Broncos Mailbag: Can Denver’s offensive line properly protect ? By Ryan O’Halloran The Denver Post July 25, 2018

Denver Post Broncos writer Ryan O’Halloran posts his Broncos Mailbag weekly during the season.

You can pose a Broncos- or NFL-related question for the Broncos Mailbag here. Follow Ryan for more daily updates on Twitter.

Hi Ryan, I’m a lifelong Broncos fan. I watched the Case Keenum took on the play before he launched the highlight reel pass to Stefan Diggs at the end of the Minnesota-New Orleans game which sent them to the NFC championship game. It indicates to me that his toughness, resilience, experience and smarts will make up for something less than a howitzer arm. It also suggests that much of his success will rely on a rock solid offensive line and our running game. Are we up to the task?

— John Macker, Santa Fe, N.M.

Ryan: Two good points, John. First, there is no question Keenum has the exhibited the toughness (he’ll stand tall in the pocket), resilience (he’s dealt with every setback by regrouping to sign with another team) and experience/smarts (knows when to leave the pocket to extend the play) during his career. But the important point is your second point. Can the Broncos protect Keenum? Yes, his mobility should lower the sack total from last year’s 52. But there are health questions at left guard (Ron Leary’s knee) and right tackle (Jared Veldheer’s foot) and a personnel issue at right guard (undetermined starter). How the group of five comes together in camp will be something to monitor and ultimately provide clues as to whether they are up to the task.

What will the Broncos’ record need to be to allow a return of after this season, and will that record need to reflect a return to the playoffs? What is your prediction for the Broncos this year?

— Max Million, Colorado Springs

Ryan: If the Broncos improve from 5-11 to a minimum 8-8, that should allow Joseph to stay for a third year. A .500 record won’t be good enough to make the AFC playoffs, though. If I had a pre-camp lean, I would say 9-7 because their schedule is favorable (they should start a minimum 4-1 if they’re any good) and their defense (I think it will be top-five). Nine wins should be good enough for a wild-card berth and maybe even a division title in the wide open AFC West.

Can sign more offensive linemen before the season starts? I don’t like some of the position coaches and I think the O-line is thin and needs more help. What do you think? Also, if Joseph only wins seven games, will Elway fire him? Bill Kollar or would make good head coaches for us.

— Gary Peer, Kansas City, Mo.

Ryan: At this time of the football calendar, the pickings for offensive linemen are particularly slim. All of the positions have been prioritized to the point that anybody who is healthy and good is on a roster. I would agree the offensive line depth leaves something to be desired, chiefly the replacements behind Veldheer and left tackle Garett Bolles. If the Broncos win only seven games, I would expect major changes and a part of that would not include promoting from within.

Hey Ryan! What do the Broncos have in the way of a contingency plan for the O-line when the inevitable injury bug comes? (e.g. who’s blocking for Case Keenum and Royce Freeman when one of our average-at- best first stringers goes down?) This feels like a recipe for disaster that would have, could have, should have been addressed in the draft.

— J.E. Aranda, Austin, Texas

Ryan: A lot of offensive line questions, and rightly so. Let’s go position-by-position in case of injury: Center, Connor McGovern would slide over from right guard. Right/left guard, if Max Garcia doesn’t win the right guard job, he would become the top backup in case Ron Leary isn’t available or McGovern is hurt or moves to center. Left/right tackle, this will be a camp story line. Who is the backup swing tackle? It might be Billy Turner. And I agree, it was surprising that the Broncos waited until late in Day 3 to take an offensive lineman.

Why did the Cardinals trade Jared Veldheer for only a sixth-round pick? Arizona has one of the worst lines in the league so it doesn’t make since that they would trade him for that little unless they had no confidence in him.

— Dan, Mesa, Ariz.

Ryan: A couple of reasons why the Cardinals traded Veldheer: He ended last year injured (foot); he was going to count $10.1 million on the salary cap; the Cardinals remain committed to D.J. Humphries at left tackle, where Veldheer played last year until his injury; and judging by the return, they would have likely cut Veldheer before the Broncos called.

Has anyone on the Broncos staff ever reached out to ‘s college coach (Justin Fuente, now at Virginia Tech) for suggestions on how to aid his development? Paxton was productive at Memphis and it seems his “QB Whisperer” coach may have some advice if asked. Lynch has certainly hasn’t performed to expectations.

— Rob, Seneca, S.C.

Ryan: I would be shocked if the Broncos did not have substantial conversations with Fuente in the lead up to the 2016 draft. Lynch was a terrific player at Memphis, but Conference USA or the American Athletic or whatever conference the Tigers play in these days is a different ballgame from the AFC West. position preview: Many issues for offensive line entering camp By Ryan O’Halloran The Denver Post July 25, 2018

Editor’s: One in a series looking at the position groups for the Broncos heading into training camp. Today: offensive line.

Broncos Bill Musgrave was likely prophetic during last month’s offseason program when he was asked about the importance of establishing a starting offensive line.

“An offensive line operates best when they can work together as a unit,” he said. “Right now, we’re not a unit and we’ll look forward to that day late in the summer.”

Musgrave is right — it won’t be early in training camp, which begins Friday.

But how late in the summer?

The Broncos aren’t ready to declare a starting right guard, should have concerns about left guard Ron Leary’s knee issues and will be cautiously optimistic about right tackle Jared Veldheer’s return from last December’s broken foot.

Instability at three of the five positions is not ideal, particularly because the Broncos spent only one of their 10 draft picks (sixth-round guard Sam Jones) on a lineman. They’re counting on their top guys to get and stay healthy and have faith in a bunch of backups who finished last year with the team.

If Leary and Veldheer make it through the preseason healthy, the Broncos should feel they have improved a group that was mostly to blame for allowing 52 sacks last year.

An ideal plan is to have the starting five set by the third preseason game at Washington on Aug. 24, at the latest.

“We have to come together,” center Matt Paradis said. “It takes all those reps playing with each other to get that unity and the cohesiveness so you’re not tripping over each other’s feet.”

The healthy starters entering camp are Paradis and left tackle Garett Bolles. Paradis, in the final year of his contract, has not missed a snap in three years as a starter.

“It’s been an exciting offseason because I haven’t been able to work out (until now) to build strength since (around) my sophomore year of college,” said Paradis, who had dual hip surgeries after the 2016 season.

Bolles enters his second year after starting every game in 2017. If he takes a big step forward, the Broncos feel left tackle will be solidified for several seasons.

And now for the uncertainty.

The Broncos have churned through right tackles since Orlando Franklin concluded his three-year run in 2013. Three starters in 2014, two apiece in 2015-16 and three last year.

Enter the 31-year old Veldheer, who started nine games at right tackle and four at left tackle for Arizona last year before sustaining a foot injury that required surgery and months of rehabilitation. He missed the entire offseason program.

“Issues or no issues (at right tackle), I want to be that guy no matter what,” Veldheer said.

Shortly after he was acquired for a sixth-round pick, Veldheer began mentoring Bolles.

“Him watching and telling me what to do and just cheering me on and pushing me (has been beneficial),” Bolles said. “A great mentor. I can learn from him.”

Max Garcia lined up at left guard next to Bolles last season and stayed there during the offseason program when Leary (last year’s right guard who has moved to the left side) was held out. Garcia wants a shot to compete at right guard with Connor McGovern and Menelik Watson, but that may be compromised if he has to play left guard if Leary is held out.

Of Leary, Bolles said: “I’m counting on him being next to me. I’m grateful I have a vet like that who is very consistent in what he does and is a great leader. I’m excited to learn from him and form something special on that left side for a long time.”

McGovern and Watson rotated first-team right guard snaps during the offseason program. Based on experience, McGovern, who started the final four games last sseason, would seem to be the favorite because Watson is playing guard for the first time as a pro.

Thursday: Special teams.

Denver Broncos offensive line No. Player Pos. Age Year Ht./Wt. College 60 Connor McGovern G/C 25 3rd 6-4/306 Missouri 2017 team: Broncos Signed through 2019 Cap number: $695,975 Expected to compete for starting right guard spot with Menelik Watson and possibly Max Garcia.

61 Matt Paradis C 28 4th 6-3/300 Boise State 2017 team: Broncos Signed through Cap number: $ Former sixth-round pick spent 2014 on and did not miss a snap from 2015-17.

63 Leon Johnson T 23 R 6-6/300 Temple 2017 team: Temple Signed through 2020 Cap number: $483,333 Started 10 games at LT, 20 at RT and one at LG in college career so versatility is a plus.

