Denver Broncos offensive lineman Chris Kuper reportedly suffered a broken hand in practice today during the first snap of 9-on-7 drills.  Initial reports from doctors indicate he should be able to play with a cast, but they want to have Chris see a specialist first.

The Broncos have not confirmed the report at this time, but the information was reported by a reliable source – Chris’ father, who posts occasionally on fellow fansite The Orange Mane.

The elder Kuper went on to say that Chris endured the entire morning practice with the broken hand and should be fine. He sat out the afternoon practice.

Let’s hope the specialist brings good news, and Chris will be able to play with the cast.  Expect Ryan Harris to take over starting right tackle duties in the meantime.

Studs

• The consensus is that rookie FB Peyton Hillis is everything fans have cracked him up to be, at least after one practice. Our friends at the Orange Mane (requires registration) Oskie and 24champbailey are contributing reports, and both like what they see in Hillis.
• Glenn Martinez is receiving praise on all fronts, apparently outplaying Darrell Jackson and Keary Colbert in day one.
• Eddie Royal had a nice diving catch, but also fumbled once.

Duds

• FM 104.3 The Fan reports that starting RG (and my boy) Montrae Holland was not allowed on the practice field due to weighing in eight pounds too heavy. Funny enough, he was suited up and ready to go for the afternoon practice. Chris Kuper filled in his spot at right guard in his absence, and Ryan Harris started at right tackle.
• Punter Sam Paulescu had an up-and-down start, first driving a punt home before fumbling a snap and performing a dirty punt.

Injury Watch

• We already reported that DT Carlton Powell is out for the year. That’s a big loss at a position that needed depth.
• Brandon Marshall was up and down, hauling in some one-handed grabs but dropping easy passes as well. His right injured arm was wrapped for most of practice, before the wide receiver took it off himself.
• Tony Scheffler‘s foot was fine – his hand was being wrapped after practice, though.

The Lighter Side

• Rookie Ryan Clady, $17 million richer, led the stretches in a little dance that showed off his “Sweet Feet.” Royal described Clady’s dance moves as “ugly. I don’t know what thing was.” Everyone has come to the same conclusion – this guy’s a mammoth.
• Mike Shanahan apparently invited a small child onto the football field before practice to play catch with LB Louis Green. Cute.

Full transcript of post-practice comments by Mike Shanahan, Jay Cutler, and Eddie Royal after the jump.

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An update on the status of rookie DT Carlton Powell – When addressing the media after Friday morning’s practice, Head Coach Mike Shanahan dropped the following bomb regarding his 5th round pick:

“(The injury) happened a number of weeks ago. His Achilles popped in the offseason conditioning program, and obviously he’s out for the year.”

There you have it folks. Fifth round pick Carlton Powell will miss the 2008 season with an Achilles injury.

That’s a lot more serious than a PUP-listing. It’s a wonder the Broncos didn’t place him on IR to start. I feel like we’re a deep football team in a lot of areas; defensive tackle is not one of them. Powell would have made a difference this year.

Thanks sirsam. More notes from camp in a bit.

The Denver Broncos have placed rookie defensive tackle Carlton Powell on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. This stems from an Achilles tendon injury he sustained during offseason workouts this year, but was able to overcome during June mini camps.

The PUP list allows a team to reinstate any player at any time before the start of the regular season. Once the season begins, players cannot be taken off the list until after Week 6. At that time the player must make the roster or be placed on Injured Reserve (or be cut).

The Broncos have no other players on the PUP list at this time. The team’s first training camp practice begins at 11:15 a.m.

It always hurts to lose practice time as a rookie, even if Powell is deep in the DT rotation. Let’s hope we stay relatively injury free this year. I’ll see what I can dig up regarding an estimate for missed time. Thanks to Adam for the tip.

