Denver Broncos 2013 Training Camp Preview

The Broncos will kick off the 2013 season at home on Thursday night September 5th against the Baltimore Ravens, but their season officially gets under way this Thursday with the opening of training camp. Much has happened on and off the field since we last saw the Broncos in action, so here is a little primer of the main aspects to look at when the Broncos start camp this week.

Where We Left Off: The last time we saw the Broncos in action they were watching Justin Tucker nail a 48 yard field goal to give Baltimore a stunning 38-35 win in the AFC Divisional Playoffs. The Broncos left the field that day wondering what might have been. They were the AFC's #1 seed, we riding an 11 game winning streak, and they were nine point favorites to advance to the AFC Championship. Oh, by the way, they were leading the game 35-28 with just over 30 seconds left when Joe Flacco threw a bomb to Jacoby Jones that was misplayed by Rahim Moore to tie the game at 35. It was the most crushing defeat in my lifetime as a Broncos fan, and it was as bad of a loss for any team in any sport in recent memory. The Broncos and Peyton Manning walked off the field that day knowing that it was a big opportunity that they let slip away, and that bitter defeat has been tough to get over all offseason.

What Happened Since? The Broncos started the offseason in great fashion. They stole Wes Welker away from the Patriots. Then, they added key players in free agency with the additions of Louis Vasquez, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and Terrence Knighton. They also resigned key free agents like David Bruton and Kevin Vickerson. The Broncos were also able to lock up LT Ryan Clady with a long-term contract extension. Denver also received solid remarks for their draft. The selections included DT Sylvester Williams in the first round, RB Montee Ball in the second round, and CB Kayvon Webster in third round. After the draft, Denver signed pass rusher Shaun Phillips to add depth to their defense. Those were all the positives in the offseason. The negatives started with the departure of Elvis Dumervil due to a fax machine mix up. Dumervil ended up signing with the Ravens. The Broncos will certainly miss his presence in the pass rush. Also, Denver released RB Willis McGahee, which leaves a backfield without a lot of experience. The summer brought news of trouble off the field which included the arrests of top executives Matt Russell and Tom Heckert for separate DUI incidents. Lastly, and most importantly, the Broncos received word that Von Miller would be suspended for the first four games of the 2103 season for violating the NFL's Substance Abuse Policy. Miller is appealing the suspension, but it doesn't look too promising that he will win the appeal. In an offseason that started off so strong, it has certainly taken a downward spiral real fast.

Position Battles in Camp: There are always some battles to watch in camp, and this year is no different. The first battle will be for the MLB spot. Third year LB Nate Irving will fight it out with second-year man Steven Johnson and free agent Stewart Bradley for that position. Another position to look for is at safety. Third-year veteran Quinton Carter comes back from an injury last year, and there is a thought that he will be able to push veteran Mike Adams for the starting spot. Another battle will play out on the offensive line. With Von Miller now possibly suspended and Dumervil in Baltimore, look for a number of Broncos to try to fill those spots. Robert Ayers gets a shot at Dumervil's spot, and Phillips will have to try and fight it out to replace Miller.

Surprise Roster Cuts: A name that could be on the chopping block could be G Chris Kuper. He has been hampered by injuries the last year and a half, and with the addition of Vasquez, it will be hard to see Kuper gain a starting spot. It certainly wouldn't surprise me to see Kuper get let go at some point. Also, a name that could surface as a possible roster cut is Knowshon Moreno. Although he did pretty well filling in for McGahee last year, Moreno is also injured frequently, and the Broncos are clearly going with youth in their backfield.

Out of Nowhere Players: The Broncos seem to always find one or two guys in the undrafted market that find a place on the roster. One name to look for is LB Lerentee McCray out of Florida. There is certainly some uncertainty at the LB position, and McCray could find himself on the roster if he plays well enough in camp and in the preseason. Another name to look for is second-year DL Malik Jackson. With Dumervil gone, Jackson might have a shot to get some playing time and show his worth.

Biggest Questions that Need to be Answered: For a team that is considered the favorite to win the AFC West, the Broncos have a lot of questions about their team right now. First, how can they replace Dumervil. As stated before, Robert Ayers, Malik Jackson, Derek Wolfe, and fifth round pick Quanterus Smith from Western Kentucky will have a chance to make up for the loss of Dumervil. The next big question is who is going to replace Von Miller for the first four games? You can't replace Miller's contributions, but Shaun Phillips will have to try and provide some sort of rush out of Miller's spot. It is going to be very tough, but at least Phillips has some track record as a pass rushing specialist. The other big question lies in the offensive backfield. Can Montee Ball step up and be the guy in his rookie season? Can Ronnie Hillman provide enough of a change of pace to keep defenses off balance? Those two backs really need to step up in order to provide the Broncos with a much needed ground game and take the pressure off of Peyton Manning. Speaking of Manning, how healthy and comfortable will Manning be in his second year in Denver? Will he continue to get stronger and better or will be digress as he turns 37? If Manning continues to get more and more healthy and comfortable everyday in training camp, then the Broncos should feel real good about their chances this year, no matter what else happens off the field.

Broncos Sign Clady to Long-Term Deal

The Broncos and left tackle Ryan Clady came to an agreement on Sunday to a new long-term contract. Clady, who had been designated as the Broncos Franchise player, signed a 5 year contract extension worth a total of $52.5 million and it includes $33 million guaranteed over the first three seasons. This move was a move that the Broncos had to make on their roster, and it was something that Denver had to get done before the season started. Both sides came to an agreement, and now the Broncos got past one piece of work that needed to be taken care of, and now they can focus on others that will arise once   training camp starts on Thursday July 25th. It is important to develop and sign your top players to long-term deals, and the Broncos did just that for Clady, a player who has been nothing short of dependable and solid for the the team since he was drafted in 2008.

