Broncos Sign WR Darrell Jackson

by jadunn on Apr 16, 2008 5:21 PM MDT Comment 22 comments

http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_8947201

"The Wednesday afternoon snow in Denver didn't scare off Darrell Jackson.

One of the most productive NFL receivers of the past nine seasons, Jackson and the Broncos reached an agreement on a one-year deal Wednesday following a meeting with team officials at Dove Valley.

"There were three or four other teams interested in Darrell, but everything aligned perfectly for us with Denver," said Brian Mooney, Jackson's agent. "The Broncos gave us the best fit from the offense they run, the coaching staff they have and the opportunity he has both short-term and long-term. Darrell is planning on playing for a while."

With 487 career receptions and 50 touchdowns in eight NFL seasons, Jackson, 29, will compete with Keary Colbert for the No. 2 receiver spot. Other Broncos' receivers are Brandon Marshall, Brandon Stokley and Samie Parker.

Jackson's best years were with the Seattle Seahawks. He had 87 catches for 1,199 yards in 2004 and 63 catches with 10 touchdowns in 2006.

Traded to San Francisco last year, Jackson's production slipped to 46 receptions 497 yards as the 49ers encountered problems with a new offensive coordinator and injuries to quarterback Alex Smith.

"Just as the stars didn't align last year with all the injuries, it's just the opposite with Denver," Mooney said. "With Jay Cutler as the quarterback, I think the Broncos are going to be a fun team to watch."

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Looks like the depth-chart is starting to fill up. I like this move but I wonder whether signing both Jackson and Parker means that drafting a Wideout is now out of the question. If nothing else, what had been a major area of concern as of two days ago is now more shored up.

This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR

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Hmm...

Personally I think Jackson is a good #2 and Parker woudl also be a good wide out. I could very well see denver playign a little more 5 receiver sets with some of these moves.

Marshall
Stokely
Colbert
Parker
Jackson

This could actually end up beifiting us. I would watch out if I was Martinez or anyone else not mentioned. They could become pratice squad guys or worse get cut. I still think we coudl go Wide out but it woudl be a latter move.

With a deal in place for DRob and evey other area of need addressed except OT could Denevr be swinging for Jake Long?

Davis to the Hall!

by Jon Tollerud on Apr 16, 2008 3:08 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Good signing

Catching balls for 500 yards in the niner-offense, thats actually not that bad...

Adequite (spelling) 2nd guy.

It's starting to smell like a trade up for Ellis - like it or not... The lines are the only "omg, we are gonna get soem guys NOW"-need...

From Denmark, so i excuse my self for un-knowing-ness...

by Claaaaas on Apr 16, 2008 3:22 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Stars in allignment

It would appear the stars are beginning to allign for the Broncos as well as Jackson. I guess we will have to wait to see what kind of cards "Cool Hand Shanny" is holding.

by firstfan on Apr 16, 2008 3:27 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

I really like this signing

Jackson is def a nice #2. its gonna shake down like this:

Marshall
Jackson
Stokely
Colbert
Parker

I see us drafting a receiver, but not until later now. Dexter jackson would be a nice pick in the 4th. I would LOVE it if Sweed was there in the 2nd though, i would snatch him up in a second.

by The Villyn on Apr 16, 2008 3:41 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

This should be up on the front page..

if Parker made the front page, then definitely Jackson should!

Zapparulez's MHR Homepage

by Tim Lynch on Apr 16, 2008 3:45 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

WR - check!

I like the signings this reloading season, we're filing holes with good role players. We're not breaking the bank for big names. We have the stars already, just need to get those guys who will complement them.

I always though that we would trade down in the draft, now for the first time I am thinking that we might trade up.

by Darin H on Apr 16, 2008 3:49 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

EXACTLY!

I absolutely love this signing. Take WR off the "to do" list.

We had to have gotten him at an absolute bargain because:
a) we're cheap
b) his year SUCKED last year (Thanks Alex Smith)

This was a coup.

Aside from OT and (possibly) RB, I think the starting O is SET.

by super7 on Apr 16, 2008 4:00 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I hear the foot steps of Jake Long

anyone else?

