DENVER - AUGUST 29: Center J.D. Walton #50 of the Denver Broncos leads the offensive line as he prepares snap the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers during preseason NFL action at INVESCO Field at Mile High on August 29, 2010 in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the Steelers 34-17. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

We’ll start with the starters at each position, since they remain unchanged from last year. Sadly, it also looks like the Denver Broncos were unable to improve their depth situation along the line. The health of the starters is going to be huge for the 2012 NFL Season and especially so for Peyton Manning.

Ryan Clady

At left tackle, Ryan Clady is stellar and will continue to anchor that position for at least the next 7-8 years. He is a special talent and one of the few times Mike Shanahan was able to hit a home run with that first round pick. He does tend to get some holding penalties called against him, but that might just be the few times he actually gets beat. I would say it’s better to protect the quarterback from your mistakes than to play it clean and let him get blown up. (Profile)  Click here to read the rest of this entry »

(AP Photo)

The Denver Broncos finished forming their practice squad on Monday by signing rookie center Quintin Saulsberry (6-3, 305 lbs.), who went to camp with the Vikings this summer.  Undrafted out of Mississippi State, Saulsberry is expected to earn $96,900 if he stays with the team for the entirety of the season.

Saulsberry completes a practice unit that the team began assembling on Saturday, joining seven other players that were cut and brought back by Denver last week.  The Broncos’ practice squad now consists of five offensive players and three defenders.

The Broncos have three centers on the active roster—starter J.D. Walton (6-3, 305) and backups C.J. Davis (6-2, 309) and Philip Blake (6-3, 320)—with Saulsberry becoming the fourth center on the team.  The Broncos’ haven’t given Walton any ringing endorsements this offseason and worked out veteran Jeff Saturday (6-2, 295 lbs.) earlier in the year before selecting Blake in the fourth round of the draft.

The Broncos may be finished tweaking their roster for now.  The 53 men currently on the roster will likely be the same group of players that take on the Steelers this Sunday.

The last Broncos running back we can recall wearing No. 21 was Tatum Bell back in 2008. (Images courtesy of Getty and The Associated Press)

In addition to safety Jim Leonhard going from jersey No. 45 to No. 36, four other players have also changed their respective numbers.

Per the team —

• RB Ronnie Hillman — No. 21 (Formerly No. 34)
• DB Duke Ihenacho — No. 33 (No. 39)
• LB Steven Johnson — No. 53 (No. 41)
• OL C.J. Davis — No. 54 (No. 71)

The numbers above became available after the Broncos waived/released nineteen players last week in order to meet the 53-man roster limit.

Among the players who switched numbers are Inhenacho, who is on the practice squad and Hillman—a flashy rookie running back out of San Diego State—who is the only one likely to see much playing time this season.

We’ll get our first look at these players in their new numbers on Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers come to Denver.  6 days, 9 hours, 55 minutes, 39 seconds and 346 milliseconds!

Leonhard has worn No. 36 since the 2008 season. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

When veteran safety Jim Leonhard (5-8, 188 lbs.) arrived in Denver, his jersey number of choice—No. 36—was already taken.  With no complaints, Leonhard went with No. 45 as an alternative.

A month after signing and three weeks after becoming healthy again, Leonhard survived roster cuts and is currently listed as the second free safety on Denver’s depth chart.  Expected to contribute on special teams, Leonhard is just one play away from starting defensive duties.

If he is called up on defense (Leonhard is listed behind Rahim Moore on the depth chart), Jim will be ready with a secondary-esque jersey number.

“I am no longer wearing one of the best fullback numbers ever,” Leonhard joked on Sunday evening, “I will be wearing number 36 for the Orange Crush this season.”

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We reported earlier (and due to a stupid technical mistake on my part, that story just published) that three Denver Broncos players landed on other NFL rosters or practice squads since Cut Day Friday. Add a fourth to the list.

Cornerback Drayton Florence, the biggest surprise among the Broncos’ cuts, has signed with the Detroit Lions, ESPN reports.

Coincidentally, Florence replaces Alphonso Smith in Detroit, a second round draft pick of the Broncos in 2009 who only lasted one year with the club before being traded to the Lions. Guess the Lions just can’t get enough ex-Denver DB’s.

Denver Broncos safeties Rafael Bush and Mike Adams at training camp on July 30, 2012. (Kyle Montgomery/BroncoTalk.net photo)

The Road to 53 is never an easy one for coaches and team executives, but maybe John Elway and John Fox can sleep a little easier knowing a handful of the players they cut have landed elsewhere in the NFL.

