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First Jay Cutler and now Brandon Marshall. The way things are going, there won’t be much of an offense left for the Denver Broncos; and new head coach Josh McDaniels hasn’t exactly endeared himself to the players, either. We do know that former Chicago Bears starting quarterback Kyle Orton is the new Broncos starter barring injury. And we know that the front office appears ready to replace troubled, but highly skilled, wide receiver Brandon Marshall with another Brandon … Lloyd, who was signed to a contract on Monday afternoon.

Where does this leave former Hokie standout Eddie Royal? Last year, the 2008 second round draft pick set Denver Bronco rookie receiving records with 91 receptions, 980 receiving yards, 1,089 total yards and five touchdowns. He also only committed one turnover in 15 games, all of which he started. So far Royal’s name seems to be getting left out of the conversation quite a bit when it comes to Marshall’s inevitable departure.

It would seem to reason that Royal benefited from having Marshall on the other side of the field often times being double-covered, leaving Royal with a chance to prove himself. Royal was an untested and undersized rookie that garnered little attention from opposing teams in the preseason. That all changed in week one of the regular season. Royal caught nine passes for 146 yards and 1 touchdown as the Broncos bombed the Oakland Raiders 41-14. Royal exploded onto the NFL scene in a big way.

Will there be a sophomore slump for Royal in 2009? He won’t have Jay Cutler to get him the ball and without Marshall drawing double coverage, it wouldn’t surprise me if Royal sees fewer open lanes. But, as Hokie fans know, Royal has a knack for getting open and he’s a very smart young man, so I’m sure he’s aware that he will have to work even harder this season with a new – and considerably less-talented – QB, as well as the team’s former No. 1 receiver.

If ever there was a time for Royal to step up and assume the role of the go-to guy, this is it. While I don’t expect a repeat of last year’s 1,000-yard output (mainly because of Orton at QB), I still expect Royal to make the most of the situation and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he surpasses last year’s record-setting rooking numbers.

Hear what Eddie Royal had to say about Jay Cutler leaving the Broncos.

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