Broncos trim roster to 53 players.

On Saturday, the Broncos finished bringing back their roster from 75 to 53 players, a process which they had started on Friday by releasing defensive tackle Chris Baker, linebackers Jammie Kirlew and Johnny Williams, tight ends Kory Sperry and Nate Overbay, offensive lineman Paul Duncan. Star linebacker Elvis Dumervil and running back LenDale White were put on the Injured Reserve list, which ends the season for them.

The first player released on Saturday was linebacker and special teams stand out Darrell Reid. Though Reid, who is still recovering from knee surgery, was eligible to start the season on the PUP-list, the Broncos were unwilling to guarantee his $1.7 million salary which is required for players who start the season on PUP. Brandon Stokley was placed on IR, and he will be released once he has recovered from his groin injury.

The most surprising cut of the day was defensive end Jarvis Green, who signed a four year contract with the team worth close to $12 million back in April of this year. Green had been irrelevant all offseason and saw his spot on the defensive line claimed by Ryan McBean back in June. The move showed that performance, not financial considerations, is the only factor that Josh McDaniels and Brian Xanders consider in the cutting process.

In another unexpected move, the Broncos traded second year cornerback Alphonso Smith to the Detroit Lions, and received tight end Dan Gronkowski and an undisclosed draft pick in return. Smith got stuck in a crowded backfield behind rookies Perrish Cox, Syd'Quan Thompson and Cassius Vaughn, who all looked promising in the preseason, and the team found a way to use him by trading for a position of need, tight end. Marquez Branson was injured in the final preseason game against the Vikings, and both Richard Quinn and Daniel Graham have missed time with injuries this preseason. Smith, who failed to live up to the expectations after the team traded a future first round pick to move back into the second round of the 2009 draft to pick him, will likely benefit from a change of scenery.

The other cuts on Saturday included linebacker Kevin Alexander, wide receiver Britt Davis, tight ends Riar Geer and Marquez Branson, safety Kyle McCarthy, offensive lineman Seth Olsen, defensive lineman Jeff Stehle and linebacker Worrell Williams, the brother of D.J. Williams. Some of these players will likely be signed to the Broncos practice squad.

Ben Garland, the undrafted defensive lineman from Air Force, has been placed on the Reserve/Military list. He will have to decide between a career in the NFL, or a career as a pilot in the Air Force.

The current 53 man roster (though this roster might still change if the Broncos claim a player of waivers, in which case they will have to cut another player from this list):

Quarterbacks
Kyle Orton
Tim Tebow
Brady Quinn

Runningbacks
Knowshon Moreno
Correll Buckhalter
Lance Ball
Bruce Hall

Fullback
Spencer Larsen

Tight Ends
Daniel Graham
Richard Quinn
Dan Gronkowski

Wide Receivers
Jabar Gaffney
Eddie Royal
Demaryius Thomas
Eric Decker
Brandon Lloyd
Matthew Willis

Offensive Line
Ryan Clady
Ryan Harris
Chris Kuper
J.D. Walton
Zane Beadles
Stanley Daniels
Eric Olsen
Russ Hochstein
D'Anthony Batiste

Defensive Ends
Justin Bannan
Ryan McBean
Marcus Thomas
LeKevin Smith

Defensive Tackles
Jamal Williams
Ronald Fields

Inside Linebackers
D.J. Williams
Mario Haggan
Joe Mays
Wesley Woodyard

Outside Linebackers
Robert Ayers
Jarvis Moss
Jason Hunter
Baraka Atkins

Cornerbacks
Champ Bailey
Andre Goodman
Perrish Cox
Nate Jones
Syd'Quan Thompson
Cassius Vaughn

Safeties
Brian Dawkins
Renaldo Hill
Darcel McBath
David Bruton

Specialists
Matt Prater
Britton Colquitt
Lonnie Paxton

(Picture by John Leyba /The Denver Post)

Five Breakout Broncos To Watch For

With the start of the 2010 season only 10 days away, Broncos Zone takes a look at five Broncos who could be looking for breakout performances this season.

5 - Britton Colquitt
Last year, Colquitt was a Bronco until the final roster cuts, when the team released him and handed the punting job to Brett Kern. Colquitt was waived and signed to the Dolphins' practice squad. Denver did like what they saw during the preseason of 2009, so they signed him back to the active roster on December 30th. While his preseason performance was not enough to get him the job last season, this year the competition ended on June 15th when the Broncos released fellow punter A.J. Trapasso. Colquitt, who has 3 relatives who were successful punters in the NFL (brother Dustin, father Craig and uncle Jimmy), has shown a lot of improvement compared to last year, when his punting average was 41 yards. This season his average is up 10 yards, to 51. Like last year, his punts have great hang time, which makes it harder for opposing teams to return them. Colquitt has a solid grip on the punting job, and can establish his name in the NFL alongside his family members with a breakout season.

