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I am enamored with the Miami Dolphins' defense this year. It is talented, productive and deep. And the entire unit is going to benefit greatly from the front three.

Like with any odd front, we need to start with the nose tackle. He is rarely mentioned among the best anchors in the NFL, but Paul Soliai deserves to be. A taller version of guys like Vince Wilfork and Casey Hampton, Soliai is a huge man. And he knows how to use his extreme girth to occupy offensive linemen and hold the point of attack against the run.

He is exactly what you want at the position and the type of player who allows everyone around him to do their jobs more easily. Miami was wise to use its franchise tag on Soliai before free agency opened. He is someone the Dolphins could not afford to lose.

Ronald Fields was recently signed as a backup for Soliai. There would be a noticeable drop-off if Soliai were to miss time, but Fields is built for the position and does have starting experience. He is purely a run-stuffer, but the depth he provides is valuable.

Much like Soliai at the nose, Randy Starks is rarely mentioned when discussing the best 3-4 defensive ends in the league. He too deserves to be in that conversation. A power player who also has strong movement skills, Starks is a force against the run or pass. He has played some nose tackle in the past, but is much better suited at end. Starks is a Pro Bowl-caliber defensive lineman.

Kendall Langford will start at the other defensive end spot. He too had an exceptional 2010 campaign. Like the rest of this group, he is more or less the prototype at the position, but I see Langford as a little quicker and more athletic than Starks. He has slightly superior movement skills, but isn’t quite the power player Starks can be. Langford is the real deal, and he might only be getting better.

Last year’s first-round pick, Jared Odrick, also will be in the mix this season. Coming out of Penn State, Odrick looked ideal for this defense. He is well built with long arms and uses his hands to control his opponent very well for such a young player. Odrick is obviously quite talented, and with the wealth of options the Dolphins have up front, the team should be able to bring him along at his own pace instead of forcing him in when he isn’t ready.

The Dolphins were smart to re-sign Tony McDaniel. Like the rest of this line, the re-signing went largely unnoticed, but McDaniel is hitting his prime. He is a tall defensive end with a great wing span. McDaniel played very well for Miami last season and is about as good of a depth defensive lineman as you will find in the league today.

The odd man out, especially after McDaniels’ re-signing, could be Phillip Merling. As it stands today, the 26-year-old Merling probably will make the team, but injuries have plagued him and he might be a better fit as a more traditional base end in a 4-3 scheme. This is a pivotal year in Merling’s career, but as you can see from the above descriptions, getting playing time might not come easy for this former second-round pick.

The Dolphins added Jason Taylor to spell Koa Misi and Cameron Wake, while also providing great leadership. As pass-rushers, these outside linebackers should benefit greatly from all the attention Miami’s defensive line is sure to attract.

Behind this line, Miami added Kevin Burnett to start opposite Karlos Dansby at linebacker. Burnett replaces Channing Crowder and is a major upgrade in athleticism and versatility. Crowder is the better take-on linebacker, but Burnett is more like Dansby. Because of the exceptional defensive line in front of them, this is a great move, as it will allow these inside linebackers to get to the football more freely and will give the defense many more options on passing downs.

Burnett is also much better equipped to handle the variety of receiving threats that New England will throw at the Dolphins. Crowder simply isn’t equipped to keep up with guys like Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and Danny Woodhead in coverage.

Miami’s defensive line is what makes this all possible.

Scouts Inc. watches games, breaks down film and studies football from all angles for ESPN.com. Follow Matt Williamson on Twitter @WilliamsonNFL.

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Falling:

Ronald Fields, defensive lineman, Denver:

Fields was arrested in Houston last weekend for carrying a gun. He faces misdemeanor charges. It has not been a great offseason for Fields. First, defensive coordinator Mike Nolan (the man responsible for bringing Fields to Denver last year) surprisingly left Denver. Then, the Broncos brought in a new starting defensive line and now this. Fields is expected to be a rotational player this season. Still, this development doesn’t help his already falling star in Denver.

