The Broncos decided to go in a new direction offensively in 2012.  They have also added some quality players to the D for 2012.  Here is a look at the Broncos’ moves so far this off-season:

Offensively:  The Broncos kicked Tim Tebow to the curb, dealing him to the Jets after they signed QB Peyton Manning to take over under center.  The Broncos also signed QB Caleb Hanie to back up Manning in 2012.  The Broncos have added a couple of WRs (Andre Caldwell and Jason Hill) and a couple of TEs (Jacob Tamme and Joel Dreessen) for Manning to throw the ball to in 2012.  The Broncos also re-signed OG Manuel Ramirez to help block in 2012.

Defensively:  The Broncos have been aggressive as they have signed three players who could be starters in 2012 in CB Tracy Porter, safety Mike Adams and DT Justin Bannan.  They have also re-signed DE/OLB Jason Hunter, LB Wesley Woodyard and LB Joe Mays….who are all likely to have huge roles on D in 2012.

Special teams:  The Broncos have re-signed punter Britton Colquitt and kicker Matt Prater.  That is good news as the Broncos usually had an edge in the kicking game last year.

GRADE FOR THE OFF-SEASON SO FAR:  A

The Denver Broncos sign 32-year old DT Justin Bannan to a 1-year deal.  Bannan played in 15 games for the Rams last year and he had 31 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble and 3 passes defensed.  Bannan has now played in 144 games in his first 10 years in the NFL and he has 269 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 19 tackles for a loss, 4 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception and 10 passes defensed.  Bannan is coming back to the Broncos as he played for them back in 2010.  Bannan played in all 16 games for the Broncos in 2010 and he had 35 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 4 passes defensed and 2 tackles for a loss.  This was a good pickup for the Broncos as Bannan should help them on the interior of the D-Line in 2012.

The Broncos have re-signed 27-year old punter Britton Colquitt.   He played in all 16 games for the Broncos last year and he punted the ball 101 times for 4,783 yards (47.4 avg).  He also had 7 touchbacks (6.9%) and he pinned the opposition inside their own 20-yard line 33 times (32.7%) last year.  Colquitt has now played in 32 games in his first two years with the Broncos and he has punted the ball 187 times for 8,618 yards (46.1% avg).  He also has 14 touchbacks (7.5%) and 52 punts (27.8%) downed inside the opposing 20-yard line.  This was a good move for the Broncos as Colquitt has been booming punts for them the last couple of years.

The Broncos have re-signed 28-year old OLB/DE Jason Hunter.  Hunter played in all 16 games for the Broncos last year and he had 21 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery and 1 pass defensed.  Hunter has now played in 32 games in his first two years with the Broncos and he has 82 tackles, 4 sacks, 11 tackles for a loss, 2 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 3 passes defensed and 1 interception.  This was a solid move for the Broncos as Hunter is a decent player.

The Broncos have signed 26-year old QB Caleb Hanie to a 2-year deal.  Hanie played in 6 games (4 starts) for the Bears last year and he completed 51 of 102 passes (50%) for 613 yards with 3 TD passes and 9 INTs (41.8 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 13 times for 98 yards (7.5 ypc) last year.  Hanie has now played in 10 games (4 starts) in his first three years in the NFL and he has completed 59 of 116 passes (50.9%) for 679 yards with 3 TD passes and 10 INTs (41.6 QB Rating).  Hanie also has carried the ball 14 times for 97 yards (6.9 ypc) so far in his NFL career.  Hanie is 0-4 as a starting QB.  The Broncos better hope that Peyton Manning can stay healthy the next couple of years because Hanie is one of the worst QBs I have EVER SEEN!

The Broncos have signed 27-year old TE Jacob Tamme to a 3-year, $9 million dollar deal.  Tamme played in all 16 games for the Colts last year and he caught 19 passes for 177 yards (9.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Tamme has now played in 60 games in his first four years in the NFL and he has caught 92 passes for 855 yards (9.3 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  This was a smart move for the Colts as Tamme has played his whole career so far with Peyton Manning.

The Broncos have signed 29-year old TE Joel Dreessen.  Dreessen played in all 16 games for the Texans last year and he caught 28 passes for 353 yards (12.6 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  He has now played in 91 games in his first six years in the NFL and he has caught 110 passes for 1,364 yards (12.4 avg) with 13 TD grabs.  This was a good move for the Broncos as Dreessen has been stepping up his game as a receiver the last couple of years.

The Broncos have signed 25-year old CB Tracy Porter to a 1-year deal worth $4 million bucks.  Porter played in 14 games for the Saints last year and he had 52 tackles, 1 interception, 10 passes defensed, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 forced fumbles and  1 fumble recovery.  Porter has now played in 43 games in his first four years in the NFL and he has 194 tackles, 33 passes defensed, 7 interceptions (one returned for a TD), 9 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 4 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries.  This was a good move for the Broncos as Porter is a pretty solid corner.

The Broncos have signed 26-year old WR Andre Caldwell to a 2-year deal.  Caldwell played in 13 games for the Bengals last year and he caught 37 passes for 317 yards (8.6 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  He has now played in 51 games in his first four years in the NFL and he has caught 124 passes for 1,172 yards (9.5 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 9 times for 73 yards (8.1 ypc) so far in his NFL career.  Caldwell can even return kickoffs if needed as he has returned 45 of them for 956 yards (21.2 avg).  This was a good signing for the Broncos as Caldwell is a decent possession receiver.

The Broncos have dealt 24-year old QB Tim Tebow and a 7th round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft to the Jets for a 4th round and a 6th round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.  Tebow played in 14 games (11 starts) for the Broncos last year and he completed 126 of 271 passes (46.5%) for 1,729 yards with 12 TD passes and 6 INTs (72.9 QB Rating).  Tebow also carried the ball 122 times for 660 yards (5.4 ypc) with 6 TD runs last year.  Tebow played in 23 games (14 starts) in his two years with the Broncos and he completed 167 of 353 passes (47.3%) for 2,383 yards with 17 TD passes and 9 INTs (75.1 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 165 times for 887 yards (5.4 ypc) with 12 TD runs with the Broncos.  Tebow was 8-6 (57.1%) as a starting QB for the Broncos during the regular season and he was 1-1 in the playoffs.  With Peyton Manning in tow for the 2012 season, it made perfect sense to deal Tim Tebow to the highest bidder.