4 - Knowshon Moreno
It should not come as a surprise that 3 of the 5 breakout players on this last were drafted in 2009, the first draft of head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Brian Xanders. While this year’s draft class has gotten fans excited, after strong preseason performances by Perrish Cox, Syd’Quan Thompson and of course the rookies on the offensive line, there are still a lot of question marks surrounding last year’s picks. Knowshon Moreno started last season as the number one running back, but he wore down as the season progressed, and so did his rushing average. Though he has shown to have to have the skills for an NFL back, a full offseason of workouts and conditioning should make the upcoming season a breakout season for Knowshon. Not only should his numbers improve (a 1000+ yard season as well as his first of hopefully many games with 100+ yards rushing), so should his pass protection. Like last year, Moreno was plagued by an injury that kept him out for most of training camp. His ability to stay healthy could be a key to his breakout season, as well as to the Broncos’ success in 2010.

3 - Richard Quinn
With Tony Scheffler traded to the Lions, the Broncos are relying on Quinn as their second tight end going into the season. Mainly known for his blocking skills, Quinn played in 15 games last year but did not record any catches. Though Quinn seemed to struggle a little early in training camp, he has become more consistent in both blocking and passing as training camp went on. Quinn will likely see more targets now as the second tight end on the depth chart, and can hopefully start to show why the second round pick the team spent on him was justified.

2 - Robert Ayers
Robert Ayers joined the Broncos in 2009, being selected 18th overall after a strong senior year at Tennessee (leading the team in sacks and tackles for loss), and an even more impressive performance at the Senior Bowl, earning defensive MVP honors. A defensive end in college, Ayers was asked to move to outside linebacker by the Broncos, a move that took Ayers a while to adjust to. He played in fifteen games in his rookie season, only starting one. The most memorable play came against the Steelers when he returned a fumble for a touchdown, but he failed to record any sacks in his first year. This season, after Dumervil’s injury, Ayers will be counted on as the primary pass rusher and his performance in the preseason has shown he has definitely progressed, recording a half sack against Detroit and two sacks against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Though it will be tough for Ayers to match Dumervil’s production, he has shown he is on his way up, and will be counted on by the team to have a major impact pass rushing this year.

1 - Jarvis Moss
If I had not followed the Broncos during the offseason, the news that Jarvis Moss was the first player in line to replace Elvis Dumervil after he got injured during training camp would have worried me a lot. But the Jarvis we’ve seen this year is different from the Jarvis we have seen in previous seasons. Drafted with the 17th overall pick in 2007 by Mike Shanahan, Moss has not lived up to the expectations that come with being a first round pick. Totaling 24 tackles and 3,5 sacks over 2 seasons, Moss left training camp in 2009 while contemplating retirement, but decided to return to the team after 2 days, and many people were surprised he made the 53-man roster at the start of the season. Now, one year later, Moss has been one of the most impressive players during the off-season, and is said to have increased his effort in the weight room and the conditioning program. With Elvis Dumervil out, Moss will see a lot of playing time opposite of 2nd year linebacker Robert Ayers, and both players will have to step up if the Broncos want to be successful in pass defense like they were last season. Though Moss broke a bone in his right hand during training camp, he played in two of the three preseason games, with the sack and forced fumble against Detroit being the highlight of his preseason. He looks a lot more comfortable when he is on the field, and faced with extensive playing time, he looks to be poised for a breakout year, and to finally show of the skills that Denver fans have wanted to see from the former Gator since he arrived in the mile high city.

Photos in this post were used courtesy of Paul Cloud, and the Associated Press.

Broncos abuse Steelers, earn first preseason win

The Broncos earned their first preseason victory of 2010 on Sunday night after beating the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-17. With a trio of interceptions, and 3.0 sacks the defense was a key part of the victory, scoring two touchdowns of their own. Rookie cornerback Perrish Cox started the interception mania by picking off a pass and tip-toeing to stay in bounds. Not to be outdone by a rookie, Andre' Goodman returned an inception of Dennis Dixon 70 plus yards for a score, then rookie Syd'Quan Thompson followed suit intercepting a pass and returning it 48 yards for a score. Joining in on the big defensive plays was Robert Ayers who recorded 2.0 sacks on the night.

