Who's stock is rising and falling in the last couple of weeks? Some Denver players look better than expected, and some are in trouble.
Note: As I was writing this story, Travis Henry lost his job. I had his stock in decline, but was nearly finished with the entire story when Guru published the breaking news.
Let's look at who is is looking good, and who may be in trouble so far...
Travis Henry RB - Major Decline
"There are no more chances for Travis, and he understands that," Shanahan said. "As time goes on, we'll see how he handles that situation. The key is he has to stay healthy and keep his nose out of trouble. If he doesn't, somebody else will come in and do the job. It's not like we don't have the ability to go in different directions."
(courtesy, Denver Post)
When I read this quote from Shanhan I was surprised. It was a pretty harsh statement, and an indication that Henry's time with Denver was in trouble. THen came this:
He wouldn't speculate on whether running back Travis Henry (hamstring) or tight end Tony Scheffler (foot) would make next week's team camp.
"With Tony, any time you're in that type of cast or boot, I would say he would be conditioning for a week before he was even able to think about it," Shanahan said.
"We will talk to Travis about that on Monday and see how he is."
Yep, Henry was in trouble. Now he's gone.
(courtesy - Daily Camera)
Eddie Royal WR - moving up
"The thing I was most impressed with Eddie while watching him on film was his ability to come out of a break and the consistency in his hands," Shanahan said of the receiver and punt returner from Virginia Tech. "He's shown that so far in this camp."
(courtesy - Daily Camera)
Royal was brought in to shore up the PR game, and perhaps KRs too. He is mentioned by several sources as a potential slot receiver for Denver when Stokley moves on.
Ryan Torain RB - moving up
Reports out of camp have been positive on Torain.After seeing Torain perform during the last two weeks, Shanahan expects the fifth-round selection to contribute in the Broncos backfield this season.
“He’s done a great job,” Shanahan said. “He’s picked things up very quickly. As we all know at the running back position you really can’t tell until you have some live ammunition out there and people are trying to tackle you. But I have been impressed with the way he has worked so far. You can see his cutting ability and his ability to catch the ball. He’s looked good.”
Torain was surprised with how smooth quarterback camp went.
(courtesy - BroncoBear cited the above from DenverBroncos.com)
Ryan Clady LT - moving up
Clady is looking so good that he has been nicknamed "sweet feet" by his peers, and looks to be an early lock for the LT position.
Chad Mustard TE - moving down
Courtesy of phantom818 comes the news that Mustard will miss several weeks of camp. While I don't think Mustard is fighting for a spot as the Denver Post seems to believe, I think the injury is a major setback. (I apologize for having bad luck with the link. The story is found here:
http://www.milehighreport.com/2008/6/1/543712/camp-update-mustard-out-8
Other injuries (as reported by Phantom) include Bly, DRob, as well as hamstring injuries to Colbert, Bell, and Larson. However, all of these players are expected back as soon as this week.
Glenn Martinez WR - moving down
Glenn is in trouble in multiple ways. While being the bottom most WR on the roster last year, he has seen the infusion of talent this year of three capable FA WRs and a second round draft pick. Royal in particular may be a problem for Martinez, since Martinez and Royal will compete for punt return duties. Martinez is as good as gone as a WR, and may have to make the case that he is an effective back-up for PRs. It is hard to see Martinez making the top four or five WR spots by beating out the six names likely ahead of him, including Marshall, Colbert, Jackson, Stokely, Parker, and Royal.
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If anyone else has thoughts on who's stock is rising or falling, bring it! As always, discussion and disagreement are encouraged.