Denver Broncos Head Coach Josh McDaniels and General Manager Brian Xanders have been organized, fast and effective in addressing the defensive line so far in free agency.
For anyone watching or keeping tabs, no National Football League team has added as many potential – we say potential because everything has to be earned on the field – new starters on its defensive line as the Broncos with the their three new linemen.
Indeed, Denver has signed four players in free agency so far, all on defense. Cornerback/safety/special teams standout Nathan Jones is the only one who does not play the D-line, and he has earned excellent reviews for his versatility and style of play of both defense and on kicking teams.
Coming to Denver’s 3-4 defensive line are defensive end Jarvis Green (from New England as a free agent), nose tackle Jamal Williams (from San Diego, and very familiar to Bronco fans as a longtime adversary), and Justin Bannan (from the Baltimore Ravens).
Each is a 3-4 veteran, each is a longtime NFL starter on an outstanding defense, and each has size.
Green weighs 285 and can play end, Bannan is an end who weighs in at 310, and of course Williams is an imposing 348 pounds.
Each has a measure of familiarity with the area or the people here.
Green comes from New England, where he certainly became very familiar with Josh McDaniels.
Williams comes from the Chargers where, until last year, his only defensive line coach as a professional had been Wayne Nunnely. Wayne came to the Broncos last year and no one is football is more familiar with Jamal Williams than is our D-line coach.
And finally, it is a real homecoming for Bannan, who played his college football right up the road at the University of Colorado before his fine pro career began.
These are very exciting signings for the Broncos and our fans, and you can be sure that Josh and X are not taking the foot off the accelerator in terms of player evaluation. Building a roster is not a sometimes thing, it is an all the time thing. It continues because other players become available, get released, and so forth, so the evaluation process is an ongoing one.
To top it off, draft preparations are continuing on a parallel track at this time.
It is a very exciting and interesting time to be a Bronco fan. The defense was changed over to a 3-4 alignment and made major strides in 2009, and now we are watching as more talent and experience is being added to the mix.
What will happen on offense? What will happen in the draft?
No one knows, and I will not pretend to, but I do know and trust the people down the hall.
Planning and preparation are paramount to success in this area, and there is no question about the time and effort being invested into being prepared to make the right moves at the right time.
It has already been a very successful offseason for the Broncos, and there is a lot remaining to be played out before that first minicamp the weekend following the draft.
Tags: Brian Xanders, Head Coach Josh McDaniels, Jamal Williams, Jarvis Green, Justin Bannan, Nathan Jones, Wayne Nunnely
it should be life without the possibility of parole…he killed a guy and neglected the safety of like 16 other people in the limo he could have possibly killed. No Parole for that trash….
My brother got shot and killed in cold blood and was unarmed,and the punk got sentenced to 10 years,1 year in jail,9 years probation,the guy served 3 months in jail and was released.The Justice System in this country is a joke.
TRB, lol….I do know that. He might have had his shot if freakin McD would open his eyes. I know Shannahan was excited about the prospect. That is before he got canned!!!!
Well, at least the main perp was convicted. This Harris guy will do his time and Im sure end up right back where he was. All four of those guys are guilty. But this is how our legal system works. IDK, the judge said early on in the trial that just being a gang member is not a crime. Something to think about- Is being a member of a terrorist organization a crime? And couldnt a gang member be considered a form of domestic terror? Nevermind me….just thinking out loud on my keyboard
Very sorry to hear that BFE.
Thanks Baylin
That’s tough BFE sorry to hear
Learn to live with it,what else can you do.
My condolences to you and your family BFE. It really is unfortunate that our legal and justice systems are as flawed as they are.
So what are we gonna do about a Center if Hadnot don’t come back??
Thanks Guys
I could not imagine having to go through that with any of my brothers. That must be tough. Just live your life to the fullest so your brothers death was not in vain!
BFE we draft one and hope for the best or hope Dustin Frye wakes up and suddenly becomes Tom Nalen
I’m a firm believer of an Eye for an Eye and a Tooth for a Tooth,but if you take things into your own hands you are no better than the criminal.
I like Pouncey but not at #11..maybe at #20-#40,we don’t have a pick like that but if somehow we get one we grab him.
Nalen was a great Center loved watching him over the years.
@sndvl…
i just wanted to comment on your gang statement. great point and something that i think should definately be considered by our countries legal system. i TOTALLY agree that gangs should be considered a form of domestic terrorism. i mean we are not talkin about a freakin book club here guys. just wanted to give you props on makin that observation!
So with the signings of Bannan,Green, and Williams I kinda doubt we’re gonna go after a NT in the draft. Can anybody here Rolando McClain at #11. I definitely think that might be our option.
Hey BFE-
srry to hear that man, i really am. when one of my fam. members died, I found reading the Bible to be very very helpful.
Who’s left in FA that you guys think we should look at.
I think we should just sign Marshall, Orton, and definitely DOOM, and go from there. Maybe even getting a QB in the draft.
BFE, I’m sorry to hear about what happened to you and your family, that is awful. Hang in there brother, you will always have the Broncos and us fans.
I think that street gangs should be considered domestic terrorist also. I mean the FBI considers the mofia domestic terrorist, and they are just an organized underground gang WTF!
I still think we should look at a good linebacker like McLain now that we have added depth and experience to the D line. We can pick up O line in FA and with the second pick and still be able to get a good qb in the third round.
