Thread: Broncos' rookies carry report cards

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_12920148

Unsigned draft picks aside, Denver begins to answer key questions when newcomers arrive today to go camping.

So much of Broncos coach Josh McDaniels' tenure thus far has been about questions.

About what happened, what's going to happen, about who's going, who's staying, about what his first season will look like.

"There are a lot of good pieces in place," McDaniels said recently. He added, "But we all know this is a production-based business, and our goal is to try to be as competitive as possible when September hits."

And today, the clock officially starts on getting those answers. The Broncos' rookies formally report to the team's Dove Valley complex for a morning conditioning test before going through a brief workout in the afternoon.

The Broncos' injured players, including disgruntled wide receiver Brandon Marshall, as well as quarterbacks Kyle Orton and Chris Simms, also will report today. The Broncos' rookies, in addition to the two veteran quarterbacks, will practice Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

The veteran players report Thursday and the first full-team practice, which will be open to the public, will be at 8:30 a.m. Friday.

"I know I'm excited," Broncos rookie defensive end Robert Ayers said. "We've been here most of the time since the draft, but this feels like when things really get going. Now we're working toward games."

For his part, however, Ayers will have to wait until he signs a contract. He and a fellow first-round selection, running back Knowshon Moreno, were still unsigned as of Sunday night with Ayers far closer to a deal than Moreno.

The other draft picks are signed. Team officials worked through the weekend, eventually coming to terms with cornerback Alphonso Smith, who agreed to a four-year deal Sunday; as well as safety Darcel McBath, a second-round pick; safety David Bruton, a fourth-rounder; and quarterback Tom Brandstater, a sixth-rounder.

The two first-rounders would be the Broncos' first rookies not to start a training camp on time since running back Tatum Bell and linebacker D.J. Williams in 2004.

Williams missed one practice after agreeing to his deal in the early morning hours before the 2004 camp opened while Bell missed three days before signing and then fracturing his right middle finger in his second practice with the team.

Ayers, who called the ongoing negotiations "just the business part of things you have to work through," said last week he expected to report on time.

Contracts have been slow in coming throughout the NFL, particularly for those players drafted in the opening round, even as camps open in earnest this week.