Denver Broncos place linebacker Joe Mays on injured reserve. (personal photo)

Middle linebacker Joe Mays’ 2012 season is officially over.

The Denver Broncos played Mays (ankle) on season-ending injured reserve Tuesday.  Mays suffered a fracture left fibula just above the ankle on a special teams play in Sunday night’s game against the New Orleans Saints.

Interestingly (at least to me), the Broncos did not promote linebacker Mike Mohamed from the practice squad, instead adding safety Duke Ihenacho to the active roster.

Denver also signed cornerback Mario Butler to the practice squad.  An undrafted free agent from Georgia Tech, Butler was signed by the Dallas Cowboys in 2011, since splitting time between the practice squad and active roster.

Mays is the eighth Broncos player placed on IR this season, joining Jeremy Beal, Philip Blake, Quinton Carter, Mario Fannin, Jason Hunter, J.D. Walton, and Ty Warren.

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Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos 

7:00 p.m. MDT 

Local TV: KUSA-TV

It’s the preseason home opener!

Peyton’s Playin’ Time

Peyton Manning’s preseason debut was brief against the Bears – only one series – but expect No. 18 and the Denver Broncos’ starting offense to last an entire first quarter…and maybe a little more.  Same goes for the Broncos first-team defense.

The Denver Broncos first home game of the preseason is tonight. (personal photo

Injury Report

Cornerback Drayton Florence is expected to replace first-teamer Tracy Porter (hamstring, illness).  DT Kevin Vickerson is recovering from a concussion and will not play.  Neither participated in Friday’s final practice, a light practice ahead of Saturday’s game.  Head coach John Fox says rookie running back Ronnie Hillman (hamstring) is a game-time decision.

Aside from Porter and Vickerson, here are the players who did not participate in Friday’s walkthrough:

LB Keith Brooking (hamstring), S Quinton Carter (hamstring and knee), DE Jason Hunter (triceps), G Chris Kuper (forearm), S Jim Leonhard (knee), and LB Danny Trevathan (ankle).

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Broncos players, fans eventually find some heartache when rosters trim - Math is a tricky thing for sports writers, and especially for me.  But here’s some arithmetic that even I can figure out.  The Broncos’ roster currently includes 90 players. By Sept. 1, only 53 players will make the active roster. Eight more will make the practice squad, for a total of 61 players who will have jobs for the first week of the regular season.  Read more from the Denver Post >>>>

Broncos’ Jason Hunter likely to miss season with torn triceps - Barring a medical miracle, Jason Hunter is not likely to play in 2012.  The Broncos’ starting defensive end suffered a torn right triceps during an early training camp drill Tuesday.  ”They said it was like 95 percent torn,” Hunter said Wednesday afternoon. “They told me mine was hanging on like a piece of rope. I don’t want to count myself completely out even though I know the severity of my injury. But I’m going to let the team coach me up on this and wait until they tell me what the next step is.”  Read more from the Denver Post >>>>

Beal Looks to Build on Two-Sack Effort - The Broncos’ preseason-opening 31-3 defeat of the Bears saw breakout performances from several young defenders.  With two first-half sacks, it was rookie Derek Wolfe who had an evening many fans are likely to remember. But Wolfe wasn’t the only young defensive lineman to make his presence felt as a pass rusher and contribute to the team’s total of six sacks.  With his team leading 24-0 in the fourth quarter, defensive end Jeremy Beal found his way to Chicago quarterback Matt Blanchard for a sack on third-and-9.  Minutes later, he made it two sacks in four offensive snaps when he brought down Blanchard again, this time with the Bears facing third-and-12 from their own 10-yard line.  Read more from Denver Broncos >>>>

Denver Broncos Roster 2012: How Chris Kuper Injury Shakes Up the Depth Chart - The Denver Broncos and their fans received some harrowing “breaking” news on Tuesday, as it was reveled that offensive guard Chris Kuper will miss four to six weeks with a broken forearm.  Denver was the only team in the NFL that started the same five offensive linemen in every game last season, and while Kuper was not one of the strongest fixtures on that line, he is, as ESPN’s Bill Williamson writes ”an underrated player [who] is tough and stout.”  Read more from Bleacher Report >>>>

