The Denver Broncos and their fans have little to complain about heading into their bye week.

Rookie head coach Josh McDaniels has helped lead this team to its first 6-0 start since the glory days of Broncos past, and Denver has opened up a 3.5 game lead over San Diego in the AFC West.

Still, there are some things off the field that could be keeping the Broncos busy through the bye week, namely the potential re-signing of some big name 2010 free agents.

As of now, Denver’s free agent class of 2010 features the likes of Kyle Orton, Brandon Marshall, Tony Scheffler, Elvis Dumervil, Chris Kuper, Ben Hamilton, and Matt Prater. 

Ouch.

Fortunately for Denver, they have the firepower to make deals happen with all of these players as the NFL could experience its first un-capped year, but the question still remains as to whom the Broncos will decide is worthy of being retained.

As could be expected, each one of those players is having an outstanding season so far, and all are expected to receive big pay increases either now or after the season is finished.

The Broncos likely will retain most of those players, and I feel it is critical that they do.

Kyle Orton has proven to be a perfect fit for Josh McDaniels’ offensive system, and his emergence has not only saved the Broncos from having to select a quarterback in the first round of next year’s draft, but it has also vaulted the Broncos into the elite ranks of the NFL.

Elvis Dumervil has been the top pass rusher of the 2006 rookie class where a defensive end (Mario Williams, HOU) was selected first overall. This season, he has 10 sacks which leads the NFL, and he is on pace to break Michael Strahan’s single season record of 22.5 sacks. 

Dumervil has made a seamless transition to outside linebacker in the Broncos’ 3-4 defensive look, and he is a huge key to the Broncos’ continued success defensively.

Tony Scheffler has emerged in recent games as a favorite target of Orton in the passing game, and has been one of the top receiving threats at his position since he entered the league. He is a wide receiver in a tight end’s body, and he gives the Broncos another dimension offensively.

Chris Kuper and Ben Hamilton are two of the more underrated guards in football today.

Hamilton has been part of this organization since 2002, but his departure would be a lot less painful for the Broncos who drafted Iowa guard Seth Olsen in the fourth round in 2009. If Hamilton’s price is not right, the Broncos could let him walk.

Kuper has played at an elite level for two seasons now, and is quite possibly a Pro Bowl performer for the Broncos. He was the only player in the NFL last season to play every snap without allowing a sack at his position, and the Broncos need to find a way to keep him around.

And then there’s Brandon Marshall.

Marshall ranks third in the NFL over the past three seasons in receptions, and is playing some of the best football of his career in 2009. He is an imposing figure at 6’4″ 230 pounds, and has been the favorite target of quarterback Kyle Orton this season for good reason.

After Marshall’s performances against Dallas and New England this season, Broncos owner Pat Bowlen stated that Marshall would be in for a big pay raise in the near future. One can only assume that if this team continues to make Marshall happy by getting him the ball, he will don the Bronco blue for a long time to come.

The big question is, “Who will the Broncos franchise tag, if need be?”

I honestly do not have an answer for that. It would seem that right now, Kyle Orton would get slapped with the tag if the Broncos couldn’t come to terms with him, but that seems unlikely.

The most likely scenario is that either Brandon Marshall or Tony Scheffler get hit with the franchise tag, unless the team is willing to let Scheffler walk with nothing in return. 

The 2010 NFL Draft is very deep at the top end, and the Broncos are in good position to take advantage of it. The Bears, as it stands right now, would give the Broncos a top 20 pick. 

The Broncos saved money for their free agent class by trading away their own first-round pick in exchange for Alphonso Smith this past draft, and management is looking smarter by the day for making that move.

(Note: A Seahawks fan thanked me earlier in the preseason for Sam Bradford because he thought Denver would end up with the No. 1 pick. Lol.)

As it stands now, here is Denver’s slate of draft picks:

1.  Round One (from Chicago)

2.  Round Two

3.  Round Three

4.  Round Four

**  Denver traded its fifth round pick to New England for DL Le Kevin Smith and a seventh round pick.

**  Denver traded G Montrae Holland to Dallas for their 2010 fifth round pick

**  Denver traded fifth round pick (from Dallas) to Detroit for sixth round pick in 2009 (used to select QB Tom Brandstater)

5.  Round Six

6.  Round Seven

**  Denver traded seventh round pick (from New England) to New England for G Russ Hochstein

My guess is, Denver will try to trade down and acquire more picks if they are not blown away by the players available when they pick for 2010. It’s a very deep draft, and Denver should take advantage. 

This article is not meant to divert attention away from the Broncos’ superb start to the 2009 season, just something the fans should be informed of for the future. The Broncos’ future looks very bright with this core of young players, and it is only going to get better.

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