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What do you guys think about our Depth Chart for next season? I know we're leading the division and can make a playoff run, but it's never too early for the draftniks to start looking forward. Here's what I see.
FA: Pick up a Safety, although MLB and D-line are also viable options.
QB: Cutler, ?
Here is our first question. Do we resign Ramsey or go to Free Agency? Clearly he isn't too great on the field, however he has a great relationship with Jay and is a good clipboard holder. A lot of people don't realize that the backup QB generally wears a headset and is involved with deconstructing how the O is doing and what they can do better.
RB: Torain, T. Bell, Young, Draft Pick.
Shanahan will give Torain his shot if he is healthy. If not, Tatum may be able to redeem himself and show what he can do. Hall will be gone, those fumbles will have put him in Shanny's Doghouse and his KR uses aren't very important anymore. Pope and Boyd are just placeholders in my opinion, but Selvin will still be back there in reserve. We know Shanahan loves Torain, but if he is not confident in his health, he will address RB earlier in the draft, but no matter what the Broncos will look for a diamond in the draft. If Selvin or Bell don't stick around, Anthony Alridge will be up here as well, if not he's on the practice squad. On the other hand, Anthony's return prowess and flat out speed may give him the nod over Bell or Selvin. Tatum's future rests in his own hands the rest of this season in my opinion.
FB: Hillis, Pittman
Hillis has shown us what he's got. Pittman is a seasoned Vet and will be back in a reserve role, knowing he can and will be used in whatever means needed and won't complain.
WR: Marshall, Royal, Stokely, D. Jackson, C. Jackson
Our starting Trio will be back and will be that much better. I believe Darrell Jackson will be back unless he thinks he can prove himself on another team and wants a release, in which case we will find ourselves taking another project WR that Shanahan loves for Depth later in the draft to be groomed as the future slot. Speaking of that, Shanahan really wanted Chad Jackson a few years ago, but he didn't pan out and now he has his chance. Just because he was snatched from Shanahan in the draft, I believe he will at least make it to training camp. And if we don't get another slot WR I believe when They may pull Royal into the Slot and put one of the Jacksons out wide if Stokely's concussion problem comes around again. With the ability to split our TEs out or put them in the slot, I can see us only carrying 5 WRs next year. Sorry Glen Martinez, but you're the odd man out.
TE: Graham, Scheffler, N. Jackson
This group seems oddly familiar. Graham is getting more and more involved in the passing game, especially in the red zone. It's nice having two capable bookend tackles to be able to handle the rush and Graham is reaping the benefits. Tony is a huge threat downfield and Jackson has shown he has some heart, I knew there was a reason Shanahan has kept him around, and not just because of his 49'er roots. Scheffler and Jackson give us the ability to pull a huge mismatch with their speed and size against LBers and Safeties. They can also be put in the slot or even split out if the package calls for it. One nicety of having these two quick receiving TEs is that we could come out with 2 or even 1 WR and as the Defense adjusts personal as needed, we can line up and run the ball at them, Play-action, or even motion one or both of them out and let the LBs and Safeties try to cover them in the open field.
LT: Clady, Polumbus
Ryan Clady has been a beast and is having nothing short of a pro-bowl rookie year. Look for him to get stronger and improve in the running game next year. Polumbus is the Colorado boy that Denver likes to bring in and with his size and long arms should be able to fill in nicely if he ever needs to. The Prototypical Denver Tackle.
LG: Hamilton, Lichtensteiger
While I am unsure whether or not Hamilton will stay at LG or move back to his original Center position, we don't have to ask that question yet because we don't have a hole at Center. Hamilton has always been solid, but especially this year has been having trouble holding up while pass-blocking. I don't know if it is because of the many inside stunts teams are using to try to get around Clady or if Ben is starting to decline. In either case, I don't see him going anywhere for at least a couple years.
C: Wiegmann, Lichtensteiger
Our last standing relic of the superbowl years, Tom Nalen will retire. He is getting old and has been oft injured. Similar to Lepsis, those years take a toll on the body, and he can't recover as quickly or fully as before. Wiegmann, even though he is old, he is still two years younger than Nalen, and his time as a journeyman skipping around the league means his body hasn't taken much of a toll due to less playing-time early in his career, will be back next year. I think this guy has some left in the tank while they groom Lichtensteiger to take over somewhere on the interior.
RG: Kuper, Draft Pick
Kuper, the big baby faced Alaskan has shown he has what it takes to play in this league. He is very young and will continue to hold down the right interior. Even though I have a draft pick listed as the immediate back-up, it is very possible that if Hamilton moves to center in the future, Kuper may slide back over to LG and let Kory take over at RG.