Denver Broncos Positional Analysis: Defensive Line - For three or four years now the Denver Broncos have had questions on the defensive line, and those around the team would tell you those questions are still there. I’m not sure I agree completely, yes there are questions but it has the potential to be a strength on 2012. Bad news first, Jason Hunter who was having a great camp tore his triceps on Tuesday and is probably out for the season. Hunter is probably not a name that the average fan knows, but he was scheduled to be a big part of the rotation on the defensive line.  As we’ve been doing, we start with the best player and that’s defensive end Elvis Dumervil. Dumervil is one of the best pass rushers in the NFL and is completely healthy for the first time in a long time. Dumervil and linebacker,  Von Miller give the Broncos one of the best pass rushing duos in the league. Dumervil has also improved versus the run since coming into the league and is a complete football player.  Read more from Rant Sports >>>>

Five questions from Denver Broncos camp - Optimism is high among fans in the Mile High City and even among some Broncos employees. Peyton Manning can do that to a franchise and a city.  Head coach John Fox was good enough to allow me on the practice field to get up close to drills and a scrimmage. If you have ever been to a padded Fox practice, you would appreciate all I was able to observe in the two-and-a-half hours of live football in all the situations a game could present. Manning worked the two-minute offense, the four-minute offense, the red-zone package, the no-huddle attack and a number of other important situations. It was the first camp stop in my past 12 that running backs were tackled and brought to the ground.  Read more from CBS Sports >>>>

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You know those things that require your attention, but you just never can seem to get around to in a timely fashion?  For you and I they’re probably things like oil changes every 3,000 miles or organizing a closet.  For the Denver Broncos, it is getting a solid defensive line.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before…

The Broncos used to be pretty deep on the defensive front.  Alfred Williams, Trevor Pryce, Neil Smith, Keith Traylor, and Maa Tanuvasa weren’t ever looked at as the “best” defensive line during the late 90s, but they were better than most.  In the decade-plus since them, the Denver defensive front has been at best…average.  Mostly though in the past several seasons it’s been a notch or two shy of average.

With this in mind I’ve been keeping an eye on the D-line personnel as training camp progresses.  With a little more than a week’s worth of work so far, here are some observations on how the Broncos are planning to bolster the defensive front four:

• Ayers Dropping: On Day 3 of camp (the first day in pads), Robert Ayers joined Justin Banaan, Ty Warren, and Elvis Dumervil on the first team.  Within a week Ayers had been replaced by Jason Hunter, who lined up with Warren, Dumervil, and Unrein (replacing an injured Bannan) during the summer scrimmage.  Ayers may not be facing the cut list, but if he fails to deliver much beyond replacement duty this season it could likely mean Denver stamps “Miss” on his first-round selection, and moves on.  (Need further evidence?  Look no further than the recently revealed depth chart.)
• Inside Out: When the Broncos boasted about Derek Wolfe’s ability to play both DE and DT after drafting him early in the second round they made their intentions clear.  Wolfe has seen a decent amount of snaps at each position.  During the team’s first scrimmage Wolfe was replacing Ty Warren on third down situations.  It’s evident Jack Del Rio is hoping Wolfe provides the interior pass rush that made him the team’s first pick of the draft.  (For the record, Wolfe is listed as DE on the latest depth chart, but I still fully expect him to get playing time, at least during the preseason, at DT.)
• True Tackles: What’s also evident is that right now, the competition at defensive tackles goes Ty Warren, Justin Bannan, and everybody else.  Warren seems motivated after missing two years of football with injury.  What will remain unclear for several months is whether he can hold up for a full season.  Justin Bannan is an above-average known quantity to the Broncos, and should likely earn a starting spot.  Wolfe and Mitch Unrein appear the likely fill-in candidates on the second team, while Kevin Vickerson could now be even more removed from the “startersphere.”
• End Note: There’s only one position truly up for grabs here.  Right now that belongs to Jason Hunter, and as previously discussed, Robert Ayers has fallen to the second team.  However, the Broncos have brought in competition here.  Last year’s seventh-round pick Jeremy Beal remains on the team, and notables Ben Garland and rookie Malik Jackson are also in the mix with several others.  As mentioned above, Derek Wolfe is also getting looks at DE.

The massive crowds that have swarmed training camp are likely there primarily to see Peyton Manning make some throws, and there’s nothing wrong with that.  However, there’s plenty of other position battles and performances to watch as the Broncos aim to build a true contender.  Keeping an eye on the play of the team’s defensive line candidates could tell us a lot about whether the Broncos can expect a true upgrade, or “average at best.”

