE: Broncos have announced Brandon Stokley was not cut, he was added to injured reserve until he is healthy and then he will be waived.

Cuts:
LB Kevin Alexander
TE Marquez Branson
WR Britt Davis
TE Riar Geer
DE Jarvis Green
S Kyle McCarthy
G Seth Olsen
OLB Darrell Reid
DL Jeff Stehle
LB Worrell Williams

Injured Reserve:
OLB Elvis Dumervil
WR Brandon Stokley

Reserve/Military:
DE Ben Garland

NOTES:

• Alphonso Smith has been traded to the Detroit Lions for tight end Dan Gronkowski.
• Bubble corner Cassius Vaughn‘s agent has told Fox31’s Josina Anderson the player has made the team.
• Anderson is also reporting that Marcus Thomas has been told he needs to step up, but will make the team.

Alphonso Smith celebrates after a play against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Alphonso Smith has been traded to the Detroit Lions for tight end Dan Gronkowski agent Drew Rosenhaus has confirmed via twitter.

Smith was on the bubble in Denver as I pointed out earlier. Gronkowski comes to Denver as the second to last draft pick of the Lion in the 2009 draft (255th). Gronkowski played hop scotch between the practice squad and regular team roster for the rest of the season.

He was activated December 1st against the Baltimore Ravens after an injury to Brandon Pettigrew.

UPDATE: The Broncos have released wide receiver Britt Davis, Josina Anderson of Fox31 is reporting.

Six moves remain for the Broncos final roster, keep it here.

The Broncos will trim the roster to a final 35 by 4:00 PM (EST). (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Yesterday the Denver Broncos released: wide receiver Alric Arnett, defensive lineman Chris Baker, offensive lineman Paul Duncan, linebackers Jammie Kirlew and Johnny Williams, tight ends Nathan Overbay and Kory Sperry. The team then placed running back LenDale White on the injured reserve, where he will serve his four game suspension.

Elvis Dumervil has been placed on the injured reserve and the team has cut Darrell Reid, Brandon Stokley and Jarvis Green. Ben Garland has also been placed on the Military/Reserve list.

That leaves seven players on a roster that now consists of 65 that will not be on the roster as of 2:00 PM (MDT) today.

Here’s a position by position breakdown of the current depth chart:

Quarterback: Kyle Orton, Brady Quinn and Tim Tebow

Analysis: Though it’s possible the Broncos could move Quinn, it is unlikely that they will be willing to go ahead with just Tebow as a backup for Orton. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Tebow and Quinn flip-flop depth chart positions.

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Brandon Stokley will sit out 2010 season for the Broncos. (REUTERS/Andrew Cameron)

The Broncos have just announced that defensive end Jarvis Green and outside linebacker Darrell Reid have been cut from the team.

They also made official that Elvis Dumervil and Brandon Stokley will be placed on injured reserve. Dumervil called the decision mutual.

With the selection of Eric Decker in April’s draft and the increasingly significant play of undrafted rookie receiver Matthew Willis, coupled with a groin injury that kept him out of the last three weeks of the preseason Stokley found himself on the wrong end of the depth chart. I had predicted in early August that Stokley wouldn’t make the team. The Broncos had a better idea.

Green is also a surprise cut, but the writing was on the wall with his limited playing time in the preseason.

Keep it tuned here as we will bring you the news as we get it as the Broncos trim their roster to 53.

Lance Ball carries the ball for a touchdown as Colt Anderson tries to make the tackle. (AP Photo/Andy Blenkush)

A game which saw the return of many veteran faces such as: Ryan Clady, Correll Buckhalter and Brian Dawkins should have brought more joy to fans of the Denver Broncos; yet it didn’t. Under the circumstances the fact that such veterans were starting in the fourth game of the preseason actually further laminated the problems the Broncos have been facing since April.

In a game which bordered on national attention for the possibility of an extensive amount of play by two quarterbacks Brett Favre and rookie Tim Tebow, the NFL made the right call early on last week in making this a local market only game. Favre suited, but did not take a snap and instead of Tebow, Broncos veteran quarterback Kyle Orton got the start. Orton and the rest of the Denver starting offense got the nod due to what Josh McDaniels expressed as disappointment in his first teams’ performance this preseason.

It’s easy to argue McDaniels’ point; prior to Pittsburgh the Orton led offense had scored on something like five of the quarterback’s seven drives. McDaniels must not have agreed with something he had seen from the offense versus the Steelers or Tebow likely would have gotten the start Thursday evening.

As it stands he didn’t and Orton’s offense made McDaniels’ point for him. They looked sloppy in their first series, going three and out just about as terrible as any team could. However, there was a bright point for Denver; prior to the teams first offensive series the Vikings had received the opening kickoff and rookie Perrish Cox took away any worry Broncos fans may have about the nickel back position or the absence of superstar Champ Bailey or Andre Goodman. On top of his more than stellar performance as the number one corner he did very well on punt returns and it’s going to be hard to argue against him starting there this season. There is of course another rookie corner whom I’ll get to in a second who will push him. Click here to read the rest of this entry »