Five Boise State football players who graduated following the 2010 season are among fourteen former Broncos who cracked the final 53-man roster of NFL teams this season. 2006 graduate Korey Hall was the first Boise State player in action as he lined up for New Orleans as the starting fullback against his former team, the Green Bay Packers, on Thursday night. The rest of the NFL teams begin play Sunday.
Of the former Bronco standouts that are ready for action, there are four cornerbacks, three safeties, three wide receivers, two offensive linemen and two fullbacks. Two won a Super Bowl ring last year in Green Bay and moved on to new teams in free agency. Former teammates are reunited in Carolina and bookends of the WAC era have joined forces in St. Louis. In all, half of the current Broncos in the NFL graduated in either 2009 or 2010.
For Bronco fans without the DirecTV Sunday Ticket package, tune in at 11:00MST on CBS to see Chris Carr in action for Baltimore against Pittsburgh as well as Winston Venable making his debut in Chicago against Atlanta on Fox. In the 2:00MST kickoff on Fox, former Bronco star Jeron Johnson will be suiting up for Seattle against San Francisco. The Sunday night game on NBC at 6:00 features a pair of cornerbacks matching up when Kyle Wilson and the New York Jets take on Orlando Scandrick and Dallas.
Six former Broncos were with NFL teams during training camps but did not make the final roster of their respective teams: Ryan Winterswyk, Atlanta; Michael Coughlin, Tampa Bay; Tommy Gallarda, Jacksonville; Derek Schouman, Washington; Ian Johnson, Detroit; Gerald Alexander, Miami. None of the Bronco casualties have made a practice squad at this point but may have an opportunity once teams get on the field and injuries occur. Alexander and Schouman are not eligible to join a practice squad and would need to make a 53-man roster.
Current Broncos in the NFL:
#47 Richie Brockel FB/TE Carolina Panthers
Brockel makes his first appearance on an active NFL roster after making the team in Carolina. A member of the San Diego Chargers briefly following the 2010 season, Brockel faces an uphill battle to see the field at tight end behind veterans Jeremy Shockey, recently acquired Greg Olsen and Ben Hartsock. He is not listed on the depth chart at fullback but would likely see time there this season as well. Most likely a special teams performer at this stage in his career.
#25 Chris Carr CB Baltimore Ravens
Carr re-signed in Baltimore after enjoying several solid years in one of the league's best defenses. He will have to help the team from the nickel corner spot this year after the team drafted Jimmy Smith out of Colorado in the 1st round. He is the backup at both kick returner and punt returner this year as well with Lardarius Webb expected to handle the majority of those duties.
#78 Ryan Clady LT Denver Broncos
The only former Bronco still playing for the Broncos, Clady has been a fixture at left tackle since being drafted #12 overall in the 2008 draft. Clady was named to the 1st Team All-Pro units by both Sporting News and the Associated Press after the 2009 season and started in the Pro Bowl that year. He bounced back from an offseason knee injury to start all 16 games for the 3rd time in his career.
#71 Daryn Colledge LG Arizona Cardinals
After bouncing in and out of the starting lineup during his tenure in Green Bay, Colledge was not brought back to the team following their Super Bowl win last season. Instead he finds himself starting at left guard for the Arizona Cardinals. Colledge is a mainstay at this point and has done well transitioning from college tackle to NFL guard.
#35 Korey Hall FB New Orleans Saints
Another Packers castoff, Hall found himself in New Orleans helping block for Drew Brees. Injuries at the wide receiver position mean that Coach Sean Payton and Brees will have to be creative and that could mean more targets for Hall. He did not record a catch or carry in the first game of the season.
#32 Jeron Johnson SS Seattle Seahawks
It was a mild surprise that Johnson was not drafted following his stellar Boise State career. He did catch on with the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent and wasted little time impressing the coaching staff. He is listed as the third-string strong safety but will be participating on many of the special teams units and continues to work his way towards playing time on the defensive side of the ball as well.
#27 Quintin Mikell FS St. Louis Rams
Following a solid year in Philadelphia, the most recent of many in a breakout career, Mikell was surprisingly left to test free agency. He found a deal in St. Louis and will lead a young Rams defense. Mikell has long been a special teams ace but since taking over the starting free safety job, he's become a playmaker on defense as well. Last year he recorded three interceptions and a forced fumble.
#17 Legedu Naanee WR Carolina Panthers
Naanee joins former teammate Brockel in Carolina as a 2nd team wide receiver. Naanee was let go by the San Diego Chargers following an arrest for public intoxication in Indianapolis in February. He had been enjoying breakout success with the Chargers in part due to the holdout of star receiver Vincent Jackson. He started nine games and caught 23 passes and now finds himself behind starter Brandon LaFell, waiting for another opportunity.
#83 Austin Pettis WR St. Louis Rams
Pettis was drafted by St. Louis in the 3rd round of the draft and it looked like he might have a good shot at early playing time. Unfortunately, due to the lockout, Pettis was not able to get the necessary practice reps to quickly move up the depth chart and starts the season mired behind several veteran wide receivers. He only caught one pass for six yards during the preseason. As he gets more chances in practice, expect Pettis to impress coaches with his abilities on 3rd down and in the red zone.
#32 Orlando Scandrick CB Dallas Cowboys
Scandrick appeared to have a tenuous spot with the Cowboys during the offseason but was ultimately brought back and now appears in line to start the season opener against the Jets. Scandrick will likely settle into the nickel corner spot once starters Terence Newman and Michael Jenkins are healthy but this is a chance to prove his worth as a starter. Whether it's in Dallas or somewhere down the line, Scandrick has a golden opportunity in front of him.
#32 Brandyn Thompson CB Washington Redskins
A surprise draft pick, and now in an even bigger surprise a member of the 53-man Redskins roster, Thompson played well enough in preseason to warrant at least a few more games in an audition for a long-term job. The four-game suspension to cornerback Phillip Buchanon certainly helped Thompson wrap up a spot as the Redskins were somewhat thin at cornerback. He had a solid preseason with an interception against Indianapolis as well as four tackles and three passes defended in the preseason finale.
#49 Winston Venable SS Chicago Bears
Venable is a near mirror-image to Johnson in Seattle. Currently listed as the third-team strong safety, it may not be likely for either man to make much of an impact defensively this year. Venable, like Johnson, does project to be a standout special teams player if nothing else. His wreckless, physical style will likely win over the Chicago faithful who are used to that aggressive style of football.
#20 Kyle Wilson CB New York Jets
Following an up-and-down rookie season in New York, Wilson is now settled in as the nickel corner following the trade of Dwight Lowery. He is behind one of the best cornerbacks in the league in Darrelle Revis who lines up opposite a ball-hawking corner in Antonio Cromartie. He recorded 21 tackles and five passes defensed but no interceptions in his rookie campaign.
#16 Titus Young WR Detroit Lions
Young rocketed up draft boards following a standout senior season and found himself picked in the 2nd round by the Detroit Lions. He caught three passes over the final two games of the preseason and hopes to be able to make an early impact in Detroit. He is currently listed on the 2nd team behind veteran Nate Burleson. At this point he is not projected to be involved in the return game but may find himself in that role at some point this season.
Check back throughout the year for updates on the Broncos in the NFL.
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