Davis to the Hall!

by Jon Tollerud on Apr 16, 2008 4:03 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks, indeed.

D-Jack was about as solid as it gets while with Seatown. As expected, however, everyone is a worse WR with Alex Smith at QB, INCLUDING our very own Ashley Lelie. Thanks to a poor season, no teams wanted to offer him big money, and now we get a no-hassle WR for cheap.

I'm not saying he's Rod Smith... but he'll make a good replacement. (I'd rather have Marshall-Jackson than Walker-Smith, and I love me some Smith.)

"I could never quite get the hang of Thursdays..."

by FlaBroncoFan on Apr 16, 2008 8:02 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well,

We only ever got a new Walker and a hurt Smith. If we had Walker one or two seasons ealier, then he and Smith would have made a much better unit than Marshall and Jackson.

Smith and Walker had much more complete games than Marshall. I love Marshall--dude is chaos on a frayed leash--but he is not a complete receiver yet. He will be one soon though.

Orange County is hot. Really! Haven't you seen the weather report?

by amirebram on Apr 16, 2008 8:57 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I like that...

Chaos on a frayed leash...
That's an awesome saying.

I agree with you about Marshall, he has plenty to improve, but for such a young player he has done almost all we could ask for (now, if only he could learn to keep his nose clean off the field - either that or find some better luck).

Regardless, I think we are set up pretty well for next year - about the only thing that we could add would be a pure burner, mainly just for returns.

by hai17 on Apr 17, 2008 7:29 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Chaos on a frayed leash...

I stole the style. It's the type of description that Robert Jordan uses in his Wheel of Time books.

Good books.

Orange County is hot. Really! Haven't you seen the weather report?

by amirebram on Apr 18, 2008 2:26 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I have heard lots of good things about the Wheel

of Time series. Definitely need to find time to read those books.

by Arctic Bronco on Apr 19, 2008 11:41 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Cap Room

Do we have a guess what Jackson cost us? What type of room do we have cap wise? Would this influence a decision to trade up/down?

by firstfan on Apr 16, 2008 4:02 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

terms fo the deal

1 year/$1.5 Million according to Wikipedia

I don't think that the signing affects the 1st round strategy (because I don't think they were targeting a WR, personally), but certainly affects the priortity level of drafting another WR.

Some of our brothers here at MHR would disagree though, as some think Denver would have taken a WR with a traded-down 1st round pick.

I still think Denver has to go OT and DT early and often.

If you look at the offense, every starter is set for the most part, except for the glaring void at Left Tackle. I think everyone, including the Broncos is anxious to see what Ryan Harris Brings to the table, and even if he does start, we'll need depth at both tackles, as Harris is currntly #2 on the depth chart behind Pears at RT.

The only other position with a slight need is Running Back, but Denver may or may not address that this season. Darrell Jackson's only 29, and if he has an above average year, we'll resign him to a multi year deal, and I would suppose that the chances of that happening are VERY strong considering that he's going to be on a very talented offense (as it relates to skill positions) and is in the same offense in which he excelled in with, with the Seahawks, and with the same coaching style he excelled with, with Holmgren.

On Defense, DE and CB are solid(for now). LB needs depth and Safety needs youth. Denver still needs AT LEAST one DT, even if they wrangle Dewayne Robertson from the Jets. He's not the model of health. DT depth and a DT starter (in the form of a pick or D-Rob) is sorely needed from this year's draft.

by super7 on Apr 17, 2008 12:08 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hello spread offense!

though parker isn't a fan and jackson isn't a favorite of mine, the Broncos seem to be aligning themselves with lots of stuffs to trade and the areas they need to fill have options.

That said, if Cutler is better so is the D. Best defense is a good offense.

Jake Long? hehehe <snicker> #1 pick? <snicker> Hahaha I'd laugh hard at the Dolphins. If denver moves up in any type of way, hahahahaha. This may be the first offseason where the moves make sense now. Hamza IS the safety. stopgaps fill in until we find another out of the blue guy. backer is set. I think Shanny is setting out to do what he needs to. Set a foundation around Cutler. Who better than Jake Long? It makes sense.

