The Broncos have released 36-year old center Casey Wiegmann.  Wiegmann started all 16 games for the Broncos last season.  He started all 32 games in his two years with the Broncos.  The Broncos are not a zone blocking team anymore as they want to go with more of a power blocking style.  With that in mind look for Wiegmann to possibly surface with a team like the Texans or Redskins in 2010.

The Broncos have released 31-year old RB LaMont Jordan.  Jordan played in 9 games for the Broncos last season and he carried the ball 25 times for 86 yards (3.4 ypc).  Jordan also returned 1 kickoff for 6 yards and he had 2 tackles last season.  The Broncos won’t miss Jordan as they have quite a few running backs on the roster that they like more than him.

25-year old WR Brandon Marshall just can’t get along with head coach Josh McDaniels so I see him getting traded before the NFL Draft in April.  He played in 15 games for the Broncos last season and he caught 101 passes for 1,120 yards (11.1 avg) with 10 TD grabs.  Marshall also carried the ball 7 times for 39 yards (5.6 ypc) last season.  The Broncos better get good value back for Marshall because he will be almost impossible for them to replace.  Marshall has played in 61 games (4 years) for the Broncos and he has caught 327 passes for 4,019 yards (12.3 avg) with 25 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 16 times for 104 yards (6.5 ypc) in his career. 

The Broncos’ draft last April was kind of ho hum except for the first pick.  RB Knowshon Moreno (1st round, #12 overall) out of Georgia had a decent rookie season for the Broncos.  He played in all 16 games for the Broncos last season and he carried the ball 247 times for 947 yards (3.8 ypc) with 7 TD runs.  Moreno also caught 28 passes for 213 yards (7.6 avg) with 2 TD grabs last season.  Look for him to top those numbers as early as the 2010 season.  OLB/DE Robert Ayers (1st round, #18 overall) out of Tennessee was supposed to be a big time pass rusher but he didn’t show that last season.  He played in 15 games for the Broncos last season and he finished up with 19 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and 2 passes defensed.  CB Alphonso Smith (2nd round, #37 overall) out of Wake Forest was a helpful player despite being a backup last year.  Smith played in 15 games for the Broncos last season and he had 14 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 3 passes defensed.  Smith also returned 4 kickoffs for 75 yards (18.8 avg) and 10 punts for 47 yards (4.7 avg) last season.  Safety Darcel McBath (2nd round, #48 overall) out of Texas Tech showed some potential last season as he played in 13 games for the Broncos making 26 tackles, defensing 3 passes and picking off two.  TE Richard Quinn (2nd round, #64 overall) out of North Carolina didn’t catch any passes as a rookie last season.  He did play in 15 games for the Broncos last season in which he returned 1 kickoff for 19 yards and he made 2 tackles.  Free safety David Bruton (4th round, #114 overall) out of Notre Dame played in 14 games last season for the Broncos and he finished with 14 tackles, 1 forced fumble and he defensed 1 pass.  Guard Seth Olsen (4th round, #132 overall) out of Iowa played in 3 games (0 starts) for the Broncos last season.  He does have nice size at 6′5″, 308 pounds so the Broncos think he will grow some.  WR Kenny McKinley (5th round, #141 overall) out of South Carolina helped out on special teams despite not catching any passes as a rookie last season for the Broncos.  He played in 8 games for the Broncos last season and he returned 7 kickoffs for 158 yards (22.6 avg) and 3 punts for 32 yards (10.7 avg).  McKinley also made 3 tackles last year.  QB Tom Brandstater (6th round, #174 overall) out of Fresno State stuck around all year as the #3 QB despite not playing in any games.  Center Blake Schlueter (7th round, #225 overall) out of TCU didn’t make the Broncos and he finished up the season with the Falcons, but he never got on the field.

GRADE FOR 2009:  C+

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  B