Send in the Browns: the Broncos hope a passel of players who had sporadic success in Cleveland can put some bite into their D-line

After Peyton Manning spent another January afternoon boosting his postseason quarterback rating at their expense, the Broncos decided they couldn't keep dying high-scoring playoff deaths in the RCA Dome. They realized the lack of an up-front defensive push was a big culprit in their inability to thwart the pass and create turnovers (only 20 last year). So, they went shopping. And where do you go when you want to find help along the defensive line?

Why, Cleveland, of course.

That's right, the defensive superstore. Home of the NFL's worst run stoppers in 2004. The team that had the fifth-fewest sacks last season. Tied for the most rushing touchdowns surrendered. Went 4-12 and fired its coach. That Cleveland.

And there was plenty of help available. In fact, new Browns coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Phil Savage were having a sale. An everything-must-go sale. Former No. 1 picks? Grab 'em for a midround draft choice. Reserve tackles and ends? Two-for-one. And onetime first overall draft choices with injury histories and plenty of unfulfilled potential? Free.

Credit cards in hand, Broncos G.M. Ted Sundquist and coach Mike Shanahan went on the kind of spree that would make Elton John blush. Cleaned the place out. When it was over, they had added four former Cleveland defensive linemen--and spent very little to do it. Tackle Gerard Warren, the Browns' 2001 first-round pick, cost only a fourth-round choice. The Broncos swapped Reuben Droughns, who was expected to compete for the starting fullback position, for end Ebenezer Ekuban and got Cleveland to toss in versatile lineman Michael Myers at no extra charge. And Courtney Brown, the first overall pick in the 2000 draft, cost only an incentive-laden free-agent contract with a modest '05 cap hit. "It wasn't planned that we would go after all the Cleveland Browns' defensive linemen," Sundquist says. "We reviewed each individual case."

Before the binge, Denver hired former Browns defensive line coach Andre Patterson, who will handle the ends. "But Andre didn't run into my office and say, 'Get me my guys,'" Sundquist says. "That never happened."

Denver finished the defensive face-lift by signing linebacker Ian Gold, a former Bronco who played with the Buccaneers last season, and drafting three cornerbacks to fortify starters Champ Bailey and Lenny Walls.

But the big news was up front. Heading into the '05 season, the Broncos' rebuilt defensive line has a distinct Lake Erie flavor--and plenty of questions. The most significant is whether a group of players who had sporadic success in one place can turn it around somewhere else. Can Brown, who has had two serious injuries in the past two years (torn ligament in his left foot, ruptured right biceps tendon), give the Broncos a full, productive season? Will Warren put forth the effort necessary to make good on his substantial potential, and can he play more disciplined football? Will Myers and Ekuban be reliable reserves?

"I always ask, 'What is available?' and there weren't a lot of defensive linemen on the market," says one NFL pro personnel director. "They did the best job they could in an area of concern. I guess their philosophy is 'strength through numbers.'"

While the Broncos were acquiring Browns players as if a Dawg Pound denizen were running the front office, they allowed free-agent defensive end Reggie Hayward, who had a team-leading 10 1/2 sacks in '04, to leave. It was a decision eerily similar to the one Denver made after the 2003 season, when it chose not to re-sign end Bertrand Berry, who had posted 11 1/2 sacks. With the Cardinals last year, Berry dumped the quarterback 14 1/2 times, the second-best total in the league. The Jaguars signed Hayward to a five-year deal that included a $10 million bonus, so the Broncos perhaps decided they would deal in volume more than quality.

"Not that we didn't value Reggie," Sundquist says, "but when we were looking at the needs we had, we felt we could probably accomplish more things that we wanted to do rather than tie it up in one player."

The Broncos are hoping to remain flexible under the salary cap and not get burned again. Last year, they were stung not only by Berry's departure but also by end Trevor Pryce's back injury. Losing Pryce forced Denver to go with prehistoric veteran Marco Coleman, who acquitted himself well enough to get a one-year reprise but hardly can be considered a stalwart. With Pryce back, Shanahan and Sundquist envision a front line of Pryce and Brown at the ends and Warren and Mario Fatafehi inside. Monsanto Pope, who was solid last year in his first season as a fulltime starter, Ekuban and Myers will play reserve roles. Sounds good--in theory.

"Our line played admirably last year, but it was a patchwork," Sundquist says. "We needed to upgrade."

So, what did the Broncos get? The big catch, at least from a name perspective, is Brown. Big things were forecast for him after a solid rookie season that included 85 total tackles and 4 1/2 sacks. But that potential never has been realized. Because of various injuries--he has finished each of the past four seasons on the injured reserve list--Brown has played in only 31 of his team's past 64 games. "Is that a product of his body or circumstance?" asks one NFL pro scout. "Has he been unlucky, or is his body not capable of taking the pounding?"