• 10 Questions for the Denver Broncos this season.  [Denver Post]
• There’s no questioning their work ethic, though.  [Rocky Mountain News]
• Super Bowl aspirations may be tapered, but the 2008 Broncos are still ready to roll.  [DPO]
• Broncos VP Jim Saccomano pays his tribute to Rod Smith.  [DenverBroncos.com]
• The Rocky’s Bernie Linicome does the same.  [RMN]
• Smith, retired as he may be, still wants to help Brandon Marshall.  [DPO]
• Cost of admission to Barack Obama‘s Mile High experience: go volunteer.  [UPI]
• KC: Chiefs hit a snag in contract talks with top pick DT Glenn Dorsey.  [ESPN]

And this morning’s news…

• Denver Broncos sign 1st round pick Ryan Clady.  [BroncoTalk]
• Brandon Marshall could face 4-8 game suspension.  [BroncoTalk]

Adam Schefter of the NFL Network still has his finger on the pulse of Broncos football as well as any of the local reporters, even years after relocating. When he has the scoop on anything Denver Broncos, I sit up and listen, and listen well.

That’s why his latest report that Brandon Marshall is facing a four to eight game suspension has me concerned. Marshall met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell last Friday involving his off-field incidents, and it is believed that the Commish will make a ruling on the matter next week.

Up to this point, the consensus was that Marshall’s lack of ever being convicted, combined with the fact that the majority of those incidents stem from his relationship with the same woman, would result in a suspension of at most a few games, if any at all. This is the first I’ve heard of any potential suspension larger than 4 games.

It’s worth noting that it’s unclear if Schefter is citing a source in his report or merely expressing his opinion. This quote seems to indicate this is just his own speculation: “The league now is weighing whether it should suspend Marshall, and how long the suspension would be.” Even so, personal speculation or not, Schefter’s is an opinion I’ll listen to every time.

Losing Marshall for anything more than 2 games would be a huge blow to the team. Losing him for 8 games is difficult to fathom. We have a tough opening portion of the season, and need Marshall’s presence to help shore up one side of the field while the #2 WR position settles itself.

The buzz that the Denver Broncos were struggling to get first round OT Ryan Clady under contract is now apparently premature. News is breaking that the club and Clady have come to terms.

Clady reportedly signed a six-year deal worth $17.5 million with $11.5 million in guarantees. Clady can void the sixth year of his contract by reaching certain playing time incentives.

Clady, an offensive tackle out of Boise St., has been named the team’s starter at left tackle. He is arguably the most significant addition the Broncos made this offseason.

With this, all draft picks are signed and ready to go. Broncos players are undergoing physicals as of 6:00 a.m. this morning, with team meetings beginning at 8 a.m. and the first practice set for 11:15. Gates open for the public at 10:15.

Great news. Let’s focus on football and starting a winning season. Go Broncos!

Nothing like waiting til the eleventh hour… literally.

The Broncos kick off practices at 11:15 a.m. this morning, but first round draft pick OT Ryan Clady remains unsigned. The players are reporting for their physicals at 6 a.m., followed by the first team meetings a few hours later.

If Clady isn’t signed by the time practice begins, it’ll mark the second draft holdout the Broncos have experienced in 20 years. Head Coach Mike Shanahan remains confident that the deal will get done. “Chances are he’ll be signed, ready to go.”

“We’re close,” Clady said late Thursday night, “but we’re not there yet.”

Clady’s representative and the Broncos have only begun serious negotiations in the last few days. His agent, Pat Dye Jr., waited until the market around Clady began to settle before even submitting a counteroffer to the Broncos’ original offer made weeks ago. 10th overall pick Jerod Mayo, 14th overall pick Chris Williams, and 15th overall pick Branden Albert only just signed in the last 24 hours.

It’s looking like Clady might miss the morning practice, which is nothing short of frustrating for fans and coaches. I’m crossing my fingers they’ll get something done in the next few hours to get Clady in from the start; there’s no doubt the Broncos wanted him signed days ago.

UPDATE: Ryan Clady has signed with the Denver Broncos and will be ready for morning practices.

Thanks to the Rocky Mountain News for this video excerpt from Rod Smith‘s retirement press conference.

A quick interview with Mike Shanahan’s take on Brandon Marshall’s meeting with NFL Commish Roger Goodell last Friday.