In 2006, Mike Bell went from undrafted free agent to starting tailback for his hometown Denver Broncos in the first week of training camp.  Despite eventually losing the starting role to Tatum Bell, he still put up a respectable 677 yards and scored 8 TDs in his rookie season.

Prospects looked decent for the Broncos, with a backfield of Bell and Bell splitting the load.  But Mike Shanahan wasn’t satisfied–acting on his apparently insatiable desire to add players of questionable work effort, talent and intelligence into the fold, he acquired Travis Henry and drafted Selvin Young, which upset one Bell (Tatum) to the point of demanding a trade, and forced the other (Mike) to fullback.

Mike Bell played sparinly in 2007, including one chance in Chicago to play tailback–until a fumble on his first carry logically put an end to that.  The Broncos jettisoned Henry after one season, but added another veteran (Michael Pittman) and three more rookies to the backfield.

And then waited.  And had some mini-camps.  And on Monday, just days before reporting for training camp, Shanahan cut him

Not a terribly surprising move, given Shanahan’s apparent belief that his offense can turn any running back into a star, making even stars like Clinton Portis expendable.  But why wait until after all the OTAs are done, and just days before camp?  Why not give a young guy like Bell a chance to latch on somewhere else, and learn enough of the new teams offense to actually stick?  Or hell, if no one in the NFL wants him, even a chance to make a name for himself north of the border?

In my opinion, just another example of the kind of guy Mike Shanahan really is.