Elway Adds Another Business to his List

Former Broncos quarterback John Elway added rodeo to his business empire this week.  Elway became part-owner of the Professional Bull Riders tour, headquartered in Pueblo.  Hockey great Wayne Gretzky is also in on the deal.  Elway already co-owned the Colorado Crush of the Arena Football League, and two metro-Denver restaurants.

Cutler Has Type 1 Diabetes

Bronco quarterback Jay Cutler has diabetes.  Team doctors recently diagnosed the most serious form of the disease, Type One, which means Cutler needs daily insulin shots.  Cutler is already on insulin, and taking part in offseason workouts.  The Broncos are confident that he’ll be able to play without complications.  Diabetics in sports history include Bobby Clarke of the Philadelphia Flyers, Ron Santo of the Chicago Cubs and Jackie Robinson  –  who broke baseball’s color barrier.  Cutler turned 25 years old on Monday. 

Broncos Cut Seven Players

The Broncos released seven players yesterday, including veteran fullback Paul Smith, center Mark Fenton, defensive tackle Michael Bozeman, veteran safety Steve Cargile, running back Steven Jackson, linebacker William Kershaw and running back Marquis Weeks.  The Broncos then  signed 7 undrafted rookie free agents.

Broncos Get a “B” on the Draft Says Yahoos’ Cole

Jason Cole of Yahoo Sports has given the Broncos a “B” on the weekend draft.  Here is the breakdown: 

Picks: OT Ryan Clady, WR Eddie Royal, G Kory Lichtensteiger, CB Jack Williams, RB Ryan Torain, DT Carlton Powell, LB Spencer Larsen, DB Josh Barrett and RB Peyton Hillis
Positives: Clady, Royal and Williams
Negatives: Lichtensteiger and Torain
Bottom line: B. The Broncos nabbed the second-best left tackle in the draft after Jake Long and an immediate replacement to Matt Lepsis, who retired. The Broncos addressed their constant need for a return man with Royal, who could be really interesting in the offense as well. Lichtensteiger is a solid player, but guys with short arms have problems in this league. So much of line play, both offensively and defensively, is dependent upon leverage. Like Royal, Williams is a speed guy the Broncos needed.

Broncos Wrap Draft

The Broncos’ top two draft choices checked in at Dove Valley yesterday.  Denver took Boise State offensive tackle Ryan Clady with the 12th overall pick on Saturday.  In the second round, they went for Virginia Tech kick returner and wideout Eddie Royal.  Both will get a chance to play right away.  The Broncos had seven picks on Sunday’s second day of the draft.  They took Bowling Green center Kory Lichtensteiger and Kent State cornerback Jack Williams in Round Four.  Round Five brought Arizona State running back Ryan Torain and Virginia Tech defensive tackle Carlton Powell.  Denver landed one player in Round Six  –  Arizona linebacker Spencer Larsen.  Two seventh-rounders wrapped up the selections:  Arizona State safety Josh Barrett and Arkansas fullback Peyton Hillis.  

Broncos Select OT Ryan Clady With The 12th Pick

Broncos Go OL First-Round in Taking Troy’s Clady

The Broncos want to get back to rushing the football in 2008 like an elite team, and their pick in the first round Saturday showed that with OT Ryan Clady from Bosie State.  At 6-foot-6, 309 pounds, Clady will be a welcome addition to a line that needs help with depth and size.  Clady may need to get a little more size and strength, but overall, this is a good pick for a Broncos team that needs to do better rushing and protecting Jay Cutler.

Here is a scouting report on Clady from NFLdraftcountdown.com

Strengths:
Has excellent size and a big frame with long arms…A fantastic athlete…Very light on his feet…An outstanding pass blocker…Real quick and agile..Great mobility and range…Excellent balance…Is a natural knee bender…A hard worker with a terrific motor…Plays with a nasty demeanor…Adequate strength…Adjusts well and never seems to panic….Can fit in a zone or man blocking scheme…Still has some upside.