64 J.J. Dielman G 24 2nd 6-5/309 Utah 2017 team: Broncos Signed through 2018 Cap number: $562,500 Fifth-round pick by Bengals was cut by Cincinnati and Rams before landing with Broncos in December.

65 Ron Leary G 29 7th 6-3/320 Memphis 2017 team: Broncos Signed through 2020 Cap number: $8,796,875 The right guard last year, expected to start at left guard this year. Missed OTA/minicamp (knee).

66 Jared Veldheer T 31 9th 6-8/321 Hillsdale 2017 team: Arizona Signed through 2018 Cap number: $6,906,250 Ninety-one of his 101 starts have been at LT, but will start at RT. Missed offseason program (foot).

68 Elijah Wilkinson T 23 2nd 6-6/329 Massachusetts 2017 team: Broncos Signed through 2018 Cap number: $555,000 Played in nine games last year (no starts). Started 33 college games at right tackle.

70 Sam Jones G 22 R 6-5/290 Arizona State 2017 team: Arizona State Signed through 2021 Cap number: $522,139 Highlands Ranch native was sixth-round pick. Started 25 games in college, mostly at LG.

71 Austin Schlottmann G 22 R 6-6/300 SMU 2017 team: SMU Signed through 2020 Cap number: $481,666 Undrafted free agent started eight games at C and six at RG last year. Twenty-nine college starts.

72 Garett Bolles T 26 2nd 6-5/300 Utah 2017 team: Broncos Signed through 2020 Cap number: $2,507,303 Will start at left tackle and figures to benefit from having Leary at left guard. Started every game in ’17.

73 Andreas Knappe T 27 1st 6-8/315 Connecticut 2017 team: Indianapolis Signed through 2018 Cap number: $480,000 Spent last year on practice squads in Washington and Indianapolis. Started 32 college games at RT.

74 Jeremiah Poutasi T 23 3rd 6-5/330 Utah 2017 team: L.A. Rams Signed through 2018 Cap number: $630,000 A third-round pick just three years ago, the Broncos are already his fourth NFL team (eight starts).

75 Menelik Watson G 29 6th 6-5/315 Florida 2017 team: Broncos Signed through 2019 Cap number: $7,177,083 Started seven games at RT before foot injury. Worked at RG during offseason program.

76 Max Garcia G 26 4th 6-4/309 Florida 2017 team: Broncos Signed through 2018 Cap number: $1,993,422 Starting LG last two years, could slide over to RG competition if Leary is healthy and plays LG.

77 Billy Turner G/T 26 5th 6-5/310 North Dakota 2017 team: Broncos Signed through 2018 Cap number: $2,000,000 Limited to one game in ’17 (hand). Could be an option as swing man who can play tackle and guard.

79 Cyrus Kouandjio T 25 5th 6-7/325 Alabama 2017 team: Broncos Signed through 2018 Cap number: $790,000 Former second-round pick of Buffalo (’13), joined Broncos last November and started one game at RT. Broncos’ Bradley Chubb explains approach to endorsement opportunities By Kyle Frederickson The Denver Post July 25, 2018

Bradley Chubb sat before an audience of roughly 200 on Monday night in a Denver Athletic Club ballroom, and if the Broncos’ No. 5 overall NFL draft pick needed reminding he was no longer bound to financially restrictive NCAA bylaws, this was it.

Printed on large wall banners and small table placards across the space were smiling photos of Chubb holding a football above a message: “The Future Is Now.” The private speaking engagement was part of an endorsement deal for a company that just so happens to bear his same name — Chubb Insurance (no relation) — which represents the world’s largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance group.

The partnership developed soon after Chubb signed with his agent, Erik Burkhardt of Select Sports Group, in late December.

Bradley and his cousin, , now a running back, joined together in pairing their football success and family values with those of the company. Chubb Insurance documented it all in a six- part video series leading up to the draft.

Its one of seven “major endorsements” Chubb has signed, Burkhardt told The Denver Post. That includes a deal with Old Spice, Chubb posted on Twitter in April, opening the door for advertising pairings with edge-rushing teammate Von Miller for even more commercial hilarity.

“They’re successful and I’m trying to be successful,” Chubb said. “So I feel like if you want to be successful, you’ve got to have successful people around you.”

Chubb, who turned 22 last month, signed a four-year, $27.2 million contract with the Broncos and is well aware others in his position have squandered similar fortunes — like former Broncos’ second-round pick Clinton Portis, who racked up $5 million in debt after a nine-year NFL career.

“Bradley’s focus will obviously be on football and being he best player he can be to help the Broncos win games,” Burkhardt said.

“We will be extremely selective on off the field opportunities during the season and only do those which are not major time commitments, as he plans to essentially live at the facility during the season.”

Chubb said he has not yet hired a financial adviser, but plans to in the future. For now, he relies mostly on the guidance of Burkhardt, Chubb’s NFL linebacker brother Brandon Chubb (Lions), and their parents, Aaron and Stacey.

“My mom and dad, for sure,” Chubb said. “If they know where my money is, I’m never going broke. They’ll never let me spend that much.”

The NFL has also taken steps to better financially educate its rookies to allow Chubb and others the right tools to make smart decisions with their newfound bank account digits.

“We had speakers come in all throughout OTAs and mini-camp for like two or three weeks straight,” Chubb said. “Just talking to us about different things and stuff you wouldn’t ever really think about down the line like 401Ks. It’s definitely been beneficial.” Broncos Training Camp Preview: Rookies add depth to inside linebackers Marshall, Davis By Mike Klis 9 News July 25, 2018

Peyton Manning hasn’t been the only transitional piece from the 50.

In the Broncos’ 3-4 defense, never have they had a more athletic group of inside linebackers than they did in 2015.

Starter Brandon Marshall: Athlete with some thump. Starter : Athlete with great thump. No. 3 backer Corey Nelson: Athlete. No. 4 backer Todd Davis: Big-time thump with some athleticism.

Either Marshall (2014, 2015, 2017), Davis (2016) or Trevathan (2013) have led the Broncos in tackles each of the past five years.

Marshall and Davis are still around and starting but Trevathan and Nelson left for free agency. The Broncos set out to replace them in the draft this year by taking Josey Jewell in the fourth round and Keishawn Bierria in the sixth.

Zaire Anderson, the Broncos’ No. 4 linebacker the past two years, will likely have to beat out Bierria, Jerrol Garcia-Williams and Joe Jones for a roster spot this year.

“We’re all hungry, we all play hard, and we all play fast,’’ Marshall said. “And we’re very football smart. And we tackle.’’

With the Broncos holding their first training camp practice Saturday morning at UCHealth Training Center, 9NEWS continues its positional previous with a look today at the team’s inside linebackers.

Overview: Skill-set wise, Jewell is more of a Mike linebacker like Davis and Bierria is more a Mo (or weakside) linebacker like Marshall.

Yet in a peculiar move halfway through the offseason, Jewell moved to the Mo to back up Marshall and Bierria moved to Mike to play behind Davis.

Strength: On the surface there is money. Marshall ($5 million) and Davis ($6 million) will make a combined $11 million this season. In reserve, there is youth with Jewell and Bierria.

When a quality back up like Anderson has to compete for a roster spot, it speaks to better all-around depth.

Question mark: After Marshall, covering tight ends and running backs has been a sore spot for Broncos inside linebackers. Jewell ran just a 4.82-second 40 at the NFL Combine, although he improved to 4.68 at Iowa’s Pro Day.

Pro Bowl material: None of the current Broncos inside linebackers have been selected to a , although Marshall was deserving in 2015. His play that season did earn him a four-year, $32 million extension.

Sleeper: Bierria. He is undersized at 6-foot, 230, and he only ran a 4.79-second 40 at the combine (4.74 at his Washington Pro Day). But he is a smart, instinctive player with tremendous leadership characteristics. The Broncos will want to keep him in their locker room, whether on the 53-man roster or practice squad. Broncos, Chubb escape top pick holdout drama By Mike Klis 9 News July 25, 2018

All eyes are on power agency CAA and the Mills’ father-son duo this week.

And CAA (Creative Artists Agency) is among those watching the Mills’, who have the top guy.

With all teams reporting to training camp this week, five of the top 8 draft picks are unsigned. CAA has four of them: Jets’ Sam Darnold, the No. 3 pick; Browns’ cornerback and No. 4 selection ; No. 7 Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen; and No. 8 Bears’ linebacker Roquan Smith.

There are a whopping nine agents spread under the CAA umbrella who are listed as representatives for at least one those four draft picks: Tom Condon, James Denton, Jimmy Sexton, Todd France, Reggie Gonser, Brian Ayrault, Pat Collins, Ben Renzin and Tory Dandy.

