The Broncos don’t have a single second of digital video that shows quarterback Charlie Frye taking a regular-season snap in an Oakland uniform, but their defense can ask veteran linebacker Andra Davis to stroll down memory lane.
Frye will make his first start of the season Sunday at Invesco Field at Mile High against the Broncos, replacing injured Bruce Gradkowski and pushing former No. 1 pick JaMarcus Russell down the Raiders’ depth chart. Davis was Frye’s teammate for three seasons with the Browns.
“Charlie’s a good, competitive player,” Davis said. “The situation that he had in Cleveland didn’t work out for him, but he’s definitely a competitor.”
Frye has not played since the preseason for the Raiders. In three appearances in the preseason, he was 15-of-25 for 185 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Frye started 13 games for the Browns in 2006, but has not started more than one game in a season since.
Frye was promoted past the struggling Russell because Raiders coach Tom Cable said Frye “gives us the best opportunity to succeed.”
“He’s started in this league and he did well when he started. It’s unfortunate he got a bad rep in Cleveland,” Davis said.
As far as what that means for Russell, who was the first pick in the 2007 draft, Cable said: “It means that he continues to develop. He stands as the No. 2 quarterback for the Raiders. He’s got some work to do, as do a lot of people in this organization, and he’ll have a future someday.”
