Ryan Harris talks with offensive line coach Clancy Barone during a game against the Houston Texans at Invesco Field in 2010. (Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE)

The Denver Broncos have their 53-men for the season, but that doesn’t mean that there wasn’t some heartache involved.

“Today is the worst day of the year,” John Elway said Friday after the team announced their cuts. “The second worst day is last week when we get down to 75 because these guys, they put their heart and souls into being NFL football players. You end a lot of dreams. Guys put a lot of sweat and tears into trying to make a team so it’s always a very tough day.”

The Broncos waived quite a few veterans such as Drayton Florence, Ben Garland, and Greg Orton, but tackle Ryan Harris was probably the deepest and hardest cut.

Harris was drafted by the Broncos in the third round of the 2007 draft, and he was with the team from 2007-2010 where he started 34 games. He was placed on the injured reserve list in 2009 after dislocating two toes, and Josh McDaniels was very frustrated with his play. Harris made his way back to the starting lineup at the end of the 2010 season, but decided to move on to a different team in free agency.

Harris signed with the Philadelphia Eagles and was supposed to be the starter there until he herniated a disk in his back during a preseason game. After he had surgery (the third of his career) on his back, many believed that he didn’t play with enough athleticism.

That didn’t deter the Broncos from resigning him, however.

During Broncos training camp, Harris rotated in with the second and third team offense and was listed as Orlando Franklin’s backup on the depth chart. Chris Clark was the first tackle off the bench in practice and games, however, and as it turns out, that’s who the Broncos ended up choosing in the end.

“It always comes down to the numbers,” Elway said. “Ryan [Harris] had a good camp. He competed. We just felt that with [Chris] Kuper being down and out for probably four more weeks that numbers wise we had to go the direction that we went of keeping Chris Clark as a tackle, and then C.J. [Davis] will be the swing guard center, and then [Philip] Blake will be the eight man there with Kuper being the ninth man. We planned on keeping nine and that’s how it fell out.”

Even though the Broncos weren’t so high on Harris, he could still end up making a roster somewhere. All NFL rosters are far from finalized. Each team will be working on scouting other teams’ roster moves to see if a waived player is worth taking.

My prediction for Harris is that he will stay in the AFC West and move on to the San Diego Chargers where they are hurting on the offensive line.

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The Denver Broncos need to consider all options, including promoting Ryan Harris to starting right tackle, to make up for the injury of Chris Kuper (Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE).

Call it unbelievably bad luck or a casualty of playing a contact-heavy sport, but Chris Kuper has suffered another broken bone injury.  This time it’s his left forearm.

Kuper was on the verge of full recovery from a particularly nasty broken leg he suffered in the regular season finale against the Kansas City Chiefs.  Just how nasty?  Many players were seen diverting their gaze from Kuper’s leg.

The injury will certainly be a setback to the offensive line – a position that might be the gateway to Peyton Manning’s and the team’s overall success.  Kuper is expected to be out 3-6 weeks, putting him on track for return prior to the September 30^th matchup versus the Oakland Raiders.

No knock to Manny Ramirez, the number two guard on the depth chart, but the Broncos need to be thinking about putting the best eleven players on the field even if it means a bit of unorthodox thinking.  Slide Orlando Franklin over to guard and promote Ryan Harris to first-team right tackle.  These types of transitions are never easy for players, especially one learning a new style of offense, but Franklin has collegiate experience at guard and Harris was a highly coveted player in 2011 allowing only 4.5 sacks in 34 starts prior the back injury that forced him out of the 2011 season.

Fortunately for the Broncos, there are still four weeks and three preseason games to determine the right blend for the offensive line, but putting your five best in front of Manning is a good start.

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Ryan Harris sat out of practice Saturday due to an injured ankle. (Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE)

The Denver Broncos had Friday off, but they were back at it full tilt on Saturday. The team practiced in full pads, a jolting reminder of how intense training camp can be.

“I think an easy thing to do would’ve been to bring them out in shorts shortly after playing in a ballgame, but again we’ve only got certain opportunities to go in pads and build the mental toughness of your football team, so I thought they responded well,” John Fox said following Saturday’s practice.

The Broncos also have Sunday off, so there’s no reason why they can’t push themselves a little harder between two days off.

Eight men did not participate for various reasons.

Jim Leonhard (knee), Quinton Carter (hamstring and knee), Tyler  Grisham (knee), Danny Trevathan (ankle), Chris Gronkowsi (groin), Justin Bannan (calf), and Ryan Harris (ankle) did not participate.

Tracy Porter was held out for a portion of practice due to an abdominal strain.

D.J. Williams was excused from practice for a personal reason.

The next practice is scheduled for Monday from 2:20 to 5:00 PM.

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