There were few surprises among the starters on the first official depth chart released by the Broncos on Monday morning.
But with the second string, where players are fighting not just for playing time but for roster spots, things are plenty interesting.
Take the backup quarterback battle, for instance, where coach John Fox has insisted that behind starter Peyton Manning, he has three quarterbacks he considers to be “2A, B, and C.” Fox likely won’t change that refrain in interviews; nevertheless, the depth chart lists Caleb Hanie as No. 2, rookie Brock Osweiler at No. 3 and second-year player Adam Weber at No. 4.
And look at safety, where at least three players are vying for two starting jobs. Second-year players Rahim
Moore and Quinton Carter are listed in the first spots, though veteran Mike Adams, who signed here as a free agent in March, has been with the first team since training camp began. Carter has not practiced since July 27 and recently had minor arthroscopic surgery on his knee.
At defensive tackle, veterans Ty Warren and Justin Bannan are listed as the starters, with Kevin Vickerson and Mitch Unrein on second string. Unrein, who has taken many snaps with the first team as Bannan rests a sore calf, leap-frogged Sealver Siligia, who had spent time with the starters in minicamp in June.
The depth chart also shows former first-round pick Knowshon Moreno has work to do to secure a roster spot. He is listed fourth, behind Willis McGahee, Lance Ball and rookie Ronnie Hillman. Moreno, who is not yet fully recovered from ACL surgery, has seen limited work in full-team drills. Hillman has missed the last several practices with a hamstring injury.
Veteran linebacker D.J. Williams is listed as the starting weakside linebacker, likely a courtesy to his standing as an eight-year starter. But anyone who has watched any training camp knows that, in reality, Williams is currently off the depth chart altogether as the team prepares
for his six-game suspension. Wesley Woodyard, listed at No. 2, has been working with the first-team base defense.
As for other draft picks, second-round defensive lineman Derek Wolfe is listed as the backup to Elvis Dumervil at right defensive end. Wolfe has taken snaps with the first-team nickel defense at defensive tackle recently in camp.
Other draft picks Philip Blake (guard/center), Omar Bolden (cornerback) and linebacker Danny Trevathan (linebacker) are each listed third at their respective positions, though Trevathan has seen work with the first-team nickel defense.
Lindsay H. Jones: 303-954-1262, ljones@denverpost.com or twitter.com/lindsay_h_jones