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.

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

Matt Cassel throws a pass during training camp at Missouri Western State University. (Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE)

Some NFL training camps are covered more than others, but one thing is certain. It’s important to know what’s going on in camps in the AFC West.

Jeff Legwold of the Denver Post gives us a great breakdown of the Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, and San Diego Chargers. For example, did you know that Dennis Allen’s main theme for Raiders camp is “accountability?”

Last season the Raiders set league records with 163 penalties — an staggering average of 10.2 per game — for 1,358 yards (an average of 84.9 penalty yards per game). – Jeff Legwold (Denver Post) 

Or did you know that the Chiefs have most of their practices scheduled for the afternoons or evenings during a summer heat wave?

Get the full scoop here.

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

The Denver Broncos opened up training camp with record attendance and a lot of excitement (Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE).

At the first day of training camp on Thursday, there was a discernible energy floating around Dove Valley.  Perhaps it was the record 4,372 fans who endured the July heat to get their first glance of offseason acquisition bombshell Peyton Manning.  Perhaps it was the reciprocal show of enthusiasm from the players – at one point new Bronco Andre Caldwell badly beat bubble player Tony Carter during one-on-one passing drill and proceeded to linger in the endzone, hamming up the first unofficial touchdown of the season.  Perhaps the magic of last year has renewed fans’ passion for their Denver Broncos.  Whatever the reason, football is back and the Denver Broncos are ready to defend their AFC West title.

In case you weren’t able to make it to the team facility to get your fix, here are a couple of quick notes from the first day of Training Camp 2012:

Tempo: Despite the heat, that aforementioned energy led to a great tempo during practice.  Players were moving so seamlessly in and out of drills that the session ended six minutes early.  Coach John Fox mentioned that practices are based on a preset to-do list, not necessarily an end time.

Quarterbacks: Manning was just as advertised.  He was fast-paced and he was accurate.  It is, of course, way too early to judge his overall health and rust factor, but today was an excellent foundation.  Many of today’s passes were short to intermediate, so it’s tough to tell who of Caleb Hannie, Brock Osweiler, and Adam Weber will challenge for the backup role.

Injuries: Receiver Brandon Stokley did not attend practice with flu-like symptoms.  Knowshon Moreno and Chris Kuper are the two most notables coming off substantial injuries; both practiced on a limited based, but their mere presence this early in the season is an encouraging sign.

Weakside Linebacker: D.J. Williams is the kind of player you want on your football team.  He been the team leader in tackles since 2009 and a former defensive captain.  There is no doubt that the Broncos’ defense is better with him on the field.  The only variable is whether his antics will preclude him from being there.  Williams will serve a six-game suspension to start the season for the use of performance enhancing substances.  Fox wasted no time in prepping Jack Del Rio‘s defense for this upheaval and put Wesley Woodyard on the first-team defense.  Williams wasn’t really even involved with the second-team defense, often getting his conditioning work in by mimicking plays.

Return Game: With Eric Page‘s torn ACL resulting in him being waived from the team, Tracy Porter, Drayton Florence, Syd’Quan Thompson, and Eric Decker took repetitions returning punts.  Don’t be surprised to see one of the litany of cornerbacks on the Broncos’ roster stick around specifically to handle returns.

Here are a couple pictures from today’s practice:

Quarterbacks Caleb Hanie (16), Adam Weber (2), Peyon Manning (18), and Brock Osweiler prepare for a drill. prepare for drills.

Peyton Manning scrambles in a quarterback drill.

Demaryius Thomas finishes up a route.

Greg Orton lays out for a sensational touchdown catch.

Friday’s practice is open to the public and will run from 2:20-5:00pm at Dove Valley.

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