Rising:

Ryan Mathews, running back, San Diego:

The Chargers were very pleased what they saw of Mathews in their rookie minicamp. It reinforced the team’s decision to trade several picks to move from No. 28 to No. 12 to get Mathews last month. San Diego loves the way Mathews moved around the field. They think he will be an instant factor in both the running and receiving games.

After relying heavily on players from his former team (New England) last year, second-year Denver coach Josh McDaniels went back to the Patriot well Tuesday as he remakes his defensive line.

The Broncos signed New England defensive end Jarvis Green. He signed for four years in a deal that will be worth a maximum of $20 million. Denver signed Baltimore defensive tackle Justin Bannan last week.

Both Green and Bannan should play significantly. Last year, Denver’s starting defensive ends were Kenny Peterson and Ryan McBean, and the nose tackle was Ronald Fields.

The Broncos are still trying to get a deal done with former San Diego nose tackle Jamal Williams to play him in a rotation.

Green is a solid but not a spectacular player. He started 12 games and he had one sack last season. Green, a veteran in the 3-4 scheme, has 28 sacks in eight seasons.

With all of the moves Denver is making on the defensive line, it may mean the Broncos will not use an early-round pick on a defensive lineman.

Meanwhile, it is being reported Denver could make a run at Tennessee veteran center Kevin Mawae.

How do the Denver Broncos regain their magic?

That question has been posed all week in the Rocky Mountains as the team is on the cusp of blowing a monumental lead in the AFC West.

The reeling Broncos somehow have to find the answer Sunday as they play host to San Diego in a matchup for sole possession of first place in the division. Both Denver and San Diego are 6-3. That tie seemed highly unlikely on the night of Oct. 19, when the Broncos beat the Chargers to improve to 6-0 and drop San Diego to 2-3.

However, Denver has lost three straight games, most recently at lowly Washington, since its bye. While Denver has come crashing back to earth, San Diego has won four straight games.

The Broncos have had a number of problems the past three weeks. They have looked more like the team many league observers expected them to be, with issues on both sides of the ball.

Here is a look at Denver’s problems and what it must fix to get back on the winning track:

No pressure from the defensive front: This area was considered one of Denver’s biggest question marks going into the season. Starters Kenny Peterson, Ryan McBean and Ronald Fields had two combined NFL starts prior to the season.

The group played well in the first six games but has been pushed around lately. Pittsburgh and Washington ran all over the Broncos. After the 6-0 start, the Broncos were third in the NFL in rushing yards allowed, yielding 79.7 yards per game. Now, they're 12th in the league, allowing 105.6 yards per game. According to ESPN’s Stats & Information, Denver has allowed 157.3 yards rushing, 26th in the league, over the past three games.

The problem clearly starts up front.

“It seems like it’s the group we expected it to be prior to the season,” Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. said. “That unit does not control the line of scrimmage anymore.”

It will be interesting to see how Denver’s defense plays the run against San Diego. The Chargers had the worst rushing offense in the NFL most of the season. But LaDainian Tomlinson got going a bit Sunday against Philadelphia, rushing for 96 yards and taking the pressure off San Diego’s outstanding passing game. Denver must stop the run to keep San Diego's offense one-dimensional.

The entire defense is wearing down: The Denver defense sparked its hot start. The unit didn’t allow more than 17 points in the first six games. It was timely and punishing.

Yet, over the past three games, the defense has looked tired, and it has fallen apart late. Denver has allowed 85 points in the past three games after allowing only 66 points in the first six games. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Denver allowed 262.5 yards per game in the first six games. In the past three games, it allowed 351.7.

The change is startling.

“[We are playing] not very good team defense,” Denver coach Josh McDaniels said. ”We know that we can be successful when we play good team defense. We’ve shown that ability. We’ve done it in the past against good teams. For a number of reasons, we’ve kind of forgotten what got us to that point. We’ve got to go back to work, and we’ve got to all understand that we’re not 11 individuals out there. We’re one group that has to play our responsibility the way that it needs to be played and do our job the way that it needs to be done, and that is many times done without glory individually, but what happens is the ball ends up going back to the guy that it’s supposed to go back to and he’s there to make the tackle. If he does, then you usually play decent run defense. Once you start jumping around blocks and [are] trying to make a play here and there, it kind of spreads throughout the defense and becomes a problem.”

