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2008 Broncos Roster Predictions (Preseason Week 4 Edition)

With the final cuts to 53 likely soon after tonight’s game against the Cardinals, it’s time to take another guess at what the roster might look like.

QB: Jay Cutler, Patrick Ramsey
RB: Selvin Young, Andre Hall, Michael Pittman, Ryan Torain, Anthony Alridge
FB: Peyton Hillis, Cecil Sapp
WR: Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal, Brandon Stokley, Darrell Jackson, Keary Colbert
TE: Daniel Graham, Nate Jackson, Tony Scheffler
LT: Ryan Clady, Erik Pears
LG: Ben Hamilton
C: Tom Nalen, Casey Wiegmann
RG: Chris Kuper, Kory Lichtensteiger
RT: Ryan Harris
DE: John Engelberger, Elvis Dumervil, Jarvis Moss, Tim Crowder
DT: Dewayne Robertson, Marcus Thomas, Ebenezer Ekuban, Alvin McKinley, Kenny Peterson
WLB: DJ Williams, Jamie Winborn, Wesley Woodyard
MLB: Nate Webster, Niko Koutouvides
SLB: Boss Bailey, Louis Green
S: Hamza Abdullah, Marlon McCree, Marquand Manuel, Josh Barrett
CB: Champ Bailey, Dre Bly, Domonique Foxworth, Karl Paymah, Jack Williams
K: Matt Prater
P: Brett Kern
LS: Mike Leach

Practice Squad: Darrell Hackney, Mitch Erickson, Tyler Polumbus, Steven Harris, Spencer Larsen, Marquay McDaniel, Roderick Rogers, Larry Birdine

Injured Reserve: Carlton Powell, Edell Shepherd

With several unexpected departures (John Lynch, Montrae Holland), this has reduced how many bubble players I had foreseen. Nevertheless, several still remain and have a chance to make a statement in Arizona that they deserve to make the team:

–At wide receiver, there will likely be one player that will be a member of the Broncos’ active roster for the opener against the Raiders while Marshall serves his suspension, and then be cut afterwards. My guess is that it will be a coin flip between Glenn Martinez and Clifford Russell. Martinez has special teams capabilities, but Russell has more experience. Which way that coin lands is solely dependent on who participates better against the Cardinals.

–I have only eight offensive linemen on the active roster. (although there is two on the practice squad.) This is close to a norm to the Broncos, but I could sense some uneasiness in placing Lichtensteiger, who hasn’t generated much buzz in the preseason, as a backup guard when his natural position is center. While the fourth rounder Lichtensteiger should surely make the roster, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Broncos also kept a more established guard such as PJ Alexander or Dylan Gandy for insurance.

–Even with nine of them on the roster, who I have tabbed for defensive linemen still seems light. I have listed Ekuban and Peterson as tackles because if I did not do so, there would be only three of them on the roster. Considering all the rotation that is likely to occur anyway, I’m sure most D-linemen will be used in diverse ways.

Marshall Suspension Halved, Holland Sent to Dallas

Barack Obama may have ruled the day in Denver last night as he accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for President in the same stadium the Broncos play in.  However, around the same time, there were two nuggets of good news that should hopefully keep the stadium electric even after Obama leaves town.

The first is a successful reduction of Brandon Marshall’s suspension down to one game.  The significance of this ruling is massive, due to the specific game Marshall would have missed otherwise—the home opener against the Chargers.  There is no other game that means more to the Broncos on their schedule than this one.  Another loss to the Chargers at home will immediately put the Broncos in a catchup role that may be difficult to recover from.

Secondly, apparently when the Dallas Cowboys visited Dove Valley earlier in the preseason, they saw someone they liked in the otherwise lighter Broncos offensive line.  They decided to acquire Montrae Holland, who had been overweight by Broncos standards for training camp.  In return, the Broncos get a fifth round pick in 2010. (Two years from now seems odd, but I’m guessing the 2009 pick may be tied up in the Pacman Jones trade.)