Tom and Jack Mills have the No. 1 pick, Browns’ quarterback .

With signing bonuses and overall contract value already known for all five players, the two primary negotiating points are offset language and bonus payout schedule.

Start with the payout schedule. The Broncos, for instance, are giving a $17,913,628 signing bonus to No. 5 pick Bradley Chubb. He got $11,463,628 within two weeks of signing, or by July 4. He gets another $2.5 million payment on August 15, then a final $3.95 million payment on March 15 of next year.

That Chubb got 64 percent of his signing bonus upfront, rather than the customary 50 percent, is a pretty good deal. The wait till March 15 for the final payment may be a few days longer than other top-5 picks, but perhaps that was the tradeoff for the larger initial payment.

The greater negotiating issue, though, is offset language. The CAA group is waiting to see if the Browns drop the fourth-year offset language from Mayfield’s contract. This would allow Mayfield to -dip his salary in the highly unlikely event he gets cut prior to year 4: The salary that would be owed him by the Browns, plus the salary he would get with his next team.

A few players have had this offset language dropped, namely the top two picks in the 2016 draft, and Carson Wentz, and the No. 4 pick last year, Leonard Fournette.

Joey Bosa, the No. 3 pick in the 2016, held out from the Chargers’ camp in an unsuccessful attempt to get his offset language dropped.

So far this year, the Giants’ No. 2 pick Saquon Barkley, the Broncos with Chubb at No. 5, and Colts’ No. 6 pick Quenton Nelson did not have their offset language dropped from year 4 of their deals.

And so far, the Browns aren’t budging and their entire team reports to training camp Wednesday.

Will Mayfield and Ward report? (Update: Mayfield decided against holding out for offset language. He basically informed Mills, 'let's play ball.' Mayfield and the Browns agreed on a four-year, $32.68 million fully guaranteed deal Tuesday evening that includes a $21.85 million signing bonus. He will report for the first day of training camp Wednesday).

The Jets and Bills report Thursday, but maybe not Darnold or Allen.

Smith has already been a holdout from the Bears’ camp, which started early because they are playing in the Hall of Fame game on Aug. 2.

So with possible holdout intrigue involving the bulk of the top 8 picks this week, the Broncos have escaped such distraction. Chubb is signed and began working Day 1 Tuesday when rookies reported to training camp to become the team's starting outside linebacker opposite Von Miller.

Broncos Training Camp Preview: Safety position is strong By Mike Klis 9 News July 25, 2018

This year’s Broncos are as stacked at safety as they are thin at cornerback.

The cornerback position has questions after Chris Harris Jr. and Bradley Roby.

The safety position has Justin Simmons, , Su’a Cravens, Will Parks and Jamaal Carter.

It was the acquisition of Cravens from Washington that presented the Broncos with a surplus.

“I think bringing in Su’a just gives us another level of our defense that we can totally explore into,’’ Simmons said last month.

Cravens is expected to primarily play the dime linebacker position that was mostly filled by his good friend Parks.

“Will and I have been competing since high school,’’ Cravens said at his introductory press conference in in April. “It’s going to be a healthy competition. It doesn’t matter if he’s on the field, if I’m on the field or whoever’s on the field, as long as we’re winning.”

With the Broncos holding their first training camp practice Saturday morning at their UCHealth Training headquarters, 9NEWS looks at the team’s safety position:

Overview: Stewart and Simmons are the starters, but Cravens should play about 40 percent of the snaps. Parks, who played in all 16 games last year and 37 percent of the defensive snaps, may wind up as one of the league’s best No. 4 safeties. Carter was a premium undrafted free agent rookie last year who is also a box safety.

Strength: The position is loaded with strong safety types. Simmons broke out in year 2 last season not only as a starter, but a playmaker and rangy tackler.

Question mark: Although the so-called No Fly Zone ranked No. 4 in the league in allowing just 200.6 passing yards a game, it also allowed 29 passes, which ranked 28th. Nine of those touchdown passes were for at least 28 yards.

Pro Bowl material: Stewart was a Pro Bowler in 2016. Simmons has the type of well-rounded game that would receive national recognition – provided the Broncos become a relevant team again.

Sleeper: Dymonte Thomas. An undrafted rookie out of Michigan last year, he opened eyes with a 58-yard pick six against Arizona in the final preseason game. After spending most of last season on the Broncos’ practice squad, he was active for the final three games in place of the injured Simmons and had five tackles in the finale against Kansas City. The Broncos were also impressed during the offseason by Trey Marshall, an undrafted rookie from Florida State.

Broncos -game tickets on sale Wednesday By Alexander Kirk 9 News July 25, 2018

Denver Broncos tickets for individual games go on sale Wednesday, July 25 at 10 a.m.

All tickets will be available through Ticketmaster at Ticketmaster.com. There will be a limit of four tickets per household.

Tickets will be available at a variety of price levels including full-price tickets, half-price tickets, ADA tickets and club seat tickets, all which will go on sale at the same time.

In compliance with an agreement with the Metropolitan Football Stadium District upon the construction of Broncos Stadium at Mile High, 2,000 half-price tickets per game will be available for all games.

The team warns that tickets will go fast: the Broncos have sold out 373 consecutive regular-season games dating back to 1970.

New for 2018, the Broncos will transition to all-mobile ticketing. Fans will access their tickets through the free Broncos 365 app.

The Broncos will open training camp on Saturday, July 28 at UCHealth Training Center. The first home preseason game is Saturday, August 11 vs. Minnesota. If Case Keenum and Von Miller go big, so will Broncos By Jeff Legwold ESPN July 25, 2018

The Denver Broncos open training camp on July 28 at the UC Health Center in Englewood, Colorado. Here's a closer look at the Broncos' camp:

Top storyline: The Broncos' ability to rebound from last season's 5-11 finish will hinge on two questions: Is quarterback Case Keenum the solution, and has the team done enough on defense to take full advantage of Von Miller in his prime? Keenum was the centerpiece of the Broncos' work in free agency, and the team's decision-makers believe his career-best season with the Vikings last year (3,547 passing yards and 22 ) will not be an anomaly. On defense, first-round pick Bradley Chubb has the potential to be the kind of pass-rusher who can absorb some of the almost constant attention offenses direct at Miller.

QB depth chart: From the moment Broncos general manager John Elway announced Keenum was the team's "top choice" among the available in free agency, Keenum has been the starter. That leaves any intrigue at the position, for the first time since 's retirement, with the No. 2 spot. Paxton Lynch is a former first-round pick who lost back-to-back training camp battles with . He now finds himself trying to fight off for the No. 2 job. Kelly was the final pick of the 2017 draft and spent his rookie season on injured reserve. And if the Broncos don't see everything they need to from Lynch and Kelly, there is always a possibility they bring in someone with more experience at some point.

Bubble watch: Wide receiver, where the Broncos have used four combined picks in the past two drafts, is suddenly a crowded position. Rookies Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton can work themselves into backup roles behind and if they keep their offseason momentum. Jordan Taylor's work in the return game as well as his reliable hands on offense makes five receivers. That could put either Carlos Henderson or Isaiah McKenzie -- both 2017 draft picks -- on the roster bubble.

This rookie could start: Not could -- will start. And that's outside linebacker Bradley Chubb. The Broncos have big plans for Chubb, who was the No. 5 overall pick in this past April's draft. Chubb was already trending toward the starting lineup with his combination of size, athleticism and technique before Shane Ray continued to seek medical opinions about his injured wrist.

Rookie rebound: After back-to-back rookie classes that had minimal impact, the Broncos are poised to see several first-year players carve out significant roles in the season to come. Start with Chubb, Sutton, Hamilton and running back Royce Freeman, all of whom were either working with the starters or the second team regularly during the Broncos' organized team activities and minicamp. Freeman, a 239- pound back with 4.5 speed, has shown quality vision and footwork during non-contact work. If that form holds true during training camp and the preseason, he will push Devontae Booker to be the team's lead back. Freeman has also shown quality hands in the passing game, so he has the potential to get playing time on third down and other longer-yardage situations. Linebacker Josey Jewell is another player in the team's rookie class who could carve out some playing time.

