Denver Broncos linebacker Nate Irving (56) during the second half against the Cleveland Browns at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos won 34-12. (Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports)

The future of the Denver Broncos revolves around Peyton Manning. We know that.

As Manning goes, now go the Broncos, and as Manning’s supporting cast gets stronger, the better the chances of the ultimate goal: winning a Super Bowl.

Here are four names that will go a long way toward determining what that supporting cast looks like in 2013: Nate Irving, Quinton Carter, Omar Bolden and Philip Blake.

So, why would this foursome, a seemingly rather nondescript group, be so important to the Broncos?

Money, that’s why.

John Elway, Denver’s Executive Vice President of Football Operations and the guy who has the grand plan, says his vision is for the team to be built around the draft, built from within.

Individual success from members of this foursome would go a long way toward making that goal a reality.

Irving, Carter and Bolden are all defenders, with linebacker Irving and safety Carter heading into their third seasons, while cornerback Bolden is heading for his second.  Irving and Bolden played backup and special teams roles throughout the 2012 season, while Carter missed most of the season with a knee injury.

Blake, a center/guard hybrid, will also be in his second season.  He went on injured reserve two weeks into the season with a thumb injury.

The player who could make the most monetary impact is Irving, a third-round pick from North Carolina State in 2011.  He is a 240-pounder who tied for the team lead in special-team stops in 2012.

He was drafted because he was a tackling machine at NC State, even after battling back from a serious auto accident in 2009.

Irving is now completely healthy, knows the system – and is scheduled to make $555,000 next season.

The people he could replace in whole or part would include D.J. Williams (scheduled to make $6 million next season), Joe Mays (scheduled to make $4 million) and/or Keith Brooking (a free agent who made $1 million last season).

If any or all of those returnees were to be jumped on the depth chart by Irving, the team’s budget could be significantly impacted.  A number of other roster spots could be addressed if the Broncos already had their middle linebacker and his name was Irving.

The same goes for Carter and Bolden in the secondary.

Carter, a fourth-round pick out of Oklahoma in 2011, was a starter for the Broncos and recorded two interceptions in two playoff games in 2011. While he may not be a starter next season, he certainly provides depth at both safety spots and comes relatively inexpensively at $555,000.

Carter’s development could impact Bronco thinking on veteran Mike Adams, scheduled to make $1.75 million this season, and free agent Jim Leonhard, who made $875,000 last season and could be brought back for roughly that same amount for next season.

Bolden, a fourth-round draft pick last season from Arizona State, mirrored Irving in a couple of ways:  First, he was a special teams standout last season with the Broncos, ranking just behind Irving in tackles.  He also suffered a severe injury in college, missing all of his senior season with a knee injury.

His mission, at $480,000 next season, will be to step into the rotation as a nickel back.  He may even move to the cover corner opposite Champ Bailey and allow Chris Harris to move to the nickel spot he excels at.

Bolden’s development could impact Denver’s thinking on free agent Tony Carter, who made $615,000 last season and would be in line for slightly more if re-signed.

Then comes Blake.

Elway has already said he believes Blake, a 6-3, 320-pounder drafted in the fourth round last season out of Baylor, will be in the mix for playing time on the interior. Blake took over the starting center job at Baylor his junior year from the graduated J.D. Walton, Denver’s starting center this season until derailed by injury.

Blake, who recorded 82 knockdowns and 10 touchdown-resulting blocks his senior season while blocking for and protecting Robert Griffin III, may be in the mix for a starting job at right guard if incumbent Chris Kuper can’t recover from a now-chronic ankle injury.  And he could allow starting right tackle Orlando Franklin to stay put.

He could also become the hybrid interior line backup at both guard and center slots, all the while slotted to make $480,000 and put veterans like free agent center Dan Koppen, guard Manny Ramirez and/or tackle Chris Clark (all of whom made significantly more last season than Blake will make next season) on the bubble.  While unlikely, Blake could even replace Walton or Koppen as starting center.

Yes, imagine the possibilities – think dollar signs – next season as the Broncos start building their roster.  Any or all of this foursome may provide answers as to which players are brought in via the draft, free agency and/or trades.

Make sure to follow Predominantly Orange on Facebook and on Twitter.