This is good news for several reasons.  First of all, it clearly affirms that Ryan Harris has earned his way into the first string in ink.  Had Holland never reported overweight, Harris would still be on the bench as Chris Kuper would be playing his right tackle position.  As I’ve commented in the past, I’ve been impressed with the play of Harris through the preseason games, and I’m proud that he’s developed so quickly.  Sometimes, players just need that opportunity to get out on the field to prove themselves, and that may be the case with Harris.

Second, the Broncos must feel comfortable with their depth in the offensive line to be willing to deal Holland.  Remember that the Broncos usually staff less than ten O-linemen, which is not enough to field a second string at every position.  Erik Pears has proven he can be a viable backup at tackle.  Tom Nalen and Casey Wiegmann will have the center position manned down.  The big question will be at guard, with Holland gone.  Can Kory Lichtensteiger play the position, as his natural center position is spoken for?  That will be one thing that needs to be studied in the final preseason game against the Cardinals.

Holland’s departure also frees up a roster spot for another player, and for me, it helps reduce a dilemma I had in setting up a possible 53-man roster in preparation for the Arizona game.  That and more will be coming soon…

Broncos cuts to 75 include three (predicted) wide receivers

Well, it does feel good to finally get a sizeable prediction right on the button.  As I had guessed in my post this weekend, the glut of eleven wide receivers on the 80-man roster would be ripe grounds for cuts this week.  Furthermore, I accurately guessed all three of the receivers that would be gone.  Samie Parker and Lorne Sam got their walking papers earlier in the week (though Parker has already resurfaced in Carolina), and Taylor Jacobs followed soon after today.

I also semi-accurately predicted the release of a defensive lineman.  However, I never would have made that prediction had I not erroneously forgotten that Carlton Powell was not yet on the injured reserve list.  He was instead on the active PUP, which does count against the roster, and was moved to the reserve PUP, which does not count against, and allowed the Broncos to use the designation as one of their five required moves.  I presume that after Week 6 Powell will then be moved to IR.

The defensive lineman that was cut, however, took me by surprise—Josh Mallard.  While I did have him as a bubble player, I figured he had a good chance to make the 53-man roster just for reason of lack of depth at defensive tackle.  I definitely would not have predicted him to get cut this early.  My guess is that the team believed that they saw all they could see out of him after his play in 2007, and saw no further upside.  That may not be the case with the less-established D-linemen (Nic Clemons, Larry Birdine, Paul Carrington), and thus they will get a chance to make one last impression in Arizona this Friday.

Guess the Broncos’ First Cuts

In the past, after the third preseason game the roster was trimmed down to 65 players.  This year, however, the cuts only go down to 75.  Since the preseason started with only 80 players, the difference of five isn’t one to get terribly excited about.

Still, at least it gives one something to ponder on a Sunday morning.  Number one on my list has to be Chad Mustard.  Late in the fourth quarter of Friday’s game, he was the one that failed to make the block that resulted in Patrick Ramsey getting clobbered and losing the ball.  The play was responsible for the Packers taking the lead for good.  The top three tight ends are firmly established, and even Brett Pierce looked better than Mustard did.

Samie Parker, Lorne Sam, and Taylor Jacobs are a trio of wide receivers in a total group of eleven currently on the Broncos roster.  As far as I could tell, all three of them have been mostly AWOL throughout the preseason, and I can’t fathom the team needing to delve down any further than the fourth string from here on out.

The fifth choice is a rather difficult one, however.  I was tempted to say one of cornerbacks Tyrone Poole or Wale Dada, but considering that they were recently brought on, I’m guessing they’ll hang on for the Cardinals game just to see if they really could factor in at all.  Instead, I’ll say that it will be one of the fourteen defensive linemen on the team.  I’ll probably guess the wrong name, but I’ll just take a stab and go with Paul Carrington, as he has the most seniority amongst the group and is thus not likely to be eligible for the practice squad.

Am I off in any of these choices?  If so, be sure to let me know.