Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson
It doesn't look like the Broncos will fill their receiver need in the early rounds of the draft. The team signed former Kansas City receiver Sami Parker to a one-year deal on Monday and are known to be seriously talking with former Seattle and San Francisco receiver Darrell Jackson and could secure him by mid week if there are no breakdowns in talks.
The Broncos are making these moves because they want as many veteran receivers as they can get. The team signed Keary Colbert from Carolina on the second day of free agency and return No. 1 receiver Brandon Marshall and No. 3 receiver Brandon Stokley. Veteran Javon Walker was released and then signed a huge deal with AFC West rival Oakland.
There is a school of thought that Denver signed Parker and is close to inking Jackson because of Marshall's arm injury. He suffered major damage to his right forearm in a March accident when he went through a glass entertainment center. The team expects Marshall to be ready in the preseason. Those in the know say this recent run on receivers is more to do with depth than concern about Marshall who is expected to make a full recovery.
The Broncos are looking for a No. 2 receiver and if Jackson signs, he'll likely compete with Colbert for the starting slot opposite of Marshall with Stokley staying the No. 3 and Parker providing insurance.
There are questions marks about all of Denver's receivers other than Marshall, assuming he gets healthy and can stay out of trouble. Colbert's production dropped off considerably in Carolina after a big rookie season in 2004. Stokley, who'll be 32 in June, hasn't stayed healthy for an entire season since 2004. Jackson's production slipped in his one season with the 49ers, in 2007, as he had 46 catches. However, when healthy in Seattle, he was a legitimate playmaker.
Denver is clearly stockpiling players with the hopes of finding some key contributors and perhaps one who could put together a 50-60 catch season as a complement to Marshall. With quarterback Jay Cutler in love with the idea of using tight end Tony Scheffler often, there could end up by an interesting competition for Cutler's attention in Denver in 2008.