The longer the drives go, the worse Denver gets. According to ESPN Stats & Information, offenses were converting third downs only 26.9 percent of the time against Denver. In the past three games, offenses are converting on third down 56.5 percent of the time.

Williamson isn’t sure Denver is going to improve defensively with older players such as safety Brian Dawkins, cornerback Andre' Goodman and linebacker Andra Davis.

“It worked for a while, but the defense looks worn down and tired,” Williamson said. “Can it get better? I’m not sure because it’s not going to get any younger.”

Deep ball: The offense was, for the most part, along for the ride during Denver’s hot start. The defense was leading the way.

But the offense made it count when it needed to. Led by quarterback Kyle Orton, Denver made the right plays when it had to on offense against Dallas, New England and San Diego.

But Denver’s offense derailed in its seventh game, a 30-7 loss at Baltimore. The Ravens forced the Broncos to throw deep, which is not Orton’s strength. The Ravens played one safety and stacked the box to take away the running game and the short passing game. The Ravens kept Denver’s receivers in front of them and took away the big play. The Steelers mimicked that plan.

In the first half against Washington, Orton had success throwing deep before he hurt his ankle.

“Still, I don’t see that happening on a regular basis,” Williamson said. “Without the deep ball being a constant threat, this offense gets limited.”

For Denver to get more success on offense, it will have to run the ball better. Rookie Knowshon Moreno broke out of a slump with 97 yards against the Redskins. His improved play has to continue. If the Broncos aren’t going to be able to throw deep, they will at least have to complement the short passing game with a legitimate running game.

Special teams: One of the nagging problems of the Mike Shanahan era in Denver was poor special-teams play. Under McDaniels, special-teams play improved early in the season.

However, it has been an issue recently.

Against San Diego and Baltimore, Denver allowed a punt and kickoff return for a score. Against Washington, the Redskins got back into the game with a touchdown on a fake field goal.

These are the types of problems that can kill a team. With problems finding their identity on offense and defense, Denver can’t afford to deal with major failures on special teams. This should be a fairly easy problem to remedy. And it has to be solved. Giving away points on special teams is a sure way to lose games.

All of these issues need to clear up immediately. McDaniels knows his team can execute. Still, the past three weeks are clearly poking holes into Denver’s legitimacy.

“I am not sure where the psyche of our team is,” McDaniels said. ”I know where I’m at. We need to get better. We need to play better. We can coach better. We’re 6-3. We’re playing San Diego, who is also 6-3. It’s a huge division game at home. I don’t know why we wouldn’t like to be in this situation.

"I wish we had won the last three games. I think everybody in this building does, but we didn’t, and there are reasons why we didn’t. We’ve got to go fix the problems and play good football from here on out, starting with this week against a great team coming from San Diego in our division.”

Asked if he thinks Denver can regain its early-season form, Williamson was noncommittal.

“I really don’t know about this team,” Williamson said. “I didn’t expect them to start 6-0 and when they did I was impressed. But they have not looked like they can be a winning team in the past three weeks. They’re a very hard team to read. But they better get it together soon, or they are going to be in trouble. It has to start now against San Diego.”

	AP Photo/Denis Poroy
	Elvis Dumervil had two of Denver's five sacks of Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson

SAN DIEGO -- Kyle Orton walked into the small but satisfied visitor’s locker room at Qualcomm Stadium following his press conference to talk about Denver’s 34-23 statement game against the San Diego Chargers and said “6-0, baby, 6-0,” to no one in particular.

The Broncos are unbeaten and unabashed. They’ve taken the NFL by storm and they are making sure everyone knows about it.

Related Coverage • Recap: Royal's returns lift 6-0 Broncos • Video: Breaking down the Broncos' win • AFC West blog: Complete coverage • Monday Night HQ

The Broncos gave the Chargers the Muhammad Ali treatment. They punched the Chargers out and then they told them about it. Again in true Ali form, the talking started before the beatdowns.

