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So today the Denver Broncos released their first official depth chart. While it is still very earlier and this chart may not matter much come week 1 of the regular season, we wanted to see how the recent MHR Community Depth Chart stacked up against the official chart. We'll continue to do this as the pre-season progresses since while the MHR Depth Chart may be off right now it may be closer at the end of the pre-season, or it could be even more off.
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Quarterback:
MHR | Official |
---|---|
Peyton Manning | Peyton Manning |
Brock Osweiler | Caleb Hanie |
Adam Weber | Brock Osweiler |
Caleb Hanie | Adam Weber |
- No big surprises here, it's obvious while Hanie hasn't impressed in camp, having game experience matters more to the coaching staff than how well they are playing.
Running Back:
MHR | Official |
---|---|
Willis McGahee | Willis McGahee |
Ronnie Hillman | Lance Ball |
Knowshon Moreno | Ronnie Hillman |
Lance Ball | Knowshon Moreno |
Jeremiah Johnson | Jeremiah Johnson |
Mario Fannin | Xavier Omon |
- Biggest difference here is Lance Ball's rise, which may have to do with his balanced skill set. Moreno and Hillman still round out the top 4 RB's and Johnson was the 5th running back on both depth charts.
Wide Receiver:
MHR | Official |
---|---|
Demaryius Thomas | Demaryius Thomas |
Eric Decker | Eric Decker |
Andre Caldwell | Andre Caldwell |
Brandon Stokley | Matt Willis |
Matt Willis | Brandon Stokley |
Jason Hill | Jason Hill |
- Possible the fewest surprises so far, only big difference was Stokley and Willis for the #5 and #6 spots. The rest of the spots were identical.
Tight End:
MHR | Official |
---|---|
Joel Dreessen | Joel Dreessen |
Jacob Tamme | Jacob Tamme |
Julius Thomas | Virgil Green |
Virgil Green | Julius Thomas |
Cornelius Ingram | Anthony Miller |
Anthony Miller | Cornelius Ingram |
- Virgil Green beating out Julius Thomas may have been one of the biggest surprises of camp for some.
Defensive End:
MHR | Official |
---|---|
Elvis Dumervil | Elvis Dumervil |
Robert Ayers | Jason Hunter |
Jason Hunter | Robert Ayers |
Malik Jackson | Derek Wolfe |
Jeremy Beal | Cyril Obiozor |
Ben Garland | Jeremy Beal |
- This is the first time the community really broke away from the first depth chart. Hunter and Ayers switched spots as basically start #3, Derek Wolfe moved outside (though it's not exactly clear if it's permanent or just part of a change in the scheme. The MHR community was also higher on Ben Garland, but he and Malik Jackson moved inside to defensive tackle. Overall some key differences in this early depth chart.
Defensive Tackle:
MHR | Official |
---|---|
Ty Warren | Ty Warren |
Justin Bannan | Justin Bannan |
Derek Wolfe | Kevin Vickerson |
Kevin Vickerson | Mitch Unrein |
Mitch Unrein | Sealver Siliga |
Sealver Siliga | Malik Jackson |
- As we saw with defensive end, most of the surprises came because of personnel changes because of the scheme. Overall the starters were teh same, but the rest is a bit of a muddled mess.
Outside Linebacker
MHR | Official |
---|---|
Von Miller | Von Miller |
Wesley Woodyard | D.J. Williams |
D.J. Williams | Wesley Woodyard |
Danny Trevathan | Nate Irving |
Mike Mohamed | Jerry Franklin |
Steven Jackson | Danny Trevathan |
- What big personnel changes the defensive line started continued into the linebackers. D.J. Williams was surprisingly allowed to keep his spot (or no one earned it) and Nate Irving and Jerry Franklin moved from the inside outside.
Inside Linebacker:
MHR | Official |
---|---|
Joe Mays | Joe Mays |
Nate Irving | Mike Mohamed |
Jerry Franklin | Steven Johnson |
Elliot Coffey |
- Joe Mays has only secured his hold on the starting position further while a number of outside linebackers moved inside and the inside backers moved outside. Luckily this is the end of the personnel changes.
Cornerback:
MHR | Official |
---|---|
Champ Bailey | Champ Bailey |
Tracy Porter | Tracy Porter |
Chris Harris | Chris Harris |
Drayton Florence | Drayton Florence |
Syd'Quan Thompson | Tony Carter |
Omar Bolden | Omar Bolden |
Tony Carter | Syd'Quan Thompson |
Joshua Moore | Joshua Moore |
- MHR got the first four corners right, but after that it got more complicated. Syd'Quan Tompson slid down and Tony Carter moved up. Tough competition for those last corner spots.
Safety:
MHR | Official |
---|---|
Rahim Moore | Rahim Moore |
Mike Adams | Quinton Carter |
Quinton Carter | Mike Adams |
David Bruton | Rafael Bush |
Jim Leohnard | David Bruton |
Rafael Bush | Jim Leohnard |
- The biggest surprise here is Mike Adams' and David Bruton's slip while Rafael Bush rises.
Overall the MHR Community Depth Chart is fairly accurate, especially in terms of the offense. Also keep in mind this is a fairly early depth chart by the Broncos, so in a month it may be even more accurate. As we get new depth charts we'll continue to compare to see how our depth chart stands up.