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Let’s revisit the Denver Broncos’ offseason transactions…

Signed Elsewhere

• Brodrick Bunkley (DT) – Signed with New Orleans
• Daniel Fells (TE) – Signed with New England
• Derrick Harvey (DE) – Signed with Cincinnati
• Spencer Larsen (FB) – Signed with New England
• Brady Quinn (QB) – Signed with Kansas City
• Dante Rosario (TE) – Signed with San Diego
• Eddie Royal (WR) – Signed with San Diego
• Jonathan Wilhite (CB) – Signed with Chicago

Re-signed by the Broncos

• Lance Ball (RB)
• Chris Clark (T)
• Britton Colquitt (P)
• Jason Hunter (DE)
• Joe Mays (LB)
• Matt Prater (K) – *Assigned franchise tag
• Manny Ramirez (G)
• Matthew Willis (WR)
• Wesley Woodyard  (LB)

Broncos’ remaining unrestricted free agents

• David Binn (LS)
• Brian Dawkins (S)
• Mario Haggan (LB)
• Russ Hochstein (OL)
• Marcus Thomas (DT)

Broncos’ free agent signings

• Mike Adams (S) – from Cleveland
• Justin Bannan (DT) – from St. Louis
• Andre Caldwell (WR) – from Cincinnati
• C.J. Davis (G) – from Carolina
• Joel Dreessen (TE) – from Houston
• Caleb Hanie (QB) – from Chicago
• Jason Hill (WR) – from Jacksonville
• Peyton Manning (QB) – from Indianapolis
• Tracy Porter (CB) – from New Orleans
• Brandon Stokley (WR) – from New York Giants
• Jacob Tamme (TE) – from Indianapolis

Other

• Andre Goodman (CB) – Released
• Brian Iwuh (LB) – Retired
• Ryan McBean (DT) – Contract tender rescinded

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Here are the latest Denver Broncos offseason roster moves:

Signed Elsewhere

• Brodrick Bunkley (DT) – Signed with New Orleans
• Daniel Fells (TE) – Signed with New England
• Derrick Harvey (DE) – Signed with Cincinnati
• Spencer Larsen (FB) – Signed with New England
• Brady Quinn (QB) – Signed with Kansas City
• Dante Rosario (TE) – Signed with San Diego
• Eddie Royal (WR) – Signed with San Diego
• Jonathan Wilhite (CB) – Signed with Chicago

Re-signed by the Broncos

• Lance Ball (RB)
• Britton Colquitt (P)
• Jason Hunter (DE)
• Joe Mays (LB)
• Manny Ramirez (G)
• Wesley Woodyard  (LB)

Broncos’ remaining unrestricted free agents

• David Binn (LS)
• Brian Dawkins (S)
• Mario Haggan (LB)
• Russ Hochstein (OL)
• Marcus Thomas (DT)

Broncos’ free agent signings

• Mike Adams (S) – from Cleveland
• Andre Caldwell (WR) – from Cincinnati
• C.J. Davis (G) – from Carolina
• Joel Dreessen (TE) – from Houston
• Caleb Hanie (QB) – from Chicago
• Jason Hill (WR) – from Jacksonville
• Peyton Manning (QB) – from Indianapolis
• Tracy Porter (CB) – from New Orleans
• Jacob Tamme (TE) – from Indianapolis

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Jason Hunter isn’t going anywhere in 2012.

The Denver Broncos announced Thursday afternoon they have re-signed the free agent defensive end.  Hunter finished 2011 with 21 tackles, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.  His best season as a pro was in 2010 when filling in for Elvis Dumervil, who missed the entire season with an injury.

Hunter enters his seventh NFL season – his third with the Broncos.

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Ten days into free agency, here is an update on the Broncos’ UFAs who have signed elsewhere or have re-signed with the team.

Signed elsewhere

After one season with the Broncos, TE Daniel Fells signed with the Patriots. (courtesy Jeffrey Beall)

• Brodrick Bunkley (DT) – Signed with New Orleans
• Daniel Fells (TE) – Signed with New England
• Spencer Larsen (FB) – Signed with New England
• Brady Quinn (QB) – Signed with Kansas City
• Dante Rosario (TE) – Signed with San Diego
• Eddie Royal (WR) – Signed with San Diego

Re-signed by the Broncos

• Joe Mays (LB)
• Manny Ramirez (G)
• Wesley Woodyard  (LB)

