The Broncos have lost veteran DE Ty Warren for the next 4-6 weeks due to a triceps tear.  This is a big blow to the Broncos as they were depending on Warren to help out the run defense which is his forte.  Warren is not a great pass rusher, but the Broncos think that Elvis Dumervil’s return to health coupled with the pick of outside linebacker Von Miller will fix that.  The Broncos hope that Warren’s return time is closer to four weeks than to six weeks.

UPDATE:  (8/18/2011) – The Broncos have learned that Ty Warren needs surgery to repair his triceps.  This will cause him to miss the next 3-6 months.  This is a big blow as the Broncos were depending on Warren to help improve the run D.

The Broncos have released 32-year old safety Renaldo Hill.  Hill played in all 16 games for the Broncos last year and he had 63 tackles, 4 passes defensed, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery.  Hill played in 31 games in his two years with the Broncos and he had 122 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 10 passes defensed and 4 interceptions.  The Broncos drafted a couple of safeties this year so the writing was on the wall for Hill.

23-year old WR Demaryius Thomas tore his Achilles tendon while working out in Georgia earlier this week.  He will need surgery to repair his Achilles which will cause him to miss at least 6-8 months.  This is a big blow to the Broncos as they were depending on Thomas to take the next step in 2011.  Thomas played in 10 games as a rookie for the Broncos last season and he caught 22 passes for 283 yards (12.9 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 1 yard (0.5 ypc) and he also returned 16 kickoffs for 398 yards (24.9 avg) last year.  Thomas was one of the Broncos’ first round picks last season (Tim Tebow was the other one) as they took him #22 overall out of Georgia Tech.  Achillies injuries are very hard to come back from if you are a skilled player, so Thomas may never be the same.  The Broncos hope that isn’t the case.

The Broncos have signed 26-year old DT Louis Leonard and they have placed linebacker Lee Robinson on Injured Reserve with a hamstring injury.  Leonard played in 2 games for the Panthers earlier this year and he had 2 tackles.  Leonard has now played in 20 games in his first three years in the NFL and he has 33 tackles and 1 sack.  Leonard will be an extra big body for tomorrow’s game against the Chargers and little more.  Robinson played in 3 games for the Broncos this year and he had 2 tackles.

The Broncos have placed 26-year old fullback Spencer Larsen on the Injured Reserve List with a ankle injury.  Larsen played in 11 games for the Broncos this year and he carried the ball 3 times for 18 yards (6.0 ypc).  Larsen also caught 5 passes for 51 yards (10.2 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He also helped out on special teams with 3 kickoffs for 44 yards (14.7 avg) this year.  Larsen will be missed because he didn’t mind doing the dirty work.

The Broncos have placed 26-year old kicker Matt Prater on the Injured Reserve List ending his season due to a groin injury.  Prater played in 12 games for the Broncos this year and he made 16 of 18 (88.9%) field goals and 28 of 29 extra points good for 76 points.  The Broncos will need 25-year old Steve Hauschka to step up the last couple of weeks.  Hauschka has played in 2 games for the Broncos so far this year and he has made 5 of 6 field goals and 3 of 3 extra points good for 18 points.  The Broncos can’t afford to leave any points on the field the rest of the year.

The Broncos have placed 24-year old rookie safety Kyle McCarthy on the Injured Reserve List with a knee injury.  He played in 8 games for the Broncos this year and he had 4 tackles.  McCarthy was a undrafted rookie out of Notre Dame so this injury is a bad break for him as he was helping out a little bit on special teams.

The Broncos have signed 25-year old kicker Steven Hauschka and he will likely be the starting kicker today.  He last played with the Ravens in 2009.  Hauschka has played in 17 games in his first two years in the NFL and he has connected on 10 of 15 field goals (66.7%) and 27 of 28 extra points good for 57 points.  26-year old kicker Matt Prater has a groin injury which will likely keep him out at least this week.  Prater has played in 12 games for the Broncos so far this year and he has connected on 16 of 18 field goals (88.9%) and 28 of 29 extra points good for 76 points.  The Broncos are likely going to miss Prater as he’s a much better kicker than Hauschka.

The Broncos have placed 25-year old linebacker Joe Mays and 25-year old TE Dan Gronkowski on I.R. ending their seasons.  Mays has a left knee injury and Gronkowski has a ankle injury.  Mays played in 12 games for the Broncos this season and he had 40 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  Gronkowski played in 12 games this year too, and he caught 8 passes for 65 yards (8.1 avg).  Neither of these guys are huge impact players but their injuries hurt the Broncos’ depth on both sides of the ball.

The Broncos have placed 26-year old WR Matt Willis on the Injured Reserve List ending his season due to a broken foot.  Willis played in all 6 games for the Broncos this year but he only had 1 catch for 17 yards and 1 tackle.  The Broncos have also lost 23-year old running back Andre Brown off waivers to the Colts.  Brown played in 3 games for the Broncos this year and he carried the ball 2 times for -1 yard.  The Broncos won’t likely miss either of these guys too much.