SoCalBronco
03-27-2005, 09:19 PM
Team Report
Posted: 15 minutes ago
Just a few weeks ago, the Broncos were almost out of quality, pass-catching tight ends. Now they have two. First, they matched the Jets' offer and retained restricted free agent Jeb Putzier. Last week, the Broncos signed former Lion Stephen Alexander. Putzier will be Denver's primary, pass-catching tight end, while Alexander will be used to rev up the run game. He's a better blocker than Putzier, but not as explosive a wide receiver. Now the question is what the team will do with veteran Dwayne Carswell. He went into last year's training camp as an offensive tackle, but that experiment was abandoned. But because Denver is thin on the offensive line, Carswell might end up back at tackle -- and that might be his best chance to make the roster. . . .
RB Rueben Droughns, who rushed for 1,240 yards last season as the Broncos' emergency back, wants to leave Denver for a chance to start elsewhere. Unfortunately for Droughns, he's finding a tough market for running backs. And if he stays in Denver, there is no guarantee he'll get his starting fullback job back. The Broncos are very high on Kyle Johnson, who saw a lot of playing time at the tail end of last season. At 6-feet, 240 pounds, Johnson is much bigger than Droughns (5-11, 220). Johnson proved last year that he can play the role of bulldozer. Where Droughns still holds a big edge is as a receiver. He's got soft hands and runs excellent routes. Johnson is very raw as a pass catcher. . . .
Don't expect the Broncos to play a 3-4 defense full-time. Coach Mike Shanahan said the 3-4 will be used more as a situational defense and as a change of pace. That means Denver is still seeking quality defensive ends to fill in for the departed Reggie Hayward and Trevor Pryce, who the team is still shopping. For Denver's defense to make marked improvement from the unit that got torched by Indianapolis in the playoffs, it has to find some pass rushers.
SCOUTING REPORT: Second-year LB D.J. Williams is on the verge of stardom. By the end of his rookie season, he was arguably Denver's best defensive player. Big, fast and instinctive, Williams was terrific at running down backs. He's also a good blitzer. If Williams has a major flaw, it's that he tends to be too aggressive and gets out of position. Williams played on the weak side last season, but the return of Ian Gold means Williams will play strong-side linebacker this season. That shouldn't be a problem because. Williams is big enough to jam the line and fast enough to cover tight ends downfield,
DRAFT BUZZ: Whether the Broncos draft a defensive end in the first round could well depend on if they land free-agent DE Courtney Brown, the overall No. 1 draft pick in 2000. Other major needs for Denver include interior depth on the offensive line. The Broncos also could use a big, physical wide receiver. A tempting target could be Northern Colorado WR Vincent Jackson, especially if he's still available in the second or third round.
Posted: 15 minutes ago
Just a few weeks ago, the Broncos were almost out of quality, pass-catching tight ends. Now they have two. First, they matched the Jets' offer and retained restricted free agent Jeb Putzier. Last week, the Broncos signed former Lion Stephen Alexander. Putzier will be Denver's primary, pass-catching tight end, while Alexander will be used to rev up the run game. He's a better blocker than Putzier, but not as explosive a wide receiver. Now the question is what the team will do with veteran Dwayne Carswell. He went into last year's training camp as an offensive tackle, but that experiment was abandoned. But because Denver is thin on the offensive line, Carswell might end up back at tackle -- and that might be his best chance to make the roster. . . .
RB Rueben Droughns, who rushed for 1,240 yards last season as the Broncos' emergency back, wants to leave Denver for a chance to start elsewhere. Unfortunately for Droughns, he's finding a tough market for running backs. And if he stays in Denver, there is no guarantee he'll get his starting fullback job back. The Broncos are very high on Kyle Johnson, who saw a lot of playing time at the tail end of last season. At 6-feet, 240 pounds, Johnson is much bigger than Droughns (5-11, 220). Johnson proved last year that he can play the role of bulldozer. Where Droughns still holds a big edge is as a receiver. He's got soft hands and runs excellent routes. Johnson is very raw as a pass catcher. . . .
Don't expect the Broncos to play a 3-4 defense full-time. Coach Mike Shanahan said the 3-4 will be used more as a situational defense and as a change of pace. That means Denver is still seeking quality defensive ends to fill in for the departed Reggie Hayward and Trevor Pryce, who the team is still shopping. For Denver's defense to make marked improvement from the unit that got torched by Indianapolis in the playoffs, it has to find some pass rushers.
SCOUTING REPORT: Second-year LB D.J. Williams is on the verge of stardom. By the end of his rookie season, he was arguably Denver's best defensive player. Big, fast and instinctive, Williams was terrific at running down backs. He's also a good blitzer. If Williams has a major flaw, it's that he tends to be too aggressive and gets out of position. Williams played on the weak side last season, but the return of Ian Gold means Williams will play strong-side linebacker this season. That shouldn't be a problem because. Williams is big enough to jam the line and fast enough to cover tight ends downfield,
DRAFT BUZZ: Whether the Broncos draft a defensive end in the first round could well depend on if they land free-agent DE Courtney Brown, the overall No. 1 draft pick in 2000. Other major needs for Denver include interior depth on the offensive line. The Broncos also could use a big, physical wide receiver. A tempting target could be Northern Colorado WR Vincent Jackson, especially if he's still available in the second or third round.