RT: Harris, Polumbus
Boy was Ryan Harris a surprise. Many people were writing him off as being too small, having back problems, having a down senior year, being a reach in the third round, etc...but he has bulked up a bit after his back surgery and moved over to RT and has performed near flawlessly, despite a terrible showing his first preseason game this year. Harris and Clady should be able to hold down the outside for years to come, while Polumbus will at least for now remain the versatile back-up.
So for Offense the biggest question is our biggest question mark every year, Running Back. Who will carry the load? Will Torain be healthy? Will Bell prove he isn't a one-trick pony and redeem himself on his return visit and live up to his second-round potential? Will Shanahan find another diamond in undrafted free agency? Or will he finally pull the trigger on a powerful franchise running back EARLY in the draft? Only time will tell. Another question is our O-line. After Wiegmann is gone, we could very well have the same line for 4-6 years until Hamilton calls it quits and then no turnover for another 4-6 years after that. Having good chemistry is very important for a line, especially when running the stretch and knowing who is pulling off to the secondary and when. I see this young core of offensive players leading the Broncos to Greatness, from the trenches to the playmakers.
LS: Leach
Mike Who? Really? That's right, aside from maybe Elam, the most important key part of our Special teams unit for several years. Even then you can argue that without Leach, Elam wouldn't have had the chance for several of those kicks. He is flat out as clutch and reliable as can be for a longsnapper, that's all you can ask for. Oh yeah, he does a GREAT job getting to the running on punt team as well. Maybe he's much much more than we could ask for.
P: Kern
The Kid is having a great season, I don't have much more to add, so keep it up and continue to boot 'em long and high.
K: Prater
Another Offseason surprise. This kid needs to really get comfortable. He is nailing the long kicks, but having trouble with the chip shots and medium length ones. He has a boot and several people think with Shanahan's mentality, Prater may have the chance to tie or break the NFL record of 63 yards on a FG someday soon. His boot also transfers over to Kickoffs where he has seen his fair share of touchbacks.
KR: Royal, Draft Pick
Royal for the time being will continue to return kicks, while he will have one of our Draft Picks back deep with him. Whether it is a RB mentioned above or a talented DB I will get to later, we can't be sure, but then again, maybe Anthony Alridge will find himself back there alongside Royal?
PR: Royal
Eddie Royal does it all, and he will continue to be the team's premier punt returner, taking one to the house soon. Even if he is taken off of KR duty, I believe he will still be on PR so he can use his lightning fast cuts and acceleration to make plays.
Special teams is looking good, but the return guys are usually a revolving door for most franchises, so we can't be sure what the future holds.
FA: Pick up a Safety, although MLB and D-line are also viable options.
QB: Cutler, ?
Here is our first question. Do we resign Ramsey or go to Free Agency? Clearly he isn't too great on the field, however he has a great relationship with Jay and is a good clipboard holder. A lot of people don't realize that the backup QB generally wears a headset and is involved with deconstructing how the O is doing and what they can do better.
RB: Torain, T. Bell, Young, Draft Pick.
Shanahan will give Torain his shot if he is healthy. If not, Tatum may be able to redeem himself and show what he can do. Hall will be gone, those fumbles will have put him in Shanny's Doghouse and his KR uses aren't very important anymore. Pope and Boyd are just placeholders in my opinion, but Selvin will still be back there in reserve. We know Shanahan loves Torain, but if he is not confident in his health, he will address RB earlier in the draft, but no matter what the Broncos will look for a diamond in the draft. If Selvin or Bell don't stick around, Anthony Alridge will be up here as well, if not he's on the practice squad. On the other hand, Anthony's return prowess and flat out speed may give him the nod over Bell or Selvin. Tatum's future rests in his own hands the rest of this season in my opinion.
FB: Hillis, Pittman
Hillis has shown us what he's got. Pittman is a seasoned Vet and will be back in a reserve role, knowing he can and will be used in whatever means needed and won't complain.
WR: Marshall, Royal, Stokely, D. Jackson, C. Jackson
Our starting Trio will be back and will be that much better. I believe Darrell Jackson will be back unless he thinks he can prove himself on another team and wants a release, in which case we will find ourselves taking another project WR that Shanahan loves for Depth later in the draft to be groomed as the future slot. Speaking of that, Shanahan really wanted Chad Jackson a few years ago, but he didn't pan out and now he has his chance. Just because he was snatched from Shanahan in the draft, I believe he will at least make it to training camp. And if we don't get another slot WR I believe when They may pull Royal into the Slot and put one of the Jacksons out wide if Stokely's concussion problem comes around again. With the ability to split our TEs out or put them in the slot, I can see us only carrying 5 WRs next year. Sorry Glen Martinez, but you're the odd man out.
TE: Graham, Scheffler, N. Jackson
This group seems oddly familiar. Graham is getting more and more involved in the passing game, especially in the red zone. It's nice having two capable bookend tackles to be able to handle the rush and Graham is reaping the benefits. Tony is a huge threat downfield and Jackson has shown he has some heart, I knew there was a reason Shanahan has kept him around, and not just because of his 49'er roots. Scheffler and Jackson give us the ability to pull a huge mismatch with their speed and size against LBers and Safeties. They can also be put in the slot or even split out if the package calls for it. One nicety of having these two quick receiving TEs is that we could come out with 2 or even 1 WR and as the Defense adjusts personal as needed, we can line up and run the ball at them, Play-action, or even motion one or both of them out and let the LBs and Safeties try to cover them in the open field.
LT: Clady, Polumbus
Ryan Clady has been a beast and is having nothing short of a pro-bowl rookie year. Look for him to get stronger and improve in the running game next year. Polumbus is the Colorado boy that Denver likes to bring in and with his size and long arms should be able to fill in nicely if he ever needs to. The Prototypical Denver Tackle.
LG: Hamilton, Lichtensteiger
While I am unsure whether or not Hamilton will stay at LG or move back to his original Center position, we don't have to ask that question yet because we don't have a hole at Center. Hamilton has always been solid, but especially this year has been having trouble holding up while pass-blocking. I don't know if it is because of the many inside stunts teams are using to try to get around Clady or if Ben is starting to decline. In either case, I don't see him going anywhere for at least a couple years.
C: Wiegmann, Lichtensteiger
Our last standing relic of the superbowl years, Tom Nalen will retire. He is getting old and has been oft injured. Similar to Lepsis, those years take a toll on the body, and he can't recover as quickly or fully as before. Wiegmann, even though he is old, he is still two years younger than Nalen, and his time as a journeyman skipping around the league means his body hasn't taken much of a toll due to less playing-time early in his career, will be back next year. I think this guy has some left in the tank while they groom Lichtensteiger to take over somewhere on the interior.
RG: Kuper, Draft Pick
Kuper, the big baby faced Alaskan has shown he has what it takes to play in this league. He is very young and will continue to hold down the right interior. Even though I have a draft pick listed as the immediate back-up, it is very possible that if Hamilton moves to center in the future, Kuper may slide back over to LG and let Kory take over at RG.
RT: Harris, Polumbus
Boy was Ryan Harris a surprise. Many people were writing him off as being too small, having back problems, having a down senior year, being a reach in the third round, etc...but he has bulked up a bit after his back surgery and moved over to RT and has performed near flawlessly, despite a terrible showing his first preseason game this year. Harris and Clady should be able to hold down the outside for years to come, while Polumbus will at least for now remain the versatile back-up.
So for Offense the biggest question is our biggest question mark every year, Running Back. Who will carry the load? Will Torain be healthy? Will Bell prove he isn't a one-trick pony and redeem himself on his return visit and live up to his second-round potential? Will Shanahan find another diamond in undrafted free agency? Or will he finally pull the trigger on a powerful franchise running back EARLY in the draft? Only time will tell. Another question is our O-line. After Wiegmann is gone, we could very well have the same line for 4-6 years until Hamilton calls it quits and then no turnover for another 4-6 years after that. Having good chemistry is very important for a line, especially when running the stretch and knowing who is pulling off to the secondary and when. I see this young core of offensive players leading the Broncos to Greatness, from the trenches to the playmakers.
LS: Leach
Mike Who? Really? That's right, aside from maybe Elam, the most important key part of our Special teams unit for several years. Even then you can argue that without Leach, Elam wouldn't have had the chance for several of those kicks. He is flat out as clutch and reliable as can be for a longsnapper, that's all you can ask for. Oh yeah, he does a GREAT job getting to the running on punt team as well. Maybe he's much much more than we could ask for.
P: Kern
The Kid is having a great season, I don't have much more to add, so keep it up and continue to boot 'em long and high.
K: Prater
Another Offseason surprise. This kid needs to really get comfortable. He is nailing the long kicks, but having trouble with the chip shots and medium length ones. He has a boot and several people think with Shanahan's mentality, Prater may have the chance to tie or break the NFL record of 63 yards on a FG someday soon. His boot also transfers over to Kickoffs where he has seen his fair share of touchbacks.
KR: Royal, Draft Pick
Royal for the time being will continue to return kicks, while he will have one of our Draft Picks back deep with him. Whether it is a RB mentioned above or a talented DB I will get to later, we can't be sure, but then again, maybe Anthony Alridge will find himself back there alongside Royal?
PR: Royal
Eddie Royal does it all, and he will continue to be the team's premier punt returner, taking one to the house soon. Even if he is taken off of KR duty, I believe he will still be on PR so he can use his lightning fast cuts and acceleration to make plays.
Special teams is looking good, but the return guys are usually a revolving door for most franchises, so we can't be sure what the future holds.
FA Targets: DT Jason Jones, DT Pat Simms, S Reggie Smith, LB Dan Connor
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