Big shoes to fill: Few players, other than Keenum of course, will carry more pressure to replace a starter from last season than Bradley Roby. A big reason the Broncos traded Aqib Talib to the Rams in the offseason was they believed Roby was ready to move from defensive regular to full-time starter. Or as cornerback Chris Harris Jr. put it "the difference between 600 plays and a thousand plays ... it's what you do on those other 400 that will show if you're ready for that." Talib was named to four Pro Bowls during his four seasons with the Broncos and often found himself locked up on the opposition's best receiver, especially if it was one of the bigger wideouts in the league. Roby has been an opportunistic playmaker -- he has three career touchdowns off turnovers -- but now has to be a consistent presence in a defense that expects to be one of the league's best. What will Bill Musgrave’s offense look like in Denver? By Tyler Polumbus The Athletic (Special to the Athletic) July 25, 2018

Think 20 years of West Coast background blended with a Chip Kelly fast-break offense. That’s what Broncos fans will be seeing this year with Bill Musgrave as offensive coordinator.

Musgrave’s coaching career is steeped in the and has featured many concepts and wide-zone running styles that were used often under former Broncos coaches and . But after a year of working with Kelly (2014) as the Eagles’ quarterbacks’ coach, Musgrave also saw the benefits of simplicity and a higher tempo.

One of the biggest misnomers about Kelly is that his offense was innovative. The innovation was the speed at which they played, not the X’s and O’s. Kelly’s Eagles ran the same 10-12 concepts throughout the season, but they became good at what they did and they did it faster than anyone else ever had.

Although he did not run many plays, the plays he did run had many options. The run-pass option (RPO) was a significant piece of it, and has since become a big piece of many teams’ playbooks. On any given play, three things could happen and it all began by reading an unblocked backside defensive end.

1. If the defensive end attacked the quarterback he would hand it off to the running back.

2. If the defensive end crashed down the line, the QB kept the ball and took advantage of that vacated space.

3. If the QB kept the ball and the corner tried to close on him, the pass option came into play and the QB would dump it over his head to a wide-open wide receiver.

It was very easy to game plan against their offense, but very difficult to defend in the first year because nobody had ever played with that kind of speed. Defenses would eventually figure them out, though. Consider: In Kelly’s first season in Philadelphia, 2013, the Eagles ranked second behind the Broncos with 417.3 yards per game, led the league with an average of 160.4 rushing yards and finished fourth with 27.6 points per game. By 2015, their rankings dropped to 12th, 14th and 13th, respectively.

Musgrave became the Raiders’ offensive coordinator in 2015 and immediately transformed and Oakland’s offense into something special. Carr played at the line of scrimmage without huddling. The Raiders ran simple offensive concepts, but blended them with more complex routes from the West Coast tree. Carr’s completion percentage jumped from 58.1 percent in 2014 to 63.8 percent in 2016 because of the easy routes he was throwing and the fast pace of the routes.

Mugrave figures to install something similar in Denver. The Broncos were already using a no-huddle offense throughout the offseason. Case Keenum is staying at the line of scrimmage and Musgrave will allow him the freedom to get into the right play at the right time whenever he wants.

But while he may employ the speed of a Kelly offense, Musgrave likely will use more complex routes, drawing from his West Coast background. Do not fear, lovers of the wide-zone running game (that’s me): We will still see plenty of it, along with QB rollouts.

As for the RPOs, Musgrave will call some because they are valuable plays and they keep a defense honest. According to Pro Football Focus, RPOs last year gained 5.01 yards per play, a significant jump from the 3.95 yards per carry on handoffs with no option look.

But it is unlikely Musgrave will run RPOs anywhere near as often as Kelly did. Keenum is no .

Like Carr, Keenum will probably have a very high completion percentage because of the shorter routes that Musgrave relied on heavily in Oakland. But he should have plenty of explosive plays as well. That’s the crux of the system: wear down a defense physically with tempo and simplicity, then take it over the top once the defense starts thinking about its next breath more than what play is likely to come next.

Some NFL coaches, including the Broncos' Vance Joseph, already are on hot seat in July By STAFF Associated Press July 25, 2018

The NFL season doesn't start for another six weeks and already job security is an issue for some coaches.

Yes, even in late July.

Every season, teams that entered with low expectations show significant improvement and make unexpected deep postseason runs. Last season, Jacksonville with coach Doug Marrone went to the AFC championship game and held a late lead at New England before Tom Brady rallied the Patriots. And, of course, the Eagles and coach Doug Pederson, despite losing Carson Wentz to a torn ACL, beat Brady and Bill Belichick in the Super Bowl.

There's always pressure on NFL coaches to win. And win now.

Here are a few who enter the 2018 season on the hot seat:

VANCE JOSEPH (5-11)

Only entering his second season, Joseph's Denver debut was a dud at 5-11 — an avalanche of disappointment by Broncos standards, especially so closely removed from a Super Bowl title.

In an attempt to stabilize the QB position that's been troublesome since Peyton Manning retired, the team signed Case Keenum, who led the Vikings to the NFC championship game last season. Joseph needs big production from Keenum and the rest of the offense to support an overworked defense.

JASON GARRETT (67-53, 1-2 in playoffs)

There's always pressure on the head coach of the , especially with Jerry Jones as owner. The franchise that has won five Super Bowls has not advanced past the divisional round of the playoffs since the 1995 season, the last year it won the NFL title. Garrett has 67 regular-season wins since taking over in the 2010 season. He has had only one losing season as head coach. However, he has reached the postseason only twice and won one game in the playoffs.

The Cowboys were 13-3 two seasons ago and will be expected to be in playoff contention with a full season of quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott. But the Super Bowl champion Eagles are in their way in the NFC East.

HUE JACKSON (9-39)

Jackson has one win — one — in two seasons in Cleveland; the other eight came as head coach of the Raiders in 2011. The Browns beat the then-San Diego Chargers in overtime in Week 16 of the 2016 season. Otherwise they'd be looking at consecutive 0-16 seasons.

The team also has to find a way to replace longtime star left tackle Joe Thomas.

The Browns hold the NFL's longest active playoff drought at 15 seasons and fans don't really trust this process. Jackson, a highly regarded offensive coordinator in Cincinnati, is counting on top overall draft pick Baker Mayfield being the team's longtime answer at quarterback. The challenge for Jackson and the Browns is going against the rugged defenses and Super Bowl-winning QBs in Pittsburgh and Baltimore in the AFC North.

TODD BOWLES (22-29)

Life in the AFC East having to deal with the never-ending juggernaut in New England is almost unfair. Facing Brady and Belichick twice every season is not good for any opposing head coach's job security.

Bowles, who received a two-year extension after the 2017 season, is coming off consecutive 5-11 records and has yet to make the playoffs entering his fourth season. Overall, the Jets have failed to reach the postseason for the past seven years.

The Jets have to decide on their starting quarterback — Josh McCown, or first-round draft pick Sam Darnold — and need to show progress in 2018.

JAY GRUDEN (28-35-1, 0-1 playoffs)

Job security in DC is always an issue. But Gruden will set the record for the longest-serving coach (65 games) since Dan Snyder took over as owner in 1999 in Week 1 of the upcoming season against Arizona.

Gruden has made the playoffs once in his first four years and lost to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in the wild-card game after the 2015 season.

Gruden's biggest challenge could be at quarterback after signed with Minnesota. The team traded for , and the comparisons at the position in the NFC East can be daunting: Dak Prescott, Eli Manning and Carson Wentz — not to mention Super Bowl MVP . As with Garrett in Dallas, Gruden also has to contend with the champs in his division.

And there will be comparisons to Jay Gruden's Super Bowl-winning brother, Jon, who has returned to coaching with the Oakland Raiders.

DIRK KOETTER (14-18)

Koetter will enter his third season in Tampa Bay without starting quarterback Jameis Winston, who will miss the first three games while suspended for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy after a league investigation of an accusation that the 2013 winner groped a female Uber driver during a ride in Arizona in March 2016.

Koetter also is in a division with two teams with recent Super Bowl appearances (Carolina, Atlanta), and getting past them and the in the NFC South, especially with making three starts for Tampa Bay, will be tough.

Pick 6: Unheralded rookies who could make a big difference By Simmi Buttar Associated Press July 25, 2018

Baker Mayfield, Saquon Barkley and Sam Darnold.

The top three picks in the most recent NFL draft are all expected to make a major impact in 2018, assuming of course Mayfield (Cleveland) and Darnold (Jets) earn the starting jobs.

But often it's the unheralded rookies that can make a real difference.

Recent examples are the Cowboys' Dak Prescott (fourth-rounder in 2016) and the Saints' Alvin Kamara (third-rounder in 2017). Both paid major dividends and won Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Here are a few under-the-radar rookies to look for in the 2018 season:

DUKE DAWSON, PATRIOTS

New England grabbed the Florida cornerback late in the second round to possibly fill the spot left by Malcolm Butler, who inexplicably missed virtually the entire Super Bowl loss to the Eagles as Nick Foles had 373 yards passing and threw for three touchdowns (and caught a memorable one) on his way to being the MVP.

Butler signed with the Titans in the offseason, and Dawson could see significant playing time — if he can grasp Bill Belichick's defense.

Dawson led the Gators with four last season. Would it surprise anyone if he made a key in a big game for New England?

MASON RUDOLPH, STEELERS

Pittsburgh traded up to select Rudolph with the 76th overall pick, the highest the organization has taken a quarterback since making Ben Roethlisberger the 11th overall selection in 2004.

In a radio appearance shortly after the draft, Roethlisberger expressed surprise, asking why Pittsburgh used a third-round pick on a quarterback when there were players at other positions who could make a more immediate impact.

Rudolph's main competition to win the backup job to the 36-year-old Roethlisberger is Oklahoma's Landry Jones.

"We valued (Rudolph) as much as the rest of the quarterbacks that were drafted (in the first round)," Steelers GM Kevin Colbert said after the selection.

MAURICE HURST, RAIDERS

New Oakland defensive coordinator Paul Guenther will make use of the fifth-rounder from Michigan, who was taken to help bolster what has been a struggling pass rush.

Hurst had 5½ sacks as an interior rusher. He slipped to the fifth round because of concern over a heart condition that got him sent home from the NFL combine.

Hurst said it was something he has dealt with for a long time and hadn't impacted him on the field. He said he has been cleared by doctors at Harvard and Michigan, but that didn't prevent every team passing on a player projected as a first-round talent until the Raiders got him at 140th overall.

If his health issues subside, Hurst can team with star to help fix a defense that has been a sore spot.

HAROLD LANDRY, TITANS

The Titans had only four draft picks and took the Boston College linebacker in the second round.

New head coach Mike Vrabel, a big-play linebacker in New England, and new coordinator Dean Pees are looking to get younger in the heart of the defense; veterans Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan are heading into the final year of their contracts. Landry ranked second in school history with 26 sacks and second with 47½ tackles for loss.

Landry was rated as a potential first-rounder before being shut down with an ankle injury during his last year in college.

"We felt like we got a first-round-caliber player that for whatever reason slipped into the second round," general manager Jon Robinson said during the draft.

ROYCE FREEMAN, BRONCOS

After a 5-11 season and a last-place finish in the AFC West, the Broncos retooled and added Freeman in the third round from Oregon. He could make an immediate impact in a backfield that lacks a runner who has ever had a 100-yard game in the NFL.

General manager John Elway said in April he's a "big banger that we haven't had for a while."

Freeman played all four seasons with the Ducks and had a Pac-12-record 60 touchdowns as part of a big workload with 947 carries.

"It is not often you get backs playing as many games or taking as many carries," Freeman said during OTAs. "I feel like the fact that I was able to do so proves I am a durable running back."

DANTE PETTIS, 49ERS

With quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo signed to a long-term deal, the 49ers needed to upgrade the offense and took the wide receiver in the second round.

Pettis caught 63 passes for 761 yards and seven TDs last season for Washington. He has experience playing outside and in the slot and provides another deep threat in coach Kyle Shanahan's offense for Garoppolo.

Pettis set an NCAA record with nine punt returns for touchdowns, averaging 14.2 yards on 90 returns at Washington.

He is the son of former player Gary Pettis and the cousin of former NFL receiver Austin Pettis. Gary Pettis is the third base coach for the World Series champion . Mike Brown: Trump tweets have inflamed NFL's anthem issue By Joe Kay Associated Press July 25, 2018

Bengals owner Mike Brown says President Donald Trump's numerous tweets attacking NFL players for kneeling during the national anthem have prolonged the issue, which he sees as one of the league's biggest distractions.

Brown noted at the team's annual preseason luncheon Tuesday that the NFL and the players' union are trying to develop an anthem policy that will hopefully please not only owners and players, but fans and the president, too. He said the president's tweets have worked against finding a resolution to the issue.

"I think that worked against us," Brown said. "I think it stirred the pot, it got people looking at it unfavorably, and he has worked that issue for, I suppose, political reasons. It is what it is. It's beyond my pay grade."

Trump has attacked the NFL and players who protested social injustice by kneeling during the "Star Spangled Banner." The league adopted a policy in May that would fine clubs if their players protest on the field, but gave them the option to stay in the locker room during the anthem.

The issue flared again last week when the Miami Dolphins developed a policy that would leave players subject to suspensions, prompting the NFL to try to find a solution with the players' union. Trump tweeted again that players should be suspended for kneeling, and he challenged Commissioner Roger Goodell to make a stand.

Brown said he's seen Trump only once in person. They were in the same courtroom in the 1980s when Trump — then owner of the USFL's New Jersey Generals — sued the NFL.

"Unlike some of the (NFL) owners you read about in the newspaper, I have never met Donald Trump," Brown said.

Brown said he considered implementing an anthem policy for the Bengals before the league and the union decided to try for a joint resolution last week.

"Yes, I have thoughts on it," Brown said. "Yes, we had ways of handling it. I'm not so sure that wasn't pretty good, at least compared to others. But that's as much as I'm going to say about this, and let's get on to something else."

Brown's team also is involved in a grievance filed on behalf of free agent safety Eric Reid, who met with the Bengals but wasn't offered a contract. Brown reportedly asked Reid during their visit whether he would continue to kneel during the anthem.

The grievance claims that Reid wasn't signed by any team because of his anthem protests. Brown said he was scheduled to meet with the team's lawyers on Wednesday to discuss the case. He was surprised it quickly became an issue.

"It was a quick-forming thunderhead," Brown said. "I didn't expect it."

Brown is disappointed that the debate over anthem protests has lingered into another season.

"It should never have developed into the issue it has," he said. "Yes, it bothers me that we sit here today talking about the anthem issue."

The Bengals open camp this week coming off a second straight losing season. They haven't won a playoff game since the 1990 season, the sixth-longest streak of postseason futility in NFL history. Brown chose to bring back coach Marvin Lewis for a 16th season even though he has an NFL-record 0-7 in the playoffs.

Brown said he's concerned not only about his team's challenges but also the challenges that the NFL faces with the focus on concussions and pregame protests.

"We have distractions," Brown said. "We have to get beyond them. We have to get beyond the anthem issue. We have to get beyond the concussion issue. There are other things. We're about football. That's what fans want. And this other stuff turns off everybody. We have to get away from it somehow, and it's a challenge for us to do that."

Denver Broncos rebuild starts with rookies By Woody Paige Colorado Springs Gazette July 25, 2018

It seems like just 207 days ago the Broncos finished their 2017 season.

To all those who have moaned persistently “I can’t wait until training camp starts” (although, empirically, they would have to wait), the rooks reported to Dove Valley Tuesday afternoon, and the vets skip in Friday. The first practice is Saturday.

Begin the beguine.

The Broncos will be attempting to bounce back from a reprehensible 5-11 record.

However, Sports Illustrated predicted on Tuesday the Broncos will end up 4-12.

The franchise does possess the NFL record for longest span without back-to-back losing seasons. The Broncos were 4-9-1 and 5-9 in 1971-72.

However, If SI is accurate, Vance Joseph would end that streak and coach consecutive teams almost as repugnant as the duplicate 2-11-1 low-water Broncos of 1963-64. If Joseph and the Broncos do improve to 8-8, as some speculate, it will be Denver’s ninth .500 season since 1980.

And heads would roll. The head coach, the head of the offense and the head of the defense.

So, these 10 draft picks and nine undrafted free agents — who will work out this weekend with vim and vigor, and Von — are projected to aid the Broncos’ resurgence. The Class of ’18 must be more like the group of eight from the 2016 draft, which has produced eight sometime starters (counting, reluctantly, Paxton Lynch) and less like the Classless of ’17 — with only one starter (Garett Bolles) and a bunch of entitled millennials.

In fact, the Broncos should have been permitted by the league to welcome seven players from last season to the camp Tuesday. Carlos Henderson, Jake Butt and Chad Kelly didn’t spit a drop in a business situation a year ago, and Isaiah McKenzie shouldn’t have. DeMarcus Walker was miscast all season; De’Angelo Henderson carried only seven times; Brendan Langley was a man of mystery, and Chad Kelly wore a red shirt. It was rather startling (and sad) that in one game only Bolles was active from the eight players drafted.

Demaryius Thomas is the only one standing from the pre-John Elway era, and he is the longest-tenured player approaching his ninth season.

Von Miller and Derek Wolfe are the last of the 2011-12-13 drafts. Bradley Roby, Matt Paradis, Shane Ray, Jeff Heuerman and Max Garcia remain from the 2014-2015 drafts.

