Denver quarterback Kyle Orton has been through a lot in his NFL career, making this off-season seem trivial by comparison, in spite of the pressure that’s almost guaranteed to come should he falter this year.

Instead of spending his time worrying about things outside of his control, Orton chose to focus on the skills he brings to the table for the Broncos, and his teammates are starting to take notice.

Despite all the hoopla surrounding their top pick from last April’s draft, quarterback Tim Tebow, the Broncos are resting easy at night for the time being.

Knowing who their starter at the position will be on opening day in Jacksonville, is a peaceful feeling and for a team in the midst of a significant overhaul in personnel, it’s even more comforting.

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After obtaining multiple opinions, Broncos linebacker Elvis Dumervil is expected to undergo surgery tomorrow morning to repair his torn pectoral tendon, according to Jeff Legwold of the Denver Post.

As of right now, it’s unknown just how extensive the damage is, but the surgery should shed plenty of light on that, after which the tear in Dumervil’s tendon will be corrected.

The recovery time for this type of injury is four to five months, making it highly unlikely that Dumervil will be able to return to the field unless Denver finds its way into the postseason, although the Broncos have not yet decided whether to place the Pro Bowl linebacker on the injured reserve list or not.

The discussion in Denver this morning surrounding linebacker Elvis Dumervil quickly switched from cautious optimism to shocking dismay, as the All Pro pass rusher is likely to be off the field with a torn pectoral muscle for the next four months at the very least.

Nothing could have prepared the Broncos or their fan base for this disaster, as Dumervil emerged last season as the clear leader of the defense in Denver, and only recently agreed to a major contract extension.

Now instead of having the reigning NFL sack leader attacking opposing quarterbacks each week, the Broncos will be forced to rely on unproven young talent and lackluster veteran castoffs from other teams to generate their pass rush.

One player that may be high on the Broncos list of potential replacements is defensive end Aaron Schobel, who has previously expressed his disinterest in playing primarily in a 3-4 defense, but could be swayed with the right kind of money.

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Just a few short days into training camp and Denver has both of their top picks from this year’s draft class signed, sealed, and ready to go.

Quarterback Tim Tebow agreed to his five year contract two days ago, and has been on the practice field throughout for the Broncos, but his fellow first rounder wide receiver Demaryius Thomas was a different story, waiting on a better deal from Denver.

That wait ended today with the Broncos coming to terms with Thomas on a five year deal worth an estimated $15.5 million, with $9.35 million of that guaranteed.

Thomas should provide Denver with a quality target in the passing game, assuming of course that he can stay healthy throughout the season, which is something he’s struggled with thus far in his young career.

Tues @ 11:23 pm – Here’s the terms of Dumervil’s extension… Six years, $61.5 million,  with $43.156 million guaranteed

11:14 pm – After suffering through a slight bit of anxiety this off-season, fans in Denver can finally exhale. Superstar defensive end Elvis Dumervil won’t be headed anywhere else anytime soon.

According to an email sent out by general manager Brian Xanders just a short while ago, the Broncos have signed Dumervil to a multi-year contract extension. The exact terms of the deal have not yet been released, but for the time being, just the knowledge that Dumervil will be terrorizing the visiting quarterbacks at Invesco Field is enough to put most of the Broncos faithful at ease.

We’ll keep our eyes and ears peeled for the length and scope of the deal throughout the night, so check back for the latest on this and other breaking news around the league.

Mon @ 10:55 am – Denver will send a seventh round pick along with Scheffler to Detroit.

10:50 am – The Broncos will receive a fifth round pick from Philly, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.

10:45 am -It’s not a blockbuster by any means, but the first deal of draft week has come, and it’s likely that it won’t be the last.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, a deal has been agreed in principle to a deal that would send linebacker Ernie Sims from Detroit to Philadelphia, tight end Tony Scheffler from Denver to Detroit, and an undisclosed pick from Philadelphia to Denver.

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This is the fourth part of our series, analyzing every division in the league headed into next Thursday’s draft. You can read our previous posts covering the AFC East, AFC North, and AFC South here.

As always, feel free to let us know what you think in the comment thread… enjoy!