“There’s a new persona about this team,” said four-year Denver veteran tight end Tony Scheffler, who had to be held back from San Diego linebacker Shaun Phillips in the waning seconds of the game. “We feel good about ourselves and we’re going to have fun out there. We aren’t going to be pushed around.”

Denver let that be known when nearly the entire team huddled near the Chargers during pregame warm-ups. A large scrum formed with some pushing and shoving. Officials had to break it up.

Think Miami-Florida State in the golden era of that rivalry.

After the game, the victorious Broncos, who pulled a similar stunt at Oakland in Week 3, were laughing about the dust-up. The Chargers were not.

“That was disrespectful,” said San Diego linebacker Shawne Merriman, who was pushing back players from both teams in the middle of the melee. “But we get to see them again. They didn’t have a cakewalk here … We’ll see them again.”

When the Chargers visit Denver in November, they must do a better job in the second half. Denver is undefeated on the strength of its incredible play after halftime.

	Donald Miralle/Getty Images
	Denver quarterback Kyle Orton was 11-for-15 for 146 yards and two touchdowns in the second half.

The Chargers led 20-17 after a wild first half. But Denver outscored San Diego 17-3 the rest of the way and sealed the victory with its usual array of timely plays on both sides of the ball.

Denver has outscored opponents 76-10 in the second half this season.

“The coaches see what we don’t do right in the first half and we fix it in the second half,” Denver defensive tackle Ronald Fields said. “If that continues, we are going to be very hard to beat.”

Nearly every win by Denver this season has been spawned by a huge play in the second half. Monday night, it was a sack by linebacker Elvis Dumervil, who leads the NFL with 10 sacks. The Broncos recovered a Philip Rivers' fumble on the play and turned it into a field goal and a four-point lead. Denver added a touchdown later in the quarter after another huge defensive stop. One of four unbeaten teams, Denver has allowed an NFL-low 66 points. According to ESPN’s Stats & Information, Rivers was sacked four times on blitzes.

“We pride ourselves in making the big play when it counts,” Denver receiver Brandon Stokley said. “Good teams know how to do that.”

Some other keys to the game:

Chargers get the Royal treatment: Although Denver turned the game around in the second half, the team benefited greatly by two first-half returns for touchdowns by receiver Eddie Royal.

He had a 93-yard kickoff return for a score in the first quarter and a 71-yard punt return for a score in the second quarter. He is the sixth player since the merger in 1970 to have a kickoff and punt return for a score in the same game. He was the first Denver player to do it. For good measure, San Diego return ace Darren Sproles added a 77-yard punt return for a score. It was the first time since 1998 that there were three returns for touchdowns in a game.

“I’m just glad I could help,” Royal said. “The plays just opened up for us.”

Merriman said the two Royal returns were devastating for San Diego.

“We can’t have that,” Merriman said. “You can’t have two returns for scores. It would have been a totally different game if that didn’t happen.”

Orton keeps on keeping on: Like the Denver defense, folks are waiting for Orton to crack. But like his defense, Orton is playing near-perfect football, especially when the game counts.

Orton was 11-of-15 for 146 yards and two touchdowns in the second half Monday night. According to ESPN’s Stats & Information, his passer’s rating in the half was 143.3. He was brilliant in the second half and in overtime against New England in Week 5. Orton was 8-0f-12 on third down, compared to 3-of-7 for Rivers.

Orton, acquired in the Jay Cutler trade, is clearly thriving in Josh McDaniels’ system. He is both managing the game well and making clutch plays. So, the Orton-for-MVP talk is going to continue, at least for another week.

The Chargers aren’t dead yet, but they may be close: Although the focus is on Denver’s huge start, the Chargers’ third straight lousy start cannot be overlooked.

San Diego started 5-5 in 2007 and 4-8 last season before rallying to win the division both years. The Chargers aren’t panicking, but they are not pleased that they must try to come back from behind again.

“I’m sick of it,” Merriman said.

Still, the Chargers don’t have a brutal remaining schedule. Their next two games are at Kansas City and at home against Oakland.

The Chargers know they can turn their season around, but they have to play better, especially on defense. The Chargers couldn’t get off the field Monday night and they had very little pass rush.