Remarkably — despite defections in free agency, cuts of terrible choices, injuries and Lynch’s failure to ascend — 13 players Elway drafted, and two undrafted free agents signed by the Broncos, could start the opening game Sept. 9 against the Seahawks. That’s a Steelers-Packers kind of number.

Is youth a good omen or a bad sign in a — dare I utter it — rebuilding season?

Depends on expeditious and efficient development of players born in the 1990s — and 47 likely will be on the 53-man roster.

At least six of the ’17 draft picks should be serious contributors this year. If not, they’ll get the Cody Latimer Award. Just one, Butt, will start. McKenzie, bless his heart, will have to take his talent to South Beach.

Only one of the 10 ’18 draft selections could be a September starter, although Chubb certainly will be involved in at least half the plays on defense and should be a viable candidate for defensive rookie of the year. Another five will play often in group packages, and nine will appear on special teams.

Wide receivers Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton are being tutored to replace Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders eventually, and Hamilton could get more playing time than Sutton because he is a slot receiver option. Josey Jewell will get work at inside linebacker, but not on passing downs. Isaac Yiadom is the next Justin Simmons in the future secondary, but will participate in dime defenses this year.

Troy Fumagalli will surprise some transplanted “experts’’ in the media. He’ll be the second tight end by midseason. Sam Jones will stay as the ninth offensive lineman because he can play three positions, and Keishawn Bierria can make the final roster if he is a special teams specialist.

Royce Freeman will take over at running back because he fits the Bill Musgrave/Gary Kubiak system and is superior to Devontae “3-yards-and-a-thump’’ Booker.

In 158 days, everyone will know about all about these rooks and the Broncos’ season.

Coach's Corner: Wisconsin TE coach Mickey Turner on Troy Fumagalli By Aric DiLalla DenverBroncos.com July 25, 2018

As the Broncos head toward training camp, DenverBroncos.com is taking a detailed look at several members of this year’s rookie class. And aside from Denver’s coaching staff, who better to call than their college coaches? These players honed their techniques while at school, and their coaches know better than most what to expect from these rookies.

The series concludes with Wisconsin tight ends coach Mickey Turner, who reflected on Troy Fumagalli.

Aric DiLalla: As Troy's former , how would you describe his game?

Mickey Turner: I think he’s pretty well-rounded and the kind of guy that’s not going to be one-dimensional and overpower you with just one part of his game. You’ve got to be ready for a lot of different things. I think it helps balance out an offense. If you’re a defensive coach, you know if he’s on the field, they’ve got most of their menu available. It’s not, “OK, here comes a receiving guy, here comes the blocking guy.” With Troy, you hope that he develops into what he did in college, where he can do a little bit of everything and keep you balanced as an offense.

AD: Where does his game need to get better for him to succeed at this level?

MT: I think, like most rookies coming in, just the size and speed of the game will be a learning curve. He’s got to put on some mass. At [the college] level, he was plenty big and strong enough. At the next level, he’ll need to continue to develop physically, strength-wise. Mentally, I think he’s pretty far along. He understands the game well. He’ll push himself. You don’t have to worry about those things. Just getting into a rhythm with practice and understanding the tempo the game moves at that level will be something new.

AD: Have you talked to him at all about what it will be like to go from [Wisconsin] head coach Paul Chryst to [Broncos Tight End Coach] Geep Chryst?

MT: Just here and there. More jokingly. But he said he sees a ton of similarities between the two of them. They’re very football-minded guys, where every little detail — if it’s a way to help you — they’re going to use it. Troy eats that stuff up. He’ll love being coached to a high standard. He won’t miss a beat with that.

AD: We haven’t seen him much out on the field yet, but coming out of Wisconsin — which many view as a run-first team — how do you think he’ll surprise people in the passing game?

MT: The dependability of him in the passing game. If he’s within range, he’s going to come down with it. He doesn’t get overwhelmed by tough situations or a close game. He kind of rises to the occasion. And I kind of think they’ll come to appreciate that about him.

AD: What should people know about Troy off the football field?

MT: He’s very humble. He’ll be involved in the community. He was great when he was here at doing hospital visits and leading bible study. The list goes on and on. He did a ton of that for our team. So I think being an ambassador and making that connection between the Broncos and the local fans and community — he’ll take every opportunity he can with that kind of stuff.

Broncos training camp burning question: Who will be the No. 3 wide receiver? By Andrew Mason DenverBroncos.com July 25, 2018

Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders remain the present of the Broncos' wide-receiving corps, pegged to start as both head into their ninth seasons.

But the long-term future starts with the No. 3 receiver. It's important to use that term, not "slot receiver," because the receivers will be moving around.

“We're looking for good guys, number one. If they're good we'll find a place for them," Musgrave said during OTAs. "At times, that's outside the numbers. At times, that's in the slot. We want to be difficult to defend without jazzing ourselves up.

Even though fourth-round pick DaeSean Hamilton projects as more of a pure slot receiver based on his work at Penn State and his route-running ability, second-round selection Courtland Sutton has at least an equal shot at being the third wide receiver.

No matter how you define it, the Broncos are blessed with young depth at the position -- which is a result of heavy draft investment in the last two years, with four picks in the first five rounds of those drafts devoted to wide receivers.

Sutton and Hamilton both delivered strong work during OTAs, drawing the attention of quarterback Case Keenum.

“[Sutton], he’s a friendly target and I like throwing him the football. He’s done really, really well," Keenum said during OTAs. "I think he’s come a long way and I’m excited to throw him the football."

"DaeSean is just in the right place at the right time. He doesn’t act like a rookie and he’s not playing like a rookie. To have a receiver that you can count on to be in the right place at the right time, that’s always a huge plus."

"Maturity" is the key word to describe this year's rookie class, and that applies to Sutton and Hamilton in particular. But their arrival muddied the waters a bit for last year's drafted wide receivers, Isaiah McKenzie and Carlos Henderson.

McKenzie's skill set and size ensures that his offensive use is going to be more of a situational nature than on every down. His path to the roster likely rests on special teams, and will be determined by whether he can solve the ball-security issues that felled his rookie season as a punt returner.

For Henderson, the first step is being healthy and not missing any more practice time. He watched most of the Broncos' work in OTAs and minicamp from the sideline while nursing a hamstring injury. That came on the heels of a rookie season that was lost to injured reserve after he hurt his thumb in the preseason opener last August.

"He’s got to get back on the field if he wants to make this football team," Joseph said during minicamp. "Again, you can’t make the football team on the sideline, so those guys [Henderson and Kenny Bell, who was also sidelined during minicamp] have got to get back on the field, especially in that room. It’s a competitive room and it’s a full room.

"If you’re not practicing, your chances of making the team are slim to none.”

But for McKenzie and Henderson, the competition isn't just about moving up -- it's about holding off a horde of talented receivers without their draft pedigree. Undrafted rookies like John Diarse and Jimmy Williams and first-year players Jordan Leslie and Tim Patrick all made notable catches during OTAs and have the capability to push themselves into the mix.

And that group doesn't even include Jordan Taylor, the third-year veteran who will start training camp on the physically-unable-to-perform list.

Clearly, depth isn't a problem at wide receiver. The question now is whether a clear No. 3 receiver emerges, or if the competition is so tight that the Broncos exercise a liberal rotation to get four receivers quality repetitions.

Back to School with the Broncos prepares young students, teaches careful budgeting By Ben Swanson DenverBroncos.com July 25, 2018

Not everyone kept as detailed a budget as Courtland Sutton.

The rookie receiver, like every other player at the 2018 Back to School with the Broncos shopping spring at King Soopers, received a clipboard with a spreadsheet to keep track of school supplies to be purchased and the cost for each item.

So as Sutton watched his group’s first subtotal on the cashier’s screen near $100, reach the threshold and then cross it, his concern grew. He had been careful, but the bill exceeded his expectations.

Then King Soopers’ discounts for school supplies rolled off, as did the concerned look on his face. Instead of facing a deficit, Sutton and the young boy, an 8-year-old named Kaden, had a surplus that left him with $12 to spend.

With enough school supplies and new clothes for the school year already in hand, Kaden could buy anything his heart desired.

So with careful planning and smart shopping, he left the store with what any 8-year-old child would buy with extra money — a little candy.

“It’s an exercise in budgeting,” said Allie Pisching, Executive Director of Community Development for the Broncos. “Each of our players have a budget spreadsheet and they’re tracking with the kids how much they’re spending as they’re going. It’s really a lesson in a lesson for them. King Soopers has this great setup for us where everything is all in one condensed area. They have great prices, they have stores all across the city, so being able to be here with $100 — kids are seeing that a lunchbox may be $15, but when they need two packs of glue and it’s 59 cents, they can get it here. So there’s a little bit of a math lesson that’s going along with the event today, which has been fun to see for both the players and the students.”

But the Broncos’ aim to supply children with what they need for school didn’t end Monday afternoon. Rather, this just marks the beginning of the 2018 Stuff for Students supplies drive.

Fans who would like to support young students who need materials for their burgeoning academic pursuits can donate supplies at every open training camp practice at UCHealth Training Center. People can also purchase donation boxes at Front Range King Soopers stores, or they can donate at checkout registers.

“Youth development is one of our key focus areas for the Community Development department,” Pisching said. “And part of what we believe is important in youth development is preparing students for the next step in their lives. We feel that school is the foundation for everything these kids will participate in for the rest of their lives, so preparing them with the confidence and the supplies, specifically, to start the school year off on the right foot is really important to us. Because of the focus on youth development for our organization, we also identified players that this was equally as important to them. They had a school experience, a teacher, an experience at a Boys & Girls Club that really set them up for success and they’re out here shopping alongside the kids to make sure they’re ready for the first day of school when it comes around this fall.” Broncos banking Case Keenum is finally the post-Peyton answer at quarterback By Lindsay Jones USA Today July 25, 2018

It was a small moment in an otherwise routine offseason practice. But from across the line of scrimmage, Denver Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. saw something he liked.

One of the club's mainstays, Harris watched as the new quarterback, Case Keenum, barked at his offensive teammates between plays.

“The offense was kind of jogging, and he was like, ‘HUDDLE UP,' " Harris recalled. “He takes command out there.”

It might not seem like much, but for a team that has been desperately searching for an answer under center and offensive leadership in the two years since Peyton Manning retired, moments like that are major as the players prepare to report to training camp Friday.

For all the star power that remains on defense — Harris, linebacker Von Miller and first-round pass rusher Bradley Chubb — the Broncos know that if they’re going to rebound from 2017’s disappointing 5-11 finish, Keenum will have to lead them.

By signing Keenum — instead of chasing Kirk Cousins or using the No. 5 overall pick on a passer — Denver is banking on the 30-year-old 's breakout 2017 season in Minnesota as the beginning of a career renaissance, not an aberration. Keenum threw 22 touchdowns (against seven interceptions) while winning 11 regular-season games after taking over as Vikings' starter, leading them to the NFC North title and to the brink of the Super Bowl.

The pursuit of Keenum came after the Broncos cycled through three quarterbacks in 2017. Trevor Siemian, who won the starting job in training camp for the second consecutive year, struggled with turnovers and his confidence and lost the job in October. , who'd landed back in Denver amid a bizarre NFL journey that took him through Houston and Cleveland, completed just 56% of his passes in six appearances. Paxton Lynch, a first-round pick in 2016, showed little progress during a season derailed by injuries to his shoulder and ankle.

The trio combined to throw 22 interceptions to just 19 touchdown passes. The offense ranked 17th in total yards and 27th in scoring.

After signing Keenum to a two-year, $36 million contract (half of it guaranteed in 2018), general manager John Elway and coach Vance Joseph declared him the starter. Even though Elway thoroughly scouted the draft’s top quarterbacks, he selected Chubb, arguably the best defensive player available, with that fifth pick. That solidified Keenum atop the depth chart, and cemented the position heading into camp for the first time since 2015, Manning’s final season.

Keenum's presence has brought a sense of relief and stability, especially for veteran receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, who spent the previous two offseasons wondering who would be throwing them passes in September. Thomas, the club's longest-tenured player as he enters his ninth season, called Keenum’s arrival “energizing” and said he’s appreciated the way his new signal caller has already taken over as the offensive leader.

“He takes control of the huddle. I know that I was in the huddle one day and I said, ‘Wait, wait, wait. We’re missing ... ’ and he said, ‘I got this.’ and I said, ‘OK.’ So, it’s stuff like that,” Thomas said recently. “You don’t have to worry about getting reps with multiple guys. You’re focus is to get reps with Case and only Case.”

But it isn’t only the offensive players adjusting to Keenum. He's getting used to the new role himself.

This is the first time in his six-year career that he’s entered camp as the unquestioned starter. The only other time he was the opening day quarterback was with the Rams in 2016, when Los Angeles had No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff waiting in the wings. By November, Goff was in the lineup.

Even last year, Keenum was supposed to be the backup to and an insurance policy should Teddy Bridgewater not be able to return to the active roster. But Keenum replaced Bradford, whose balky knee acted up, in Week 2 and wasn’t truly entrusted with the starting job until mid-October, when it was clear Bradford’s knee would be a long-term issue.

Still, Minnesota's offense was never really designed with Keenum in mind, so he's embracing the opportunity to call Denver's system his own.

“It's nice to have the freedom to come out here and compete and really pursue just excellence that I want out of the quarterback position and out of my craft, and just the leadership too that goes along with that,” Keenum told USA TODAY Sports.

In rebuilding the playbook this spring, Broncos offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave and quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan have studied Keenum’s games with the Vikings and have also referenced his time with the Texans (2012-14), when Joseph was a defensive assistant under then-coach Gary Kubiak, now a Denver personnel executive.

Musgrave has largely scrapped last year's attack and will attempt to maximize Keenum’s ability to both move within the pocket and throw on the run. It should feature plenty of play-action (which will require the rapid development of a young running back corps) and other West Coast, quick-pass concepts Keenum is familiar with.

“In a league that is very competitive, most of the teams are the same outside of the quarterback position. So if you don't have that guy, from a leadership perspective, from a play-making perspective, it's hard to win games in this league. The rest you can fix. You can coach your way through the rest,” Joseph told USA TODAY Sports.

“I think having Case gives us a honest hope that, if I do my job from a coach’s perspective, and the players do their job, we can win football games.”

Keenum spent much of the summer in Denver, acclimating to his new city and spending time with Sanders, Thomas and other skill position players — just another seemingly small thing the Broncos have missed in recent years, yet critical for both an offense and quarterback with plenty to prove.

“For me, I feel like I've gotten better each year I've played, and it clicked and we won more games last year. That's been the next step and progression in my career," said Keenum.

"It's not just winning games or trying to make the playoffs, not just win in the playoffs, but it's playing on into February." 's pregame, including national anthem, offers better fan experience – so why won’t NFL follow it? By Dan Wetzel Yahoo! Sports July 25, 2018

On Jan. 8, 2018, President Donald Trump attended a football game, the college national championship between Alabama and Georgia. He didn’t stay for the entire thing, but that’s understandable since he had important work in the morning.

He was mainly there for the pregame national anthem anyway. During its playing, he appeared to forget some of the words, if he ever knew them, but that’s understandable too since many Americans don’t know all the words to the first verse. (Very few have even heard, or know about the existence, of the three verses that follow.)

Whatever. Trump stood and the anthem was duly respected, at least by his standards.

You know who wasn’t standing alongside him? Any of the Alabama or Georgia football players because as is the case with the vast majority of college teams (including all of the SEC, Big 12 and Pac-12), the players remain in the locker room during the pregame anthem.

The reason is, generally, two-fold, and neither is about avoiding protests. One is tradition; the players never have been on the field for the anthem and no one has seen a reason to change that.

The second is what’s called “game presentation.” Colleges do a far better job than the NFL in pregame hype and part of that is building crowd energy and noise into a crescendo that peaks the moment the ball is kicked off. It’s expertly choreographed.

As such, it’s better to get the anthem and other quieter items out of the way (they’ll do the dull coin flip with a couple of early arriving captains). Then, through an elaborate process that can take multiple songs, videos and an extended amount of time – including rituals as diverse as touching a rock and running down a hill or following a charging buffalo onto the field – they unleash the head coach and team. The crowd goes nuts. They kick off.

It’s awesome. The passion and pageantry is, quite often, the best part of the game.

At this stage, there are no perfect solutions to the NFL’s anthem protest controversy. An epic failure by the league’s leadership has assured that.

The NFL is about to enter its third season of the issue hanging over it and it still has no actual plan. It’s currently operating under a “standstill agreement” that essentially abandons its most recent ill-conceived policy of banning player protests but allowing players to remain in the locker room which is, of course, a form of protest. That made no one happy.

The NFL can’t get out of its own way. Trump, meanwhile, is always waiting to whack the league like a political piñata. As a practical matter, nearly everyone just wants it to end, but any solution is, at this point, certain to enrage.

Again, there is no perfect solution, but if the NFL decided to follow the college model, it sure would be better than whatever its come up with thus far.

