The Broncos’ rationale for trying to trade Gerard Warren? Mike Shanahan said last week he felt the team was 10 deep on the defensive line.
Make that nine deep.
Ebenezer Ekuban is gone, the victim of a torn Achilles tendon in a relatively meaningless game, and he isn’t coming back.
As troubling as Ekuban’s injury is – he not only is a starting defensive end, but also happens to be one of the nicest guys on the team – there’s a bigger-picture issue here.
With Warren in career limbo and Ekuban gone, the Broncos are painfully thin in experienced defensive linemen. And they have no one to blame but themselves.
Check out the names of the veteran D-linemen on the roster. John Engelberger. Sam Adams. Kenard Lang. Jimmy Kennedy. Alvin McKinley. And others. What do they all have in common?
Answer: None was drafted by the Broncos. Not that Shanahan and his staff haven’t tried to develop their own defensive linemen. They have drafted several, and all have come and gone, many after contributing little.
That’s why the development of draft picks Jarvis Moss, Tim Crowder and Marcus Thomas is so critical to the Broncos’ success. In fact, after , it’s more critical than ever.
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