Safety Rafael Bush has landed on the 53-man roster of the New Orleans Saints, while tackle Ryan Harris joins the zone-blocking comfortability of the Houston Texans.

Meanwhile, quarterback Adam Weber fielded practice squad offers from four teams, ultimately choosing to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, since they had two QB’s on their roster compared to the Broncos’ three.

The Broncos decided to stick with the 53 players they had in camp rather than scour the hundreds-deep waiver wire.

“That means you’re getting better,” John Elway told The Denver Post.

Do you take this as a sign the Broncos made a mistake releasing these guys? Either way, BT wishes the three of them the best of luck.

Denver Broncos' Virgil Green (85) gets tackled by Arizona Cardinals' Reggie Walker (56) after making a catch during the first half of a preseason NFL football game Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012, in Glendale, Ariz.(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

The tight end position was a position of emphasis this offseason for the Denver Broncos. I am excited to see how this all plays out, but the roll could be to push for more threats in the red zone – an area that was unkind to the Broncos until Tim Tebow took the reins of the offense.  Of course, the number of opportunities in the red zone dropped significantly with Tebow as well.

This group of tight ends should give Peyton Manning plenty of options to put points up on the board and that should make all of us fans happy. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Wide receiver Eric Decker #87 of the Denver Broncos makes a catch for a touchdown as cornerback Tramaine Brock #26 of the San Francisco 49ers looks on during the first quarter of a pre-season game at Sports Authority Field Field at Mile High on August 26, 2012 in Denver, Colorado. (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

I was surprised the Denver Broncos only kept five wide receivers on the active roster, but they kept four tight ends, so they must feel really good about the guys they kept or they plan to use a lot of two tight end sets. Either way, I found none of the five wide receivers a surprise to make the roster.

Eric Decker

Eric Decker didn’t mess around this offseason. The second Peyton Manning was signed; he attached himself to Manning’s hip. It should turn out to be the best move of his young career and the chemistry they have already developed will pay dividends – especially in the red zone.

As Broncos fans, we should be excited to watch this combo develop in to one of the deadliest hookups in the AFC. (Profile) Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Willis McGahee (AP Photo/Joe Mahoney)

The depth at running back was a pleasant thing this offseason. I was disappointed that Xavier Omon wasn’t able to make a push for the roster, but I felt that Knowshon Moreno and his guaranteed money would be a major factor at the back end of the roster at running back. Jeremiah Johnson, I thought, had a better preseason than Moreno, but that last game may have given the front office enough hope to give Moreno one more shot at finding his role in the NFL.

Willis McGahee

The obvious starter here, Willis McGahee will continue to be the shifty downhill runner the Denver Broncos offense needs to keep things balanced and high powered. There is always talk about a running backs age and for good reason since most running backs burn out as they near the age of 30. My sense is that McGahee might be one of those rare running backs in today’s game that plays at a high level beyond that age. Guys like Emmitt Smith or Curtis Martin come to mind. The loss of Tim Tebow will hurt the running game, but going from #1 in the NFL in rushing to say #8 is still a Top 10 rushing attack and with Peyton Manning slinging the ball around, it should be a dangerous combination. (Profile) Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Denver Broncos News

• The top news story today is that talks have broken down again between the NFL and the referee’s union.  I have only one thing to say about that…FML. [First & Orange Blog]
• Ty Warren is back in the saddle for the Denver Broncos.  Having him finish the preseason at the top of the depth chart at tackle means one of the Broncos biggest holes this offseason may have worked itself out after all. [Denver Post]
• Mark Kiszla thinks that if Peyton Manning and the Broncos falter in 2012, John Fox will be the scapegoat. That may be the case if the Broncos for 4-12, but if they finish anywhere near .500, then Manning and Fox will get a free pass. [Denver Post]
• According to the East Coast media, the Broncos success hinges on Peyton Manning.  Well duh, Wilbur.  May I also suggest that the New England Patriots success hinges on Tom Brady or the San Diego Chargers unsuccess hinges on Norv Turner.  Sometimes, you are better off just letting common knowledge remain common knowledge. [New York Times]
• Ray Lewis offered his thoughts on the Pittsburgh Steelers, while some analysts filled out his rather weak report with some detailed analysis of both the Steelers and Broncos. [Bleacher Report]

Be sure to follow me on Twitter for more Broncos updates throughout the day.