When the Denver Broncos reported to training camp they were met by cushy new team and position meeting rooms and an expanded training room
that features two cryogenic chambers and a flotation pod along with other
amenities courtesy of a $9.5 million facilities face-lift that capped a
five-year
Youth Vita Vea Jersey , $45 million renovation.An even bigger upgrade is the $56 million one on offense.
General manager John Elway signed quarterback Case Keenum to a two-year, $36 million deal and acquired right tackle Jared Veldheer from Arizona.
Then, he bolstered his backfield by drafting running back Royce Freeman out of Oregon and receivers Courtland Sutton of SMU and DaeSean Hamilton of Penn
State.
They are the pillars of a 10-member draft class that’s led by first-rounder Bradley Chubb and has already drawn raves for its depth of talent and knowledge.
All 10 spent four years in college honing their crafts, a reversal of last
year’s draft class that was loaded with projects and problems.
The Broncos haven’t bolstered their offense like this since the Peyton Manning era, and with Keenum, they’re no longer bogged down by a QB competition
like they were each of the last two summers – unless you count Paxton Lynch and
Chad Kelly’s battle for the backup job.
”We’re a better football team,” Elway said Friday on the eve of training camp. ”We have some better depth. I think Case is a big part of that. … Now, we
have to all come together. It’s about getting continuity on the offensive line
as well as the young wide receivers getting up to speed. As well as the young
running back.
”So, offensively, I’m excited about it, especially with Case” leading the way.
So is coach Vance Joseph.
”I think it’s huge to have a starting quarterback in place,” Joseph said. ”In at league that’s built for parity, from the top to the bottom of the roster
every team’s got talent. But the one position that makes a huge difference is
quarterback. And we do have one in place. So
Calvin Ridley Jersey Elite , that’s exciting for our team.”
No more splitting snaps. No more getting used to two different cadences or throwing styles.
And no more wondering.
”It’s given us clarity for our football team,” Joseph said. ”We’re not guessing who the quarterback’s going to be. We’re not guessing who the leader’s
going to be.”
In Sutton and Hamilton, the Broncos finally have receivers who can not only take pressure off Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders but also apply some
pressure to the veteran starters who were smothered by D-backs last season.
”Adding those two young guys, they’re going to help us,” Joseph said. ”In this league it’s about matchups, it’s about getting 1-on-1s. When you have two
guys and you have no tight end threat, not halfback threat, the defense can
easily bracket those two guys.
”When you have three and you have a guy like Jake Butt in the slot, it’s going to be hard for teams to do that.”
Butt missed his rookie season while recovering from ACL surgery, which caused him to slip into the fifth round in the 2017 NFL draft. But the Broncos believe
that if he can stay healthy, his presence is like adding a first-round talent to
the offense.
The Broncos jettisoned veteran C.J. Anderson in the offseason in a cost-cutting move, leaving a group of running backs long on promise but short on
experience, including rookies Freeman
LeSean McCoy Jersey Youth , David Williams and Philip Lindsay along with second-year pro De’Angelo Henderson and third-year pro Devontae Booker.
”It’s a young group, but I like that,” Joseph said. ”From a halfback perspective, you want guys who are young because that means they are healthy.
Healthy. Willing. Open-minded.”
Notes: Joseph said it’s up to WR Carlos Henderson, who failed to report to camp, whether he has a future in Denver: ”He’s having some family problems right
now and it’s strictly on Carlos whether he wants to continue to play football.”
… Joseph said LG Ron Leary (knee) and RT Veldheer (foot) will both be eased into
the lineup. The only player on PUP will be WR Jordan Taylor, still recovering
from hip surgeries.
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The Minnesota Vikings have agreed to terms on a five-year contract extension with Danielle Hunter, making him one of the top 10 highest-paid defensive ends
in the NFL while securing another core player before he could reach free
agency.
The deal, which was done on Wednesday, is worth up to $72 million, according to a person with knowledge of the contract who spoke on condition of anonymity
because the terms weren’t disclosed by the team.
The deal includes $40 million in guaranteed money, with a $15 million signing bonus. The annual average worth is more than $14 million, on par with fellow
Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen.
”I had to get this out of the way
Cheap Johnny Townsend Jersey ,” Hunter said, acknowledging relief to have signed before training camp. ”I didn’t want to be bothered by anything.”
Hunter has 25 sacks, three forced fumbles and two recovered fumbles in three seasons, after being drafted in the third round in 2015 out of LSU. Still only
23 years old, Hunter was a top priority to retain at a premium position. Griffen
is 30, and primary backup Brian Robison is 35.
”Just looking forward to getting him locked in and what he’s going to continue to bring not only to this defense and this football team, but also the
type of character that he brings,” general manager Rick Spielman said.
Over those past three seasons, Hunter and Griffen have combined for 57 sacks, the second most by a pair of teammates in the league behind Geno Atkins and
Carlos Dunlap of the Cincinnati Bengals (58).
The pass rush and run defense provided by these bookends has been a significant part of coach Mike Zimmer’s unit that gave up the fewest points and
yards in the NFL last season.
”We build a bond together on defense,” Hunter said. ”We go out there, we know we’re brothers. We fight together. We do our assignments. On and off the field
we’re really, really close.
Hunter was third in the NFL with 12 sacks in 2016
Authentic Antonio Callaway Jersey , the most by a defensive end. Born in Jamaica and raised just outside of Houston, the 6-foot-5, 252-pound Hunter was a
classic late bloomer the Vikings targeted with confidence he’d continue to
develop with the right coaching to complement his measurable physical skills.
Spielman and his scouts have been proven right with that pick.
”I kind of came in with the mindset of just playing football. I had a whole bunch of people in front of me, older guys that were able to show me the way,
good coaches and a good coaching staff,” Hunter said. ”The only thing I could do
is just come in here and focus and play football.”
The Vikings extended middle linebacker Eric Kendricks earlier this offseason. Outside linebacker Anthony Barr and wide receiver Stefon Diggs are their other
two standouts on expiring contracts, with space under the salary cap dwindling.
Signing both of them to new long-term deals might not be possible.
They’re plenty happy to at least have Hunter around well into the next decade, though. According to statistics compiled by Vikings coaches, Hunter also
has 125 quarterback hurries and 147 total tackles. He has never missed an NFL
game to injury, with his only two absences coming in 2015 when he was on the
inactive list in the first month of his rookie year.
”It’s all about keep continuing to improve my game. I’ve got to go out there and do what the coaches tell me to do. Now that I have this I can’t relax,”
Hunter said. ”I have to keep pounding and grinding.”
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