The offense performed just as well, starting quarterback Kyle Orton was 9-of-14 for 80 yards and one interception while Lance Ball rushed for 75 yards of 10 carries. Tim Tebow played well, while his statistics were mediocre, going 5-of-10 for 72 yards an interception and one touchdown pass. As a whole the offense played well, putting up some good numbers against a top notch defense.

Tonight's game was by far the Broncos best game of the preseason this year. The special teams units performed great, the defense was better against the run, and the offense continued to impress - especially in the passing game, while the rushing attack looked much improved. Bronco fans have plenty of reasons to be excited for the season, while it was "just" a preseason game, the team did look great.

Photo(s) courtesy of the Associated Press were used in this post.

Five things to watch for in tonight's game

The Broncos will get a tough test tonight, as the Steelers will be ready to play. Here are five things to watch for in the game:

• The game. Tonight's game will be Nationally televised on Fox, at 6p.m. (MT). It will also be re-aired on NFL Network Wednesday, September 1st at 11 a.m. (MT).

• The starters performance. The third preseason game is traditionally the one that best resembles a team's future performance in the regular season. That is because the starters play most of the game. Expect Kyle Orton and many of the other starters to play into the third quarter, giving fans and coaches a good look at what the starters are capable of.

• The offensive line. Josh McDaniels will be juggling the offensive line in tonight's game, looking for the group that messes together the best. "You'll definitely see a combination with Daniels at left guard and Beadles at left tackle," McDaniels said. "There's a lot of guys who are still competing for that job. We have not given the job to anybody." Keep an eye on the line's play, tonight could determine he starts, sits and gets cut.
  
  
• The pass rush. Last week the Broncos had two sacks, one coming from Jarvis Moss and another from Robert Ayers. Against the Steelers getting to the QB will be key, expect a heavy rotation of linebackers with Jason Hunter, Moss, and others getting a crack at creating some pressure.
  
  
• The run defense. The Broncos run defense has been (next to the rushing attack on offense) the most troubling. This week, Robert Ayers and Jarvis Moss will be the outside linebackers, and will be called upon to help against the run."I think when they're all in there and they're all healthy and they're all trying to play together, I think we can be a good run defense," McDaniels said. "I think that, I really do."

Broncos start final cuts early, good news on injury front

Though the deadline for the first roster cuts is not until August 31st, the Broncos started trimming their roster a week early on Monday when the team announced they waived running back Toney Baker, offensive lineman Kirk Barton and wide receiver Patrick Carter.

Baker joined the team as a college free agent after the draft in April, and saw his chances for carries disappear after the team signed free agent running backs Justin Fargas and LenDale White in August. Barton joined the team on July 7th after being waived by the Detroit Lions, and Patrick Carter joined the team on August 5th, but with a long list of wide receivers ahead of him on the depth chart, never really had a chance to earn a roster spot.

On Tuesday, Josina Anderson of Fox31 reported the Broncos had released veteran linebacker Akin Ayodele, who signed with the team as a free agent in March. Ayodele was drafted by the Jaguars in 2002 and also played for the Dallas Cowboys and most recently the Miami Dolphins. Ayodele started both preseason games at inside linebacker against the Bengals and Lions, racking up 8 tackles. The release of Ayodele was followed by the news of the release of offensive lineman and former Colorado Buff Tyler Polumbus, who replaced Ryan Harris last year as the starting right tackle, but clearly struggled. Polumbus was signed in 2008 by Mike Shanahan, and was a better fit for the zone blocking scheme. Polumbus will likely draw some interest from Shanahan's Redskins, but other zone blocking teams such as Houston and Seattle could be a good fit too.

Though some might wonder why the team would release players now while the deadline to bring the roster back to 75 players is not until next week, coach McDaniels has said before that if the team has already made a decision about the player's future, they want to give him a chance to catch on with another team.

The best news on Tuesday came from Josh McDaniels' press conference, where he announced several injured players were scheduled to return to practice this week. Champ Bailey, D.J. Williams, Demaryius Thomas, Chris Kuper and Correll Buckhalter returned to practice on Tuesday, while Ryan Clady and LenDale White will join their team mates on the field again on Wednesday. Though some of those players might not get playing time in the two preseason games that remain, it is a good sign that they are back on the field for practice instead of rehabbing from their injury.

The team also announced they were awarded Colorado native Kory Sperry, a second year tight end who was waived by the Miami Dolphins and came into the league as an undrafted free agent with the Chargers in 2009. Sperry will be able to help out Marquez Branson at tight end while starter Daniel Graham and backup Richard Quinn remain sidelined with an injury.