Change up the entire league-wide pregame protocol and leave the players and coaches in the locker room until after the anthem and other formalities. Then demand each team dramatically improve its team/player entrances to create a more electric and tradition-rich environment – fight songs or classic rock, hype videos with past greats on the big screens or some unique, completely over-the-top item.

If they can run that buffalo onto the field in Colorado, why not in actual Buffalo?

There’s a Sooner Schooner at Oklahoma, Osceola and Renegade at Florida State and Mike the Tiger (caged, but still) at LSU. You don’t run through the marching band at Tennessee, Texas or other spots and then have 100,000 people, many of whom have been boozing all day, calm down and be quiet. The opening bars of “Sirius” means something in Nebraska. The same for “Enter Sandman” at Virginia Tech, “Sandstorm” at South Carolina, “Thunderstruck” at Alabama, among many.

It’s beyond cool. An NFL stadium is practically a library by comparison, part lack of originality, part the insistence on introducing individual players (rather than just the team) and part disorder of how the pregame show is scripted.

NFL teams do often create a frenzy, but then everything chills out. There’s the anthem (per the 2017 “operations manual” all players must be on the field), there’s the anti-climactic coin flip (which, for some reason, must be held within three minutes before kickoff) and other assorted ceremonies.

As a show, this is run backward and, with all due respect to the anthem, the NFL is absolutely a show. The league has long draped itself in patriotism as a marketing tool and some teams even took payments from the Department of Defense to stage pro-military ceremonies. The mandate for players to be present for the anthem for all games came in 2009 in response to the preferred timing of prime-time television broadcasts.

This all could be remedied overnight, solving two problems in one swoop.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be criticism, even if it leads to a more amped atmosphere. There are plenty of NFL players who enjoy being a part of the anthem and may feel they lost something by having to stay in the locker room. Others want the right to protest during it. Both certainly have the right to complain.

Some fans will see the college football solution as the ultimate sign of disrespect. That’s reasonable also, although does that make college football an exercise in anti-American radicalism? Opportunistic media will be aghast – although it’s not like any of them would dare open their show with the two-minute anthem because they know a lot of the audience would change the channel in boredom.

Trump will almost assuredly rip it, even if he proudly participated in the exact same thing at that college title game. He’s going to rip anything the NFL comes up with.

Keeping players in the locker room, as the NFL did for decades anyway, and all these college programs in bedrock conservative places, changes the mechanics of the controversy.

Due to the NFL’s own failure, it’s too late for nearly anything else. Commissioner Roger Goodell blew this one badly. This at least takes it away. The anthem will still be played. The players can still protest or work toward justice, just not during the “Star Spangled Banner,” which as a messaging exercise has proven ineffective. The league can continue its admirable support for those causes.

For a few weeks, maybe it’ll be rocky. Take your lumps. It’s better than two years and counting without a clue. It’s better than letting this hang over the league in perpetuity.

And eventually, perhaps quickly, the entire thing will be over and replaced across the league by a far more fun and animated environment in the moments before playing some actual football.

Vance Joseph: Case Keenum gives Broncos a chance to win football games By Charean Williams Pro Football Talk July 25, 2018

Case Keenum is entering his seventh season. You would think he’s seen it all.

But for the first time, Keenum goes into training camp as a team’s unquestioned starter.

Now on his fourth team in his fifth city, Keenum doesn’t have a Sam Bradford playing in front of him or a Jared Goff sitting behind him. Instead, the Broncos are his team.

“It’s nice to have the freedom to come out here and compete and really pursue just excellence that I want out of the quarterback position and out of my craft, and just the leadership too that goes along with that,” Keenum told Lindsay Jones of USA Today Sports.

The Broncos haven’t returned to the playoffs since their Super Bowl-winning season of 2015. Since Peyton Manning retired, the Broncos have started Trevor Siemian 24 games, Paxton Lynch four games and Brock Osweiler four games. They are 14-18 despite having one of the league’s best defenses.

Denver signed Keenum to be the difference-maker. The 30-year-old took the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game last season.

“In a league that is very competitive, most of the teams are the same outside of the quarterback position,” Broncos coach Vance Joseph told Jones. “So if you don’t have that guy, from a leadership perspective, from a play-making perspective, it’s hard to win games in this league. The rest you can fix. You can coach your way through the rest.

“I think having Case gives us a honest hope that, if I do my job from a coach’s perspective, and the players do their job, we can win football games.”

Another former NFLN employee files sexual harassment lawsuit By Mike Florio Pro Football Talk July 25, 2018

Last year, former NFL Network employee Jami Cantor filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the league- owned broadcasting operation, resulting in the suspension of three on-air analysts. Another former NFL Network employee recently has filed a similar civl action.

Erin McParland, who previously told her story to Tim Rohan of SI.com, filed a lawsuit on July 24 in Los Angeles County Superior Court against NFL Enterprises, Eric Davis, and various unknown (for now) potential defendants.

In the lawsuit, McParland alleges generally that she was “subjected to ongoing and continuing sexual harassment by current and former on-air talent and other employees of NFL.” She specifically contends that Davis made unwanted advances in person and via Instagram messaging, including unwelcome physical contact.

“Davis during these encounters would also force his genitals against Plaintiff and he would also rub his genitals on Plaintiff’s leg,” the complaint alleges at paragraph 12(b). “Davis also groped Plaintiff’s rear extremities with both hands including a specific instance where Davis grabbed Plaintiff’s buttocks and inserted his fingers up into the area between Plaintiff’s buttocks on either side. These contacts were against Plaintiff’s clearly stated wishes for . . . Davis to keep his ‘hands off’ her.”

The complaint makes specific allegations against only one other employee: Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin.

“On the set of Defendant NFL’s television show ‘GameDay,’ former on-air talent on NFL Network, Michael Irvin, made inappropriate gestures and comments to Plaintiff,” the complaint alleges at paragraph 12(c).

“Irvin once grabbed Plaintiff’s waist against Plaintiff’s wishes while Plaintiff was ‘powdering [Irvin] on set during a commercial break’ in front of other staff members and network personnel, ‘[m]ortifying’ Plaintiff. Plaintiff went out of her way to avoid Irvin after this exchange and reminded Irvin to ‘not touch’ Plaintiff every time Plaintiff was forced by Defendant to interact with Irvin.” (Curiously, the complaint refers to Irvin as “former on-air talent” at NFLN, implying that he no longer works for the league-owned network.)

McParland alleges that she complained to NFL Network about both Davis and Irvin, and that the NFL only took action against Davis after another employee complained about him. McParland contends that the league never took action against Irvin in response to her complaints.

The lawsuit makes claims of negligence, assault, battery, false imprisonment (arising from Davis allegedly confronting McParland about her complaints against him), harassment, and gender discrimination. McParland seeks a wide variety of compensatory damages, along with punitive damages.

In response to the claims made in 2017 by Cantor, NFLN immediately suspended Heath Evans, Marshall Faulk, and Ike Taylor. Davis previously had left his job at NFLN; after Cantor’s lawsuit was filed, ESPN Radio parted ways with him. ESPN also severed ties with Donovan McNabb in the aftermath of the Cantor filing, and former NFLN executive Eric Weinberger left his employment with the Bill Simmons Media Group. Bengals owner says he’s been “instructed” to avoid anthem talk By Darin Gantt Pro Football Talk July 25, 2018

The NFL failed to make its national anthem problem go away by making a unilateral policy designed to appease a person who drags them out for parties like a pinata, so maybe a gag order will work.

According to Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com, Bengals owner Mike Brown was asked about the anthem policy Tuesday, and said owners had been “instructed” to stay out of it.

“The league and the union are talking on this and we’re instructed to stand down while that’s ongoing,” Brown said. “I’m not going to sit here and stir the pot. They don’t want to hear from me right now. Let’s see how this bubbles up and I hope they can come up with some kind of answer that is acceptable to not just the clubs and the players but more the public.”

Brown then added with a laugh: “And let’s not forget the president!”

Of course, no policy the NFL comes up with is going to do that, because Donald Trump has decided it’s a political winner for him. Earlier today while addressing a VFW gathering in Kansas City, he ran the NFL up the proverbial flagpole again.

“We don’t apologize for America anymore,” Trump said. “We stand up for America. We stand up for the patriots who defend America. And we stand up for our national anthem.”

The NFL has decided to involve players in a possible solution — four months after making the policy which requires anyone on the field to stand — and that work is apparently ongoing.

Whether it will ever work or not remains to be seen, but keeping a guy whose team seemed ready to sign Eric Reid until he answered a question about his future plans incorrectly can’t hurt.