BFE,
Im late but, sorry hear about your bro. I got two older brothers and cant even imagine it. Nothing worse than losing a loved one to senseless violence.
Sndvl
I also think that is a beautiful point, being a gang member should be a crime, like being part of the taliban. I mean seriously…Im not saying anythign heavy cuz some people get dragged into or are dumb kids that dont know any better. But when a sentence of 1-3 years for being a gang member or any type of crime syndicate is the penalty…I bet people will think twice about joining up. I dont know why it hasnt been thought of. Probably has but some douche will probably claim that it violates some amendment right or something…im with BFE, justice system is kinda a joke, but whats a man to do….
@rebelbronco
i would love to see mclain as a bronco but with our O line (or lack there of at this point) i think we may still be lookin at filling some holes in the draft! depending on who is available or what they think can pick up in later rounds to fill needs im sure will play a big role in who we get first rd. i just hope they dont stretch to fill a need by picking someone too early just because they fill a need.
we cut daivs to make room for mcclain
Glad to see the verdict handed down on D-Will’s case. Guilty on all 16 counts. First degree murder with another case pending. Penalty phase will be just as important.
RIP D-Will.
Rip darrent!! justice 27 for life
rayjr,
I agree with you, and its so hard to predict what McD will do in the draft. He seems to make really good logical moves in FA, but last year was all over the place in the draft. But, I have faith in him and cant wait for April.
Go Broncos!!
I am very happy to see that Justice was served in the Darrent Williams case….i can speak for all of us when I say we would have all loved to watch him mature as a player on this broncos team.
RIP # 27
and on a free-agency note, lets sign frickin Marshall and also pick up a QB in the draft and lets also pick up someone as good as Owen Daniels for our TE spot
im so glad dey found d-will’s killer but they should just give him life BFE sorry for the lost im not to happy about free agency because we dont know marshall’s status thats all im concerned about
D-Will lives forever in the uniform of every bronco, the stadium of the broncos, and the hearts of all denver fans.
On a draft note, i agree with theROYAL19treatment that we cut Davis for McClain. Im sure the front office realizes that since Buffalo is switching to a 3-4 that they need a true NT and the only (consistant) nose tackle that will be available to them will be Dan Williams. So with him going to be off the board they signed Jamal Williams to add depth and experience and added room on the roster, by cutting an older LB, to replace him with a younger, more athletic prospect
BFE…sorry for your loss. Its always hard to lose family
i like kyle orton but i still dont see him aas our qb of the future. i say if brandstater isnt the guy (though i do like the guy) that we trade a 4 or 5 and tony scheffler to the browns for brady quinn or draft tebow. we’ll see tho yu never kno with mcxanders
theROYAL19treatment god lets hope so lol
Hey mcdanielsdomain09, you called it ….. we just traded Peyton Hillis for Brady Quinn. At least we’re realizing we need a future QB !
i cant believe we just traded one of our best players (that we never used ever since mcD came in) PLUS two draft picks for brady quinn, who really hasnt proven squat. then we cut andra davis, who was a beast for us last year, but resigned le kevin smith??? i mean he was alright, but got his first career sack last year……… why would we do this??? oh wait i know why, hes an ex patriot.
these have to be the worst moves ever; i have no idea what mcD is doing right now….. im about to cry………
In the second round, get Ryan Mathews from Fresno State. I guarantee, you will have the second coming of LT.
YEESSS!!!! Dreams really do come true. I said this earlier today but i didnt expect it to happen. im super excited. look i know everyone is not sold on brady quinn cuz he hasnt done anything in this league but check his college numbers. the guy is a stud. not to mention hes VERY familiar with the style of offense that Mcdaniels runs because Coach Weis ran a similar pro-style offense at ND. Idk bout everyone else but im excited about this trade. Brady Quinn is a work horse. And he fits Mcdaniels mold. We’ll see how things pan out.
P.S. Anybody think Jabar Gaffney will let his #10 go for quinn? lol i wonder
Im still rooting for Orton cuz he was here first and he showed that he has what it takes. What fell apart last year was the defense, and McDaniels tried sucking up to Brandon Marshall but gameplanning for him so he would stay this year (look how well that turned out). But i guess in the long run Quinn better do good because as soon as i saw we traded a really good fullback in Peyton Hillis away to a crappy team i screamed!
C’mon guys, this is a no-lose situation for the Broncos…FINALLY a good deal for us!!!
1) We didn’t give up anyone…I think we all like Hillis but McD doesn’t…and 6th round picks aren’t exactly high commodity
2) Quinn learned under Weis in college, similar offense
3) He played for the BROWNS…hard to succeed there with absolutely ZERO offensive talent around you. Proof…see Kyle Orton and what he did in a real offense last year
4) Quinn is very young, and most QBs of his age are on the bench learning up to this point anyways. We got an awesome deal just on potential alone!!! And if it doesn’t work…we didn’t lose much. Great move!
Great pick ups -
To the people saying we should relabel an entire area of crime as terrorism, I am not sure you are taking into account our own personal long term freedoms.
(/sarcasm) Sure start sectioning off all kinds of crime as “terrorism,” pass a bill, suddenly little rights like the 4th-6th amendments start to get curtailed in the interest of “national security.” (/sarcasm off.)
Next thing you know, you got gestapo officers busting in your door at 4 am on a whim, and when you ask about a warrant, they say, “Oh, no need. We are hunting ‘terrorsits.’”
Am I the only one that thinks little things like the 4th am, are important?