The Broncos believe Brown has been unfortunate, not soft. They point to the first seven games of the '03 season, when he piled up six sacks and forced three fumbles. "When he was on the field, he was a dynamic football player," Sundquist says. Brown's "heyday" came under the tutelage of Patterson, described by Pryce as a coach who emphasizes technique. Perhaps the reunion will allow Brown to flourish again. He was back running in mid-spring and is expected to be cleared for all work by training camp. If healthy, he could be a force. Or, he could be inconsistent.

"He doesn't have great instincts because of the lack of playing time," the personnel director says. "He's still a developing player."

Brown isn't listening to the talk about his insufficient NFL growth. "I have the opportunity to make a fresh start," he says. "It's been tough dealing with the injuries, but my attitude is that it's all behind me. I'm getting ready for the season."

Warren has been preparing, too, perhaps harder than ever. "We have what I consider the hardest offseason program in the NFL, and he's here every day with a smile on his face," Pryce says. If Warren keeps grinning--and working--the Broncos will be thrilled. And Warren's critics will quiet down.

The knocks on Warren since his NFL arrival have been his lack of commitment to conditioning and to playing hard every game. During his first three seasons, Warren made two or fewer tackles in 11 games. "1 think early in his career, he didn't know what it was to be a pro," the scout says. "He came into the league thinking he didn't have to work. Once he found that out, I think he played better (in 2004) than he did previously."

At 6-4, 325, Warren has the size and heft to cave the pocket and clog running lanes--if he's using the proper technique and has prepared well. Scouts criticize his gap discipline and play recognition skills, the latter a function of not studying his opponent. It comes back to his willingness to do more than just step on the field and hope to dominate with his natural talents.

Warren can't wait for training camp. "When I get out onto the field, I'm going to make an impression on my teammates and kill the media with my play on the field," he says. "I take all the clippings and negative aspects, and while I don't take them to heart, I use them as fuel to motivate me."

Ekuban and Myers will provide depth, but if either plays more than 15 to 20 snaps a game, something will have gone wrong with the master plan. Ekuban is playing on his third team in as many years, and though he had eight sacks with the Browns last season, he is coming off shoulder surgery and arthroscopic knee surgery. He is an up-the-field end who lacks a countermove. One scout described him as a player who collects "garbage sacks," the kind that almost come to him. He's steady but not a front-line end.

Myers isn't a starter, either. At 300 pounds, he's a little undersized for a tackle, but he won't "get you demolished" in spot duty, according to the scout. "He's a solid guy," Warren says. "He can play anywhere on the line, from nose guard to end."

There they are, the new Broncos linemen. If fresh starts mean anything, expect big things. But the team has taken a chance, surrendering two strong pass rushers in as many years in return for a volume discount. "They want to start from scratch, and it's a relief for all of them to get out of Cleveland," Pryce says of his new linemates. "Also, if we're all getting it done, they don't want to be the ones who can't make the run or handle the work. We know what it takes to win. They don't want to be the weak link. I don't know what you've heard about them, but from what I've seen, (the negative reviews) are all wrong."

The Broncos sure hope so.

DEPTH perception

The Broncos looked to the draft for cornerback depth, selecting Oklahoma State's Darrent Williams (second round), Washington State's Karl Paymah (third) and Maryland's Domonique Foxworth (third) with their first three picks.

Williams, whom one scout calls "a huge risk in the second round" partly because of off-field issues, is physical but small and has good ball skills. He'll likely be an asset as a kick returner before contributing much as a corner. Paymah and Foxworth are adequate cover men but hardly candidates to be first-rate NFL corners. The Broncos found depth, all right, but no star material.--M.B.

Broncos hope Clarett will be a runaway--not runaround--back

As if emptying Cleveland of its defensive linemen weren't controversial enough, the Broncos decided to add another Ohio product with a shaky pedigree on draft day. With the final pick of the third round, Denver took Maurice Clarett, former Ohio State running back and speculation magnet.

"He's only 21 years old and has played one year of football--one very productive year of football--in a conference that resembles the NFL in its physical nature," says Broncos general manager Ted Sundquist. "If he had done for the last two years what he did the one year he played, he would have been a first-rounder."

That's right. But Clarett hasn't played since the 2003 Fiesta Bowl. And his bizarre behavior and myriad off-field troubles in Columbus cloud that great '02 season. Sundquist says Clarett had "two years to grow up," and his performance during interviews and media sessions at the NFL Combine indicated he has matured some. But he also ended his Combine workout abruptly after running a mediocre 40-yard dash. Clarett later ran a 4.67 at his private workout, but he hardly is a sure thing. "Everything he did to get ready for the draft helped him," says an NFL scout. "Except he didn't run well."--M.B.

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