Not necessarily confident with their depth at center following the Dan Koppen injury, the Broncos went out and added depth by luring Ryan Lilja out of retirement with a 1-year deal.
First reported by Mike Klis of the Denver Post via Twitter, the addition of Lilja clearly displays that the Broncos weren’t liking the idea of Manny Ramirez at center. With J.D. Walton already out, the Broncos lost Dan Koppen for the season on Sunday when he suffered a torn ACL. Koppen, ironically, was also likely lured out of retirement last season. Pulling the same move for the second year in a row, the Broncos bring in Ryan Lilja who last played for the Chiefs in 2012.
Lilja played for the Chiefs and Colts in his NFL tenure, and he won the Super Bowl with Indianapolis in 2007 with Peyton Manning as his quarterback. Peyton and Lilja are quite familiar with each other, as they played together for all of Lilja’s tenure with the Colts from 2004-2009. He started 59 of 66 games for the Colts, and his addition to this Broncos team could mean that the job at center is his to lose with the familiarity he has with Peyton.
He’ll still have to fight with Ramirez for the gig, but adding him to the offensive line gives depth where the Broncos need it most. Orlando Franklin, Ryan Clady, Chris Kuper, and J.D. are all recovering from injuries, and whether he plays at guard or center, Lilja will help make sure Peyton stays upright.
In other news, Cornerback Dominique-Rodgers Cromartie who was brought in as a free-agent to add depth to the secondary, was carted off the field during Training Camp Wednesday afternoon with a pretty severe left ankle sprain. Broncos coaching staff said that he should only be out about two to three weeks, but they’ll likely be cautious with him to make sure he’s ready for the start of the regular season.
Anthony Rodriguez
Anthony is the Founder, Administrator, Editor and Publisher of Lightning Rod Sports. Originally from California, Anthony has been raised in the Rocky Mountains and Denver area for most of his life. Anthony works with the Emmy-winning student-run T.V. newscast at MSU Denver, The Met Report, as the Assistant General Manager, formerly the Sports Producer, as well as Lead Anchor and Production Assistant. He is currently the Play-by-Play Announcer, Color Commentator, and Production Assistant for the Metro State Broadcast Network, and calls games for Metro State soccer, basketball, volleyball, baseball, and softball as a “Voice of the Roadrunners.” In addition to that work with the Metro State Broadcast Network, Anthony also hosts the monthly 30-minute magazine show called "The Roadrunner Review" which airs on Altitude Sports and Entertainment. He hosts the bi-weekly "KMet Sports Show" on KMET Radio at MyMetMedia.com/KMETSportsShow. He is also the Founder, Administrator, Editor, and Columnist for his own Denver Sports website, LightningRodSports.com. Anthony is also part of the Social Media team at Examiner.com, and has worked with the Altitude Radio Network for the Avalanche and Nuggets. Anthony is a former Producer for Mile High Sports Radio, as well as a former Sports-Talk show host on the LightningRod Radio Network.