“We've got to get better on defense,” Merriman said. “We have to get off the field. It starts there.”

If the Chargers don’t improve, don’t expect the boisterous Broncos to stop yapping.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson

SAN DIEGO -- Denver coach Josh McDaniels has shown before that he is an excellent second-half adjuster. He’ll need to do so again as San Diego leads 20-17 in what has been a fantastic game.

Denver has outscored opponents 59-7 in the second half this season. The 20 points are the most Denver has allowed all season. Denver allowed 10 points in the first quarter for the third straight game.

Denver left tackle Ryan Clady gave up a sack to San Diego rookie Larry English. Clady has allowed sacks in the past two games. He went his first 20 games without allowing a sack.

Denver’s defense is getting beat up. Linebacker Mario Haggan is out with a knee injury and he is questionable to return. Safety Brian Dawkins (hamstring) and defensive tackle Ronald Fields (hamstring) are also out and questionable to return.

If Dawkins remain out, expect San Diego to try to go to tight end Antonio Gates often. He was featured late in the second quarter.

Expect English to get fined for a horse-collar tackle late in the first half.

ESPN’s John Clayton is reporting that Kansas City traded defensive lineman Tank Tyler to Carolina for a fifth-round pick.

	Kyle Terada/US Presswire
	The Denver Broncos are buying what coach Josh McDaniels is selling.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson

The Denver Broncos can’t wait to show up to work each Wednesday to see what’s in store. Under first-year coach Josh McDaniels, every work week in the Rocky Mountains is different.

“We show up for work on Wednesday and McDaniels has something new for us,” defensive tackle Ronald Fields said. “We focus on the opponents more than any other team I’ve been involved in. The details of the opponent are magnified. In the meeting room, we hit the tendencies hard and then on the practice field, we get right after game situations and every Sunday, we feel like we’re going to know what is going to happen. When Sundays show up, we feel like we’re in pretty good shape.”

Related Coverage • Jaworski: Rivers, Orton playing well • Horton: Ball control key for Broncos • Scouts Inc.: Broncos-Chargers preview • Monday Night HQ

The culmination of Denver’s work week this time around is "Monday Night Football." The 5-0 Broncos, the surprise of the NFL this season, visit San Diego. The Chargers, 2-2, are in danger of falling 3.5 games behind the Broncos in the AFC West.

The Chargers’ challenge will be to outfox Denver and its 33-year-old wonder boy, who is the early favorite for the NFL Coach of the Year award.

McDaniels has not only received praise from outside of the organization; his players are raving about the way he has taken charge. Future Hall of Fame cornerback Champ Bailey recently said he has never been so prepared by a coach as he has by McDaniels.

Added Fields: “McDaniels brings it to a new level.”

McDaniels’ plan usually focuses on his opponent’s weaknesses with their style changing to exploit the problems of the opponent. The work week is focused on what can beat that individual opponent.

Against New England, McDaniels revealed the Wildcat offense because the Patriots had trouble with it in the past. Against Dallas, Denver exploited holes in the Cowboys' offensive line with constant blitzing. Against Oakland, the Broncos concentrated on having a strong second half because the Raiders came back late in their first two games.

As the situation goes, so goes McDaniels’ game plan.

“It’s different every week,” Denver linebacker Andra Davis said. “It changes as we go.”

On Monday night, watch for Denver to attack San Diego’s troubled pass defense and stack against the Chargers’ passing offense because their run offense is ranked last in the NFL.

Denver’s success cannot be argued. The Broncos have made the right calls and the big plays, both on offense and on defense, all season. Denver’s wins over Cincinnati, Dallas and New England all came in the final seconds of the game. Both sides of the ball are playing mistake-free football when it counts.

Denver hasn’t been perfect throughout games, but that is part of McDaniels’ preparation. Problems are corrected as the team goes.

“You have to fix your own problems in the game and Coach has made us all accountable for it,” Davis said. “Too many ‘my bads’ are going to cause you to end up [in] the ‘L’ column.”

In the past two games, Denver has fallen behind 10-0 in the first quarter. In both games, however, the Broncos completely controlled the game in the second half.