Weaknesses:
Plays too high at times and need to use better leverage…Gets the job done as a run blocker but is not necessarily dominant…Has to refine his technique and work on mastering the nuances of the position…He isn’t overly powerful at the point of attack and can get pushed back…He must continue strengthening his lower body.

Notes:
Redshirted in ‘04 and then started the next three seasons…Played right tackle as a redshirt frosh and then made a seamless transition to the left side when Daryn Colledge moved on to the pros…Has a rare blend of size and athleticism and was born to protect the quarterbacks blind side…Has all the physical tools you look for and he’s the best pure left tackle prospect in this draft…A sure-fire Top 10-15 pick.

And here is ESPN’s take on Clady:

This pick comes as somewhat of a surprise because Virginia’s Branden Albert and Vanderbilt’s Chris Williams are still on the board. That said, Clady has the potential to develop into an outstanding starter in Denver’s scheme; he moves extremely well for his size, so he’s ideal player for a zone-blocking system. Also, he should develop into a good run-blocker. The one concern is that he’s raw and needs to work on playing with a wider base.

Broncos Get Robertson from the Jets

The New York Jets traded defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson to the Denver Broncos in exchange for the Jets having a conditional 2009 draft choice.

The Denver Broncos acquired Dewayne Robertson from the Jets for a conditional pick in the 2009 draft. Robertson was with the Jets for 5 straight seasons. He was also the 4th overall pick in the 2003 draft from Kentucky. Although, he seemed to be out of position in the Jets’ 3-4 alignment. He’s also been troubled by knee complications.

Both teams have been discussing a trade since the middle of March. Earlier this month, the Jets allowed Denver to discuss with Robertson a new contract and both teams had agreed on a restructured deal. Although the Broncos and Jets continued to move toward an agreement on a compensation package and came to an accord Thursday.

“It’s a great opportunity,” said agent Hadley Engelhard. “He’s got the chance to showcase his abilities.” Engelhard is hoping to finalize a new contract for Robertson with the Broncos shortly.

This is the 2nd time the Jets have agreed to trade Robertson. Last month, they had a deal with Cincinnati for 4th and 5th round picks. However, Robertson failed their physical because of knee problems. The Broncos gave Robertson a physical also but they were satisfied with his knee since he played all last season no problems.

Robertson will join Marcus Thomas as the starting defensive tackles in Denver as the team reorganizes their defensive line for the 3rd time in 4 years. Robertson was made expendable by the Jets because he doesn’t fit in the team’s 3-4 scheme. If the Jets weren’t able to deal Robertson, he probably would have been cut. He was owed a $3 million bonus and has a salary cap number of about $11 million for this year.

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D-Jax Signs with Denver

The Denver Post reported that Darrell Jackson and the Denver Broncos officially reached a one-year contract agreement. Earlier this week RotoWire reported the Denver Broncos and WR Darrell Jackson were in deep contract discussions as the Broncos were trying to avoid drafting a receiver in this month’s draft. Wednesday, RotoWorld reported that D-Jax was in Denver taking a physical and contract talks between the two sides were fit.

Brian Mooney, Jackson’s agent, told the Post, “There were three or four other teams interested in Darrell, but everything aligned perfectly for us with Denver. The Broncos gave us the best fit from the offense they run, the coaching staff they have and the opportunity he has both short-term and long-term. Darrell is planning on playing for a while.”

Jackson will most likely line-up opposite to WR Brandon Marshall unless newly signed, former KC WR Sammie Parker or former Carolina WR Keary Colbert impresses at training camp enough to steal the job from the recently underacheiving Jackson. Although Jackson’s production took a large fall out after he signed with the offensive-production-lacking San Francisco 49ers in 2007, he made a name for himself in Seattle after amazing production in his 2004 and 2006 seasons.

Remainder of the Bronco Schedule Out

 The Broncos already knew they’d open the season Monday night, September 8th in Oakland.  The rest of this year’s schedule came out yesterday.  It includes matchups against every AFC West rival in the first month.  The bye week comes October 26th.  The last game of the year is December 28th at San Diego.