Aug 9, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) under center against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. (Credit: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE)

If you found yourself researching a running back named Xavier Omon after the Denver Broncos preseason game against the Bears last week, you were not alone. There was no shortage of stars during the Broncos 31-3 demolition of Chicago, but several players stood out and made names for themselves. Omon carried the ball 7 times for 36 yards and a touchdown. He finished with an average of 5.1 yards-per-carry and caught one ball out of the backfield. He ran with the authority and toughness that NFL fans love to see and it will be interesting to find out if he can keep it up when he plays against some better competition.

The running back battle was one of the deepest and most competitive camp battles going in Denver, and that was before we were forced to take notice of Omon. The Broncos will most likely carry 4 or 5 running backs depending on how things shake out. With Willis McGahee and Ronnie Hillman locks to make the final roster, and Chris Gronkowski the likely starting fullback, there are possibly 2 roster spots available for other running backs. Lance Ball, Knowshon Moreno, Jeremiah Johnson, and Omon have all shown that they have their sights set on one of those spots, and it’s going to be the camp battle to watch the rest of the way.

Here are some other observations from the Broncos first preseason game of 2012:

• Denver’s electrifying performance did nothing to temper the excitement of fans in Broncos Country. It’s easy to overstate things after a single preseason game, but Denver came to play across the board and looks like a team with the talent to make some serious noise in 2012.
• A lot of draft day doubters feel much better today after watching Derek Wolfe completely destroy the Bears’ offensive front. He finished with 3 solo tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 tackle for loss in his Denver debut. If he can play with that kind of presence consistently the defense will be in great shape going forward.
• Peyton Manning’s only series of the game had some mixed results, but that should have been expected considering it was his first real game action in a year and a half. He ended up going 4/7 for 44-yards passing and an interception on the goal line after a deflection. Despite the ending, the first drive of the game was beautiful. 5:39 came off the clock in 11 plays and it went for 50 yards. The highlight of the drive was a 19-yard completion to Eric Decker for a first down conversion on 3rd-and-17. Manning still has some rust to shake off, but it looks like the Denver offense is going to be a lot of fun to watch with Manning at the helm.
• All four quarterbacks showed some flashes against Chicago. Brock Osweiler and Adam Weber both threw for a score and Caleb Hanie made some nice throws after a rough couple of series. Hanie is getting the reps with the second team for now, but it would surprise me if Osweiler doesn’t move into that position soon.
• The defense as a whole played with tenacity and tackled very well, and it looks like Jack Del Rio has already made an impact. Some youngsters like Mike Mohamed and Nate Irving made some nice plays in space and will get some praise in the film room.
• Tight end Cornelius Ingram is another lesser known player who turned some heads last week. He caught two passes for 45 yards including a 25-yard touchdown reception from Weber. The tight end position is another one with a logjam of players, but Ingram could sneak in there and take a roster spot. Keep an eye on him.
• One of the most underrated things coming out of the Bears game was that the Broncos escaped relatively injury free. The preseason is always a nerve-racking time in regards to injuries, and the injury bug has already seriously bitten some other teams around the league. Hopefully this will be a trend for Denver during the preseason.
• The first preseason game at home will be against the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday, August 18th. I’m sure the atmosphere at Mile High will be electric and Broncos Country will be soaking up every moment. Hit me up on Twitter so we can break it down in real time. Go Broncos!

Make sure to follow @MileHighMonday & @Predomorange on Twitter and Predominantly Orange on Facebook.

The Denver Broncos might be seeing a lot more of Wesley Woodyard if D.J. Williams' suspension appeal isn't successful (Robert Mayer-US PRESSWIRE).

It seems increasingly likely that the Denver Broncos will have to test their depth at linebacker – at least for the first six games of the season.  And while competition at training camp is never a bad thing, you hate to see it predicated on this reason.

On Thursday, federal judge Christine Arguello dismissed embattled linebacker D.J. Williams’ attempt to overturn the sentence handed down by the NFL for a positive drug test last August.  Williams maintained that the league was in violation of protocol through chain-of-custody errors, while the league claims that the samples didn’t originate from a human.  He will now have to take his appeal of the sentence directly to the NFL.

Former Broncos and current Ravens defensive tackle Ryan McBean was also suspended under similar circumstances and has since withdrawn his suit against the league. McBean will serve a three-game suspension to start the season.

Veteran Wesley Woodyard, last year’s third-round pick Nate Irving, and this year’s sixth-round pick Danny Trevathan will likely compete for Williams’ spot on the depth chart, provided the league upholds the suspension.

Make sure to follow Predominantly Orange on Facebook and on Twitter.