2013 Sleeper Report

Once July 4th comes and goes, NFL fans begin to start thinking about the upcoming NFL season. One of the most exciting aspect of the summer is the hope that each franchise has for that upcoming season. Every year, at least 1 team that lost at least 10 games from the year before turns it around and makes the playoffs the following year. This teams are known as the "Sleeper" teams. Last year, the sleeper teams included: Indianapolis (2-14 to 11-5), Minnesota (3-13 to 10-6), and Washington (5-11 to 10-6.) There were 10 teams that lost at least 10 games in 2012. Here are my candidates for the 2013 Sleeper from this year's crop. The list starts with 10 and goes to number one. The number one team is the team that I think has the best chance to be this year's Sleeper team. Here are this year's Sleeper candidates:

10) Jacksonville (2-14 in 2012): It is hard to get excited about this year's Jags team. The Jags are in a very competitive division and have a real issue at Quarterback (Blaine Gabbert vs. Chad Henne).

9) Oakland (4-12 in 2012): The Raiders have like $50 million in dead money on their cap this season. Plus, they have Matt Flynn starting at Quarterback and trying to save the franchise. This looks like another rebuilding year for the Raiders.

8) NY Jets (6-10 in 2012): It is hard to see how competitive the Jets are going to be this season. Their offense is a mess and Mark Sanchez is on borrowed time as the team's starter. Rex Ryan's defense will be competitive but it will be hard to envision the Jets making the playoffs this year.

7) Cleveland (5-11 in 2012): There is some talent on this team, but the key will be the development of Brandon Weeden. This is a new Browns regime, and none of these guys drafted Weeden, so it will be interesting to see how much leeway he has. Plus, the Browns are stuck in a division with such superior teams as the Ravens, Steelers, and Bengals.

6) Philadelphia (4-12 in 2012): There could be a knee-jerk reaction from the hiring of Chip Kelly. He might be able to light a fire under some of the veterans that were apart of last year's debacle. The Eagles are either going to surprise this year or be a very mediocre team.

5)  Buffalo (6-10 in 2012): I liked the Bills draft, but once E.J. Manuel takes over at QB it will be tough to see the Bills competing for a playoff spot. They will probably be in the mix for most of the season, but I can't see them making the playoffs.

4) Arizona (5-11 in 2012): Bruce Arians could very well turn this franchise around as their new HC. Carson Palmer is an upgrade over anything that they had at QB the last few seasons, so that will certainly help this putrid offense out, and we know that their defense can play week in and week out. The problem is that they are in a very tough NFC West.

3) Kansas City (2-14 in 2012): The Chiefs could be this year's Colts. Andy Reid made some nice moves in his first offseason as KC's coach. The addition of Alex Smith is an upgrade at QB, and the team boasted five Pro Bowl players on their roster in 2012. In a weak division, the Chiefs could definitely make a playoff run this year.

2) Tennessee (6-10 in 2012): The Titans can make a legitimate run at the playoffs this year, but everything boils down to the development of Jake Locker. Locker has looked impressive at times, and the Titans made moves to improve their offensive line, so he will have some chances to run this offense at a high level. Look out for the Titans.

1) Detroit (4-12 in 2012): Last year's Lions were 4-4 at the midway point, and then they imploded and lost their last eight games. They were an unmitigated disaster in the second half of the season. The Lions have a really good chance of being this year's Sleeper team because of three big factors: Matt Stafford, Calvin Johnson, and Ndamukong Suh. To be fair, the Lions did make some nice improvements to their defense, but if they can match the play of Stafford and Johnson, then they can definitely make a run for the playoffs in 2013.

Broncos Summer Update

The beginning of July is a dead time in the NFL. Most executives, coaches, and players are on vacation and teams take a breath before training camp begins. Unfortunately, for the NFL this time of the year equals off the field incidents, arrests, DUIs, and other embarrassing situations that members of various NFL teams have to encounter. The biggest offseason story to turn up this summer has obviously been the Aaron Hernandez murder case. The Broncos have found themselves in a very embarrassing situation with the arrests of front-office executives Matt Russell and Tom Heckert. Heckert was arrested for a DUI in early June, but it became public today. Russell was arrested over the weekend for DUI and smashing his car into a police cruiser. Both incidents are downright awful and a severe black eye for the entire Broncos organization. It will be interesting to see the punishment for both men. Obviously, they will be suspended and fined, but there is a chance that one or both could lose their jobs, and they should probably should. It is definitely not a good sign as the Broncos head into training camp which is less than a month away. I don't know how much this affects the Broncos on the field come September, but it is definitely not a good thing for the team overall. 

The big Broncos move that has taken place since the last time I posted was the release of Willis McGahee. I understand the move on the Broncos part, but I am a little concerned with it because I liked having McGahee's experience in the backfield. You are now putting a lot on the plates of the 1-2 combo of Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman. Knowshon Moreno looks like the third part to the backfield, but make no mistake about the fact that Moreno is simply not as good as McGahee. We'll see how it turns out, but I am a little skeptical of this move going into training camp. 

The last thing I want to get to is that it has been reported that the Broncos have increased their offer to Ryan Clady on a longterm deal. The two sides have until July 15th to come to an agreement, and if they don't agree on a new contract, then Clady will play this year under his franchise designation. It is essential to lock up Clady this offseason. The Broncos can't afford to lose a player like Clady, and Left Tackles are a position of priority on every team. It will be interesting to see how this plays out the next week or so. 

I'll check back in before training camp or if any big Broncos related news breaks.