The Broncos haven’t yet had their first day of training camp, and already Eddie Royal has had a big day.
First, the Broncos gave him a new number Wednesday. Then they gave him a new four-year contract.
The new jersey number is 19. He had been wearing No. 3 during the offseason minicamps. The contract numbers are much larger: The guarantee is worth nearly $2.25 million, with the total package coming in at around $3.9 million.
More important, Royal will be back deep, ready to catch the first punt and kickoff of training camp Friday as he bids to become the Broncos’ top returner in 25 years.
Rarely has the return game been a Broncos strength since Rick Upchurch retired in 1983. Darrien Gordon had a nice two-year run during their Super Bowl championship years. Deltha O’Neal was effective earlier this decade.
But rarely have the Broncos placed the kind of emphasis in their return game they did during this offseason, when they selected Royal with their second-round draft pick, No. 42 overall.
With Royal signed, the Broncos have all 80 players under contract except first-round pick Ryan Clady. Considerable progress in negotiations has been made in recent days, and an agreement on a six-year contract with the left tackle is expected to be reached by tonight. The guaranteed portion of Clady’s contract is expected to be from $10.7 million to $11 million.
Practice, practice.
The Broncos have changed the start of their first training camp workout session from 8:30 a.m. Friday to 11:15 a.m. The second session Friday will start at 4:05 p.m. instead of 3:50 p.m. Both sessions are open to the public.
Mike Klis, The Denver Post