Denver is outscoring its opponents 59-7 in the second half. In the past four games, the Broncos have not allowed any points in the second half. In the past three games, according to ESPN’s Stats & Information, Denver did not allow a third-down conversion in the second half. Denver’s opponents are 2-of-31 on third down in the second half.

This team doesn’t look like a fluke, thanks to its timely play, excellent second-half adjustments and balanced performance on both sides of the ball. It gave the powerhouse Patriots everything they could handle before making one more key play than New England when it counted.

The Broncos aren’t going anywhere. But they aren’t celebrating yet. They are just showing up on Wednesdays, ready to execute McDaniels’ unique plan.

“This team, we are not taking things for granted,” safety Brian Dawkins said. “We are 5-0 and that is great, but the most important game for us is this next one. That is what we need to [do]: Approach every game the same way and put the same amount of detail into every game. If we continue to do that, continue to detail our work, continue to believe in what the coaches are telling us when we are in this position, then we have the potential to do what we need to do.”

	Ron Chenoy/US Presswire
	Josh McDaniels plans on doing things his way as head coach of the Broncos.

Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- There's no doubt: Josh McDaniels means business in Denver. At 33, the former New England golden child is the man in charge.

"It's his team," said receiver Eddie Royal.

We found that out very early in McDaniels' regime, after the former New England offensive coordinator was hired to replace Mike Shanahan following a 14-year run in Denver. Even though both are regarded as offensive masters, Shanahan and McDaniels see the football world differently.

Camp Confidential: AFC West • Raiders: Fri., July 31 • Chargers: Tues., Aug. 4 • Broncos: Wed., Aug. 12 • Chiefs: Thurs., Aug. 20 • Training camp index

McDaniels shook up the roster, including the offense, which was ranked second in the NFL last year. Of course, the biggest shake-up of the entire NFL offseason was McDaniels' public feud with Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler, one that resulted in the Broncos trading Cutler to Chicago.

The Cutler trade and several other offseason moves showed McDaniels is bent on doing things his way. It has continued on the practice field in training camp.

McDaniels is a man with his own plan and he believes in his way. Players are amazed by the swift and precise manner in which practices are held. Under Shanahan, camp practices were fairly relaxed. Shanahan believed in making sure his troops were ready for Sundays.

Every day is Sunday for McDaniels, who often keeps his team on the field for 30 minutes more than the practice is scheduled for.

"He really spends a lot of time in game situations," Royal said. "We are practicing real game stuff all the time. He doesn't want us to panic when we get to a situation. It's all very well prepared."

McDaniels can't wait to see how his practice ploys play out in the Broncos' preseason opener Friday in San Francisco.

"I hope there are six or eight of these [situations] that come up in the game on Friday night," McDaniels said. "Because then, we will get to actually go out there and see what we learned from all of these practices."

	AP Photo/David Zalubowski
	The Broncos are counting on quarterback Kyle Orton to lead the offense this season.

Some veterans this week said that Shanahan's way got stale. They are willing to give the McDaniels way a whirl. They have no choice, however. He's going to do it anyway -- whether they like it or not.

Key Questions

1. Is Kyle Orton the answer at quarterback?

Orton was given the starting job over Chris Simms in June. It gave him extra time to learn McDaniels' intricate system. Still, Orton is having his ups and downs. He was booed by fans at a scrimmage last week but has since bounced back. Orton is never going to wow anyone, but if he can get a handle on McDaniels' system, he may be a decent game manager. But don't expect anything spectacular.

2. Can the defense turn it around?

The Broncos' fortune may depend on whether the defense can rebound. The team has compiled a sold back eight, if everyone stays healthy. But the key in defensive coordinator Mike Nolan's 3-4 defense is the front three, and the unit is inexperienced. The current starters -- Kenny Peterson and Ryan McBean at end and Ronald Fields at nose tackle -- have two combined starts in the past two NFL seasons. The three starters are big and stout, but none is a proven starter yet.

3. Will Brandon Marshall be ready to contribute?

	AP Photo/David Zalubowski
	Denver needs Brandon Marshall to be healthy and focused.