P.S. sorry for the bad grammar but I've been typing so much, it's not worth it to reach out to the shift key or backspace.

"Cutler is going to get pounded this year unless we build up the Offense!" -The Villyn "Cutler Needs Help Before The D Does!" -BD&TV

by broncodude793 on Apr 16, 2008 4:13 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

To move up that high...

we'd have to give up a whole lot, like our 1st and 2nd at a minimum, plus a pick next year perhaps. Are any of the top players worth it? I love Ellis, but I'm not sure I want us to break the bank over one guy.

I wish Woody Paige was our coach

by bcfunderburk on Apr 16, 2008 5:40 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Hmmmmmm

Ok folks. Take SAF off the table (no outside offers for Hamza, plus two FA signings, plus Lynch sticks around).

Take LB off the table (people may disagree, but K2 and Boss are starters for this team and I project them to be solid).

Take WR off the table (as evidenced above by diary and comments).

Add into the mix the sheer number of draft picks that we have.

Add into the mix that Shanny loves to target high and trade hard.

Add into the mix that the team is at the 80 player limit and can't take a lot of players on board.

I adovocate trading down, but Shanny is in a perfect position to trade away the farm for almost any pick he wants higher than 12. Why stop at Ellis? Dorsey is in reach with this scenario. Don't call me crazy; I'm not saying we will or we should. I'm just pointing out that Shanny has put himself into a position where he can do whatever he wants, and he's done it without spending a lot of money.

Masterfull.

"Greater is an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep" Defoe

by Steve Nichols on Apr 16, 2008 6:21 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

figure that

Jake Long is also within reach, maybe even closer, and add in the fact that Shanny may not be this close again for a long time....

If ever there was a chance to get a top 10 guy, this is it.

I wish my sig was as cool as mdierks!

by Jeremy Bolander on Apr 16, 2008 6:43 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Bursting Bubbles.

We just don't have the ammo in this draft to trade up above #4/5. Moreover, remember who owns those slots. Even if we packaged our top two picks this year and next year's first rounder, we'd still only get up to #3 in value and I'm not sure it'd be worth it. Perhaps we can expand our deal with the Jets. We give them #12, #43 and maybe a 7th rounder for #6 and Dewayne Robertson. At #6, we select the best DT available (I'm thinking Sed Ellis). In the rest of the draft, we can add the neccessary depth along the offensive line, MLB and maybe special teams. Thoughts?

by ejruiz on Apr 16, 2008 6:57 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

LONG SHOT

That would be a bad move to trade up to get Jake Long. Do people really think that Long is that much better than Clady or Williams, where if we stayed at 12 we could snag one of them. Its insane to think that Long is so much better that we should trade our 1st and 2nd round this year at least, and next years 1st rounder.

by ZDonkeys1985 on Apr 16, 2008 8:43 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree

Jake Long might be better than Clady or Williams for most teams but not us. Here's what Scott Williams, who has him no. 1, has to say about his weaknesses: "Does not have outstanding quickness...Feet are just average...Can still improve as a pass blocker" In contrast Williams "Has nimble feet..Does a fantastic job in pass protection" Another board says he might develop into the best OT in this year's class for the right team, which I believe would be us.

I'm as happy as everyone else with the Broncos' pick-ups, especially if D-Rob turns out to be one of them. We already have stars. We don't need to turn our weaknesses into strengths via free agency, we just need for them not to be weaknesses. If seven or so of our players are top-level (Cutler, Marshall, Graham, Scheffler, Nalen, Champ, D.J, Doom?), some are better than average (Bly, Young?), and the rest are average or near-average that puts us in the upper echelon right there. The Broncos have done a brilliant job of bringing our weaknesses up to average while maintaining our strengths.

Now that we've solidified WR with Parker and Jackson we're very nearly at the point where we can go for the BPA and not have to draft for need. If we wheeled and dealed and ended up with three relatively high picks and only that, I think Williams, Mendenhall (or Chris Johnson if he's not available) and Ellis would be my dream team.

by spock on Apr 17, 2008 12:23 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs