2013 Denver Broncos

On Saturday, the Broncos announced their 2013 roster and practice squad. Here is the roster broken down by position.....

OFFENSE

QBs (3) Peyton Manning, Brock Osweiler, and Zac Dysert

RBs (4) Ronnie Hillman, Knowshon Moreno, Montee Ball, and C.J. Anderson

WRs (5) Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, Wes Welker, Trindon Holliday, and Andre Caldwell

OTs (3) Ryan Clady, Orlando Franklin, and Chris Clark

OGs (4) Zane Beadles, Louis Vasquez, Chris Kuper, and John Moffitt

Cs (2) Manny Ramirez and Steve Vallos
*J.D. Walton will start the year on the PUP list and will be eligible after Week 6

TEs (4) Julius Thomas, Jacob Tamme, Joel Dreessen, and Virgil Green


DEFENSE

DEs (4) Derek Wolfe, Robert Ayers, Malik Jackson, and Shaun Phillips

DTs (4) Kevin Vickerson, Terrence Knighton, Sylvester Williams, and Mitch Unrein

OLBs (3) Danny Trevathan, Nate Irving, Steven Johnson, and Adrian Robinson
*Von Miller will be suspended the first six games so he won't be eligible to return to the roster until Week 7

ILBs (2) Wesley Woodyard and Paris Lenon

CBs (6) Champ Bailey, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Chris Harris, Kayvon Webster, Tony Carter, and Quentin Jammer

S (5) Mike Adams, Rahim Moore, Duke Ihenacho, Omar Bolden, and David Bruton

SPECIALISTS
P: Britton Colquitt

K: Matt Prater

LS: Aaron Brewer

Offensive Analysis:
The strength of this year's Broncos will be the passing game. With Peyton Manning more comfortable and the trio of Welker, Decker, and Thomas at his disposal, this Broncos offense should be lethal. The question comes with the running game. Will Montee Ball step up to be the man in his rookie year? Can Ronnie Hillman be more than a spread, third down type of back? Can they close out games on the ground? Those are all questions that need to be answered. The offensive line should be fine if they stay healthy. Center is a bit of a concern, but don't forget that J.D. Walton could be back by the end of October. Overall, this offense should be able to put up a lot of yards and a lot of points. It is going to have to carry this team throughout the year.

Defensive Analysis:
Losing Von Miller for the first six games is a real blow. Couple that with the departure of Elvis Dumervil, and the pass rush might be nonexistent for the first six games. The defense will probably bend a lot in that time span, but if they can avoid breaking, then the Broncos will be okay. Once Miller gets back, then the defense will be a lot better the second half of the year. I do worry about the interior in the front seven as well. Can Wesley Woodyard hold up against the run week in and week out? The secondary looks solid, and I like the depth. They will probably struggle early on without a pass rush, but hopefully they will be able to make a few big turnovers in key spots. I am anxious to see Duke Ihenacho perform at safety. Overall, I expect the defense to struggle for the first month, but they probably don't have to be great because their offense should be able to bail them out.

Overall: There have been a lot of negatives with the team the last month. Von Miller's absence will really hurt them, but they still have Peyton Manning. As long as you have Manning, then you have a chance. I don't think they will be as good as they were last year. It will probably take 10 wins to win the AFC West this year, and the Broncos can get there. If they are 3-3 after their first six games without Miller, then they will be fine. Look for 9-10 wins and a playoff spot for the Broncos in 2013.