Denver Broncos (8-8)

The Broncos had a miserable end to their season last year, finishing things off on a 2-8 streak that left them on the outside looking in for one of the final AFC playoff spots. Injuries, attitude problems, and poor coaching decisions led to much of the frustration, and as such, Denver has gone to great lengths this off-season to build up their depth chart at key positions and send off players who were unwilling to toe the line set by head coach Josh McDaniels. The Broncos still have more than a few holes to fill, but with four picks in the first 80 selections, they should emerge from this draft class, well equipped for the 2010 campaign. Read the rest of this entry »

When reports first broke this morning indicating that Miami had acquired wide receiver Brandon Marshall from Denver, I was surprised to say the least.

Up to this point, the Broncos had remained adamant in their desire to receive a first round pick back in exchange for Marshall’s services, and I couldn’t fathom Bill Parcells sending the #12 overall selection out west to the Mile High City to get a player that’s one strike away from a long suspension.

But after learning that the trade involved just a second round pick this year along with another second round pick next year, things began to make sense for me, and I can understand why the deal was completed so quickly.

In Marshall, the Dolphins now have a player that is arguably the top receiver in the game right now, and will undoubtedly make Miami’s offense much better next season. Granted there are plenty of issues behind the scenes with Marshall and the risk is definitely present given his past history of off the field transgressions. But it’s not very often that a trade of this magnitude comes along, allowing a young, superbly talented, playmaking wide receiver in his prime to exit his team and join a intra-conference foe, and as such, the Dolphins were wise to jump on it as quickly as they did.

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Throughout the entirety of the off-season thus far, Denver has remained steadfast in their demand for a first round pick in return for wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Several teams have shown interest, but have backed off as of late, believing the Broncos asking price to be too high.

That isn’t likely to change after the trade of wide receiver Santonio Holmes from Pittsburgh to New York late last night, as the Steelers only received a fifth round pick in return for a player coming off a career year in receptions and yards. Obviously, Holmes’ off the field issues played a major role in his value being that low, but Marshall isn’t that much better in that regard, so logic would seem to indicate that the Broncos would be wise to tone down their expectations and accept a lesser offer if it comes around.

ESPN’s Mike Sando put forward a similar musing earlier this morning, even going so far as to say that it will be “an upset if Seattle pays more than a second-rounder for Marshall unless additional teams show interest.” Sando makes several solid points in his piece, clearly showing the trade market for receivers isn’t what many feel it should be, and as such the Broncos aren’t likely to get what they really want for Marshall’s services.

That said, it’s not likely that Denver sends Marshall packing for anything less than a second round pick, as he isn’t facing a suspension like Holmes is, and has demonstrated a definite ability to be the number one receiver week in and week out. That could be problematic for the Seahawks, as they already swapped a more valuable 40th overall pick for the 6oth overall pick trading for Charlie Whitehurst, but the longer this process plays out and the closer we get to the draft commencing, the potential for a creative deal to come together goes up.

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Sun @ 4:20 pm – According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the exact compensation is Hillis, a 2011 sixth round pick, and a 2012 late round selection.

4:05 pm – The Browns continuing saga at the quarterback position took yet another turn this afternoon, with the departure of quarterback Brady Quinn for what he hopes will be greener pastures out west.

According to FoxSports’ Jay Glazer, the Broncos have acquired Quinn in exchange for running back Peyton Hillis and two conditional draft picks.

This story is breaking as I write this, and as such we’ll be updating this post throughout the afternoon when more information becomes available.

Taking a page out the Kansas City Chiefs’ playbook, the Broncos have signed former New England Patriots defensive end Jarvis Green to a four year contract, worth an estimated $20 million, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Green is capable of playing effectively in the 3-4 defensive front Denver currently employs, and is well known for his locker room leadership in New England; something the Broncos sorely needed last year.

The move likely ends any discussions between Denver and free agent defensive end Dwan Edwards (Ravens), as the Broncos will now look to continue their defensive upgrades in next month’s draft.

In a somewhat surprising move for a Super Bowl team, the Indianapolis Colts parted ways with starting guard Ryan Lilja today.

Lilja has been a fixture on the team with the best regular season record over the last seven years, culminating in two Super Bowl appearances and a victory in 2007.

Lilja had 67 career starts for Indianapolis and also bounced back nicely from missing the entire 2008 season with a bum knee by starting every game in 2009.

He was due a $1.7 million roster bonus, but according to the Indianapolis Star the move was not financially driven. The motive was apparently the Colts’ desire to get bigger along the offensive line, making the 290-pound Lilja a casualty in this shift of strategy.

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