Ultimately, I believe he will. Marshall has been a big story this offseason. First, he had hip surgery in March, and then in June he asked to be traded. Still, he reported to training camp. Yet, he hasn't practiced in 10 days because of an apparent hamstring injury. Marshall is expected to be fully ready to go by the season opener in Cincinnati on Sept. 13. If Marshall is mentally and physically prepared, he is one of Denver's best players.

Market watch

Orton may be a question mark and there are unknowns about Marshall as well. But we know this: The Denver receiving crew is going to be good.

Orton will have plenty of weapons to work with. The offense will be even more stacked if Marshall is physically and mentally into the game.

Let's face it: Marshall is the jewel of this group and Denver needs him. But the Broncos are very excited about their other receivers.

It starts with R
oyal, who may play several roles in McDaniels' offense. Royal caught 91 passes as a rookie and he could have a Wes Welker-type role in McDaniels' offense.

The Broncos will also find a way to get mileage out of veterans Brandon Stokley and Jabar Gaffney. The savvy veterans could be perfect fits in McDaniels' system that sprays the ball around the field.

Newcomer to watch

There are a ton of newcomers on this team and players like Orton and rookie tailback Knowshon Moreno will be watched closely, but here is a player to watch who could help determine if the defense is going to be improved or not: Andre' Goodman.

Goodman

The right cornerback was signed as a free agent from Miami. The Broncos released the overpriced and underproductive Dre' Bly and believe they got a much better player in Goodman. After a wild free-agent signing spree, Goodman could be one of the best buys. Along with star left cornerback Champ Bailey, Goodman could complete a nice cornerback tandem in Denver.

Goodman has excelled in training camp. He is a ball magnet. Plus, he is a bright player and a leader who is not afraid to take chances. The only real question about Goodman in his career is if he can stay healthy. If Goodman has a big year, it will go a long way in this defense making strides.

Observation deck

The Broncos are sticking with kicker Matt Prater even though he struggled at the end of last season and he has been inconsistent in camp. Prater has a strong leg and he is good on kickoffs. Still, if he struggles in the preseason, Denver may be forced to look elsewhere. ... First-round pick Robert Ayers has shown good pass-rush burst thus far. ... Moreno has been returning kickoffs in camp. McDaniels said on draft weekend that Moreno could be used as a returner as well as a three-down back. It's clear Denver will get its money's worth from him. ... Linebacker Andra Davis has looked good in camp. The Broncos believe their linebacker crew will be much improved as a unit. ... Elvis Dumervil is coming along as a linebacker in the 3-4 defense. He has natural pass-rush skills and the Broncos think he can be a terror in their scheme. ... Rookie receiver Kenny McKinley, a fifth-round pick, has looked impressive. ... The Broncos are pleased with the caliber of people the team has brought in this offseason. The last few years of the Shanahan era were marred by several players having legal issues.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

San Francisco 49ers 2009 UFA Candidates Pos. Age Jamie Martin QB 39.0 Allen Rossum KR 33.3 Takeo Spikes LB 32.1 J.T. O'Sullivan QB 29.5 DeShaun Foster RB 29.1 Sean Ryan TE 28.9 Donald Strickland CB 28.2 Damane Duckett OL 28.0 Bryant Johnson WR 27.9 Ronald Fields DL 27.4 Roderick Green LB 26.8 Billy Bajema TE 26.3

The 49ers stand to get younger this offseason as they part with backup quarterbacks Jamie Martin and J.T. O'Sullivan.

Both are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents. Neither is expected to return.

The chart ranks the 49ers' scheduled unrestricted free agents from oldest to youngest, with ages rounded down to the tenth.

Only three of the 49ers' scheduld free agents are in their 30s, easily the lowest figure in the division. The Cardinals (nine), Rams (eight) and Seahawks (eight) each rank among the NFL's top five teams in 30-plus UFA candidates.

None of the 49ers' scheduled free agents appears to be critical for the team's future. Re-signing Takeo Spikes would make sense. Most of the others appear to qualify for the dreaded at-the-right-price distinction, meaning the 49ers will probably take their time in re-signing them, if they re-sign them at all.