After the release of last year’s starting RB Travis Henry, the Broncos will have a new younger look at the position.  Selvin Young will likely be the main running back and he’s predicting that he’ll rush for 2,000 yards in 2008 behind the Broncos’ offensive line.  That is wishful thinking by Young who was an undrafted free agent find for the Broncos last season.  He played in 15 games (8 starts) for the Broncos last season and he carried the ball 140 times for 729 yards (5.2 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 35 passes for 231 yards (6.6 avg).  Young is a very fast back but he doesn’t have the muscle to consistently pick up yards between the tackles.  He will be the main man in the running game but the Broncos will also use other backs.

Veteran Michael Pittman was signed just before the Broncos cut Travis Henry and he’s a solid vet.  Pittman is a good receiver and he also runs with power between the tackles.  Pittman played in 10 games (3 starts) for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season and he carried the ball 68 times for 286 yards (4.2 ypc).  He also caught 26 passes for 191 yards (7.3 avg).  Look for Pittman to double those numbers this season in Denver.  Pittman has now played in 143 games (79 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 1,316 times for 5,307 yards (4.0 ypc) with 21 TD runs.  He also has caught 415 passes for 3,400 yards (8.2 avg) with 8 TD grabs.

Andre Hall will be the #3 RB for the Broncos this season.  He was a rookie last year and he showed a pretty good skill set in limited action.  Hall played in 10 games (1 start) with the Broncos last season and he carried the ball 44 times for 216 yards (4.9 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 2 passes for 69 yards (34.5 avg).  Look for Hall to have a much bigger role in 2008 with the Broncos.

Rookie Ryan Torain is starting out behind the 8-ball as he is recovering from a torn ACL.  Torain is a power back as he gets most of his yards between the tackles.  Torain averaged 93.8 yards rushing per game, 5.5 yards per carry and he scored 12 TD runs in only 19 games (14 starts) at Arizona State.  He also caught 5 TD passes out of the 25 balls he caught in college.  Torain has a nice upside especially in the Broncos’ style of offense.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B

As a rookie, Jay Cutler bounced Jake Plummer out of a starting job late in the season.  In 2008, he established himself as one of the best young QBs in all of the NFL.  He has a howitzer attached to his right shoulder which allows him to fit passes in tight windows that other QBs wouldn’t even attempt to.  He also is a good runner when he needs to be and he’s adept at buying time in the pocket.  The sky is the limit for Cutler.  He started all 16 games for the Broncos last season and he completed 297 of 467 passes (63.6%) for 3,497 yards with 20 TD passes and 14 interceptions (88.1 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 44 times for 205 yards (4.7 ypc) with 1 TD run.  If Cutler were in the NFC he would be a Pro Bowler this season but it might be hard to get there with Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in the same conference.  Cutler has now played in 21 games (all starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 378 of 604 passes (62.6%) for 4,498 yards with 29 TD passes and 19 interceptions (88.2 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 44 times for 205 yards (4.7 ypc) with 1 TD run.

Patrick Ramsey will be the backup QB for the Broncos again in 2008.  He has the tools to be a good NFL QB but everything doesn’t always click for him.  He played in 2 games (0 starts) for the Broncos last season and he completed 29 of 48 passes (60.4%) for 262 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception (73.4 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 2 times for 6 yards (3.0 ypc).  The Broncos wouldn’t fall flat if Ramsey were forced into action but make no mistake it would be a big dropoff.  Ramsey has played in 36 games (4 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 509 of 910 passes (55.9%) for 5,911 yards with 35 TD passes and 30 interceptions (74.8 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 47 times for 89 yards (1.9 ypc) with 2 TD runs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B+

Peyton Hillis can do it all as he’s a solid runner, blocker and receiver.  Hillis is 6’1″, 240 pounds but he’s a tad slow running a 4.75 40.  He played in 44 games (30 starts) at Arkansas and he carried the ball 203 times for 959 yards (4.7 ypc) with 12 TD runs.  He also caught 118 passes for 1,195 yards (10.1 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Don’t be surprised if Hillis makes the team and gets some playing time despite being taken so late in the NFL Draft.

Josh Barrett had a terrible senior season in which he was benched for being soft.  Barrett was an outstanding player as a junior at Arizona State and the Broncos hope that is the player they will be getting.  Barrett is 6’1″, 226 pounds and he runs a 4.55 40 so if he’s motivated he might be able to help out as a strong safety and on special teams.  Barrett played in 46 games (27 starts) at Arizona State and he finished there with 174 tackles, 19 passes broke up, 6 interceptions, forced 1 fumble and he recovered 3 fumbles.  This player was a good one to take a gamble on in the 7th round by the Broncos.

Spencer Larsen makes a lot of plays between the tackles but he doesn’t have the speed to get to the edge.  Larsen played in 44 games (37 starts) at Arizona and he made 312 tackles, had 32 tackles for a loss, had 9 sacks, broke up 14 passes and had 2 interceptions.  Larsen is a high effort player who will likely play a lot on special teams for the Broncos but don’t look for him to make a big impact on defense.

Carlton Powell was just drafted for depth on the D-Line as he wasn’t even that great at Virginia Tech.  He is 6’1″, 301 pounds but he often gets pushed around by stronger players.  Unless he gets serious about playing in the NFL he won’t last too long for the Broncos.  Powell played in 53 games (32 starts) at Virginia Tech and he made 107 tackles, had 21.5 tackles for a loss, had 6.5 sacks, forced a fumble and recovered 2 fumbles. 

Ryan Torain is a pure power runner and he likes to run north and south.  He often looks like he’s running downhill as he always seems to get the extra yard by pushing the pile.  Torain played in 19 games (14 starts) at Arizona State and he carried the ball 333 times for 1,782 yards (5.4 ypc) with 12 TD runs.  He also caught 25 passes for 305 yards (12.2 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  The big problem with Torain is that he had the dreaded Lisfranc surgery last October and he might have to start the season on the PUP list.

Jack Williams has speed to burn (4.34 40) but he’s very small at 5’8″, 181 pounds.  Williams only flaw is his size as he does support the run with vigor.  Still, it’s hard to see a player as small as Williams dealing well with the big receivers in the NFL as he has had trouble with man to man coverage in college.  Williams played in 44 games (39 starts) at Kent State and he finished with 245 tackles, broke up 32 passes, had 13 interceptions, forced 7 fumbles and he has recovered 3 fumbles.  Williams will likely play on special teams and in the nickel and dime packages for the Broncos.

Kory Lichtensteiger is the classic Broncos’ lineman as he’s not the biggest guy around but he’s quick.  He started in all 48 games he played in at Bowling Green in 4 seasons there.  Lichtensteiger is 6’2″, 296 pounds and he plays hard so he will likely be a starter in the future for the Broncos at either center or guard.

The Broncos have cut loose RB Travis Henry as Mike Shanahan said that he was not committed to the team.  That is quite a blast that could signal the end of Henry’s career as it might be hard for a team to take a chance on him now.  Henry played in 12 games (7 starts) for the Broncos last season and he carried the ball 167 times for 691 yards (4.1 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  He also caught 7 passes for 65 yards (9.3 avg).  Henry won’t likely be missed much as 2nd year man Selvin Young and Michael Pittman will pick up the load in the running game.