• David Binn (LS)
• Brian Dawkins (S)
• Mario Haggan (LB)
• Derrick Harvey (DE)
• Russ Hochstein (OL)
• Jason Hunter (DE)
• Marcus Thomas (DT)
• Jonathan Wilhite (CB)

• Mike Adams (S) – from Cleveland
• Andre Caldwell (WR) – from Cincinnati
• C.J. Davis (G) – from Carolina (signed Feb. 15)
• Joel Dreessen (TE) – from Houston
• Jason Hill (WR) – from Jacksonville (signed Feb. 15)
• Tracy Porter (CB) – from New Orleans
• Jacob Tamme (TE) – from Indianapolis

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NFL free agency is now underway.  The following Broncos are unrestricted free agents:

*2011 statistics

David Binn (LS)

Brodrick Bunkley (DT)

• 43 tackles

Brian Dawkins (S)

•  51 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble

Daniel Fells (TE)

• 19 receptions, 256 yards, 3 touchdowns

Mario Haggan (LB)

• 23 tackles, 1 interception

Derrick Harvey (DE)

• 4 tackles

Russ Hochstein (OL)

Jason Hunter (DE)

• 21 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble

Spencer Larsen (FB)

Joe Mays (LB)

• 75 tackles

Brady Quinn (QB)

Manny Ramirez (G)

Dante Rosario (TE)

• 7 receptions, 117 yards

Eddie Royal (WR)

• 19 receptions, 155 yards, 1 touchdown

Marcus Thomas (DT)

• 43 tackles

Jonathan Wilhite (CB)

• 28 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 interception

Matthew Willis (WR)

• 18 receptions, 267 yards, 1 touchdown

Wesley Woodyard (LB)

• 97 tackles, 2 forced fumbles

The Broncos will likely target some aforementioned players for contact extensions, but let the rest test the free agent waters.  The Broncos offensive transactions could have a lot to do with a certain unemployed quarterback looking for work.  As for when that decision could come, we’re all on the clock…

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Bears have secret, “different” plan to stop Broncos’ Tebow - Chicago defensive tackle Henry Melton had some quick answers to the challenge facing the Bears on Sunday.  Read more from The Denver Post >>>>

Broncos’ Bailey not in favor of kicking to Bears’ Hester - Cornerback Champ Bailey was one of the few Broncos on the sideline to witness what the Bears’ über-returner Devin Hester did the last time he faced Denver.  Read more from The Denver Post >>>>

Broncos, Raiders go down the stretch - In Week 1, the Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos engaged in a lackluster season opener on “Monday Night Football” in which the visiting Raiders ended up winning by three points. Leaving the stadium that night (the last road game ever attended by the Raiders’ late owner, Al Davis), neither squad had the look of a playoff team.  Read more from ESPN.com >>>>

John Fox should get a lot of credit for Broncos’ rise -  The division-leading Denver Broncos passed a significant milestone this week, although it probably escaped the notice of most everyone at team headquarters. It was a year ago Tuesday that the Broncos fired Josh McDaniels as coach, setting the stage for the hiring of John Elway and John Fox.  Read more from Los Angeles Times >>>>

Denver Broncos team report: Andre Goodman rewarding team brass - Cornerback Andre Goodman endured the most frustrating season of his NFL career in 2010, as a series of leg injuries kept him out of three games and hampered him in several others.  Read more from Sporting News >>>>

Know Your Enemy: The Denver Broncos - The Broncos started their season out 1-4, but took a turn when a certain quarterback was added to their starting line-up. While putting Tim Tebow in at quarterback did make a marked difference in the Broncos season, the team is more than him.  Read more from NBC Chicago >>>> 

Catching Up with Jason Hunter - The Denver Broncos and quarterback Tim Tebow have been one of the main storylines in the National Football League (NFL) over the past month or two, but the team’s success goes deeper than the fleet-footed quarterback.  Read more Appalachian State Athletics >>>>

Denver Broncos Game Plan Evolves Weekly - The (7-5) Denver Broncos are proving there is no such thing as a consistent game plan as their offense and defense are “up in the air” each week. Based on their opponents and suited to fit quarterback Tim Tebow, even the first half does not represent the second.  Read more from The Penalty Flag >>>>

It’s Tebow Time –  After winning six of his seven starting games, it’s time to give Tebow some consideration. Maybe not for MVP, but we at least have to recognize that something is happening in Denver. Whether it is divine intervention or the fact that Tim Tebow is actually capable of becoming an NFL quarterback, something is happening.  Read more from Collegian >>>>

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