The news that Broncos running back Travis Henry might be facing a one-year suspension took many people by surprise.
Henry was suspended for four games in 2005, so his next failed or missed test is supposed to sideline him for an entire season. He is currently in court fighting with the NFL over the results of a recent drug test, and it remains to be seen how the situation will unfold.
The loss of Henry could make the Broncos a very average football team. He leads the NFL with 433 rushing yards and is averaging an impressive 5 yards per carry. Henry was the cornerstone of Mike Shanahan's offense and the best back he has worked with since Terrell Davis. With Henry running at his best, the Broncos are 2-2 and averaging only 18 points per game. Without him, life would get even tougher.
The Broncos aren't the only team on the brink of disaster. Five playoff teams from last season are winless or at 1-3. Teams such as the Rams and Bills have so many injuries that it will be hard to salvage the season. The Bengals are 1-3 and fighting among themselves.
Some of these teams are paying the price for decisions made in the offseason. The $109 million salary cap is a blessing and a curse. Although it gives teams the luxury of keeping many of their top players, adding new players -- outside of the draft -- is becoming more and more difficult.
Indeed, an average of only 15.28 new players per team made 53-man rosters on opening day, about two fewer than normal.
Look at the number of new players some of the struggling teams added -- Chicago (10), New Orleans (15), New York Jets (12), San Diego (7) and Philadelphia (12). The lack of players available after the draft forced teams to do the bulk of their team building in the March-April free-agency period.
The problem with adding few players is that the margin for error is so thin, especially when you consider the even smaller number of impact players available.
Travis Henry
Running Back
Denver Broncos
Shanahan, for example, wanted to shake up everything on a 9-7 team that didn't make the playoffs in 2006. He fired his defensive coordinator and brought in Jim Bates, one of the best coordinators in the league. He brought in six new defensive linemen, but now the Broncos are one of the worst teams in football at stopping the run.
Denver also traded Tatum Bell and put its faith in Henry to handle the rushing attack. The Broncos did help the ground game by paying $30 million over five years for tight end Daniel Graham, who is a fierce blocker. If Henry is lost for any part of the season, the decisions made in the offseason will have weakened the roster instead of strengthened it.
It is becoming more clear each season that the draft is the best place to acquire starters. The teams that get younger seem to get better, as long as they draft well. The Packers are the league's youngest team and have a 4-0 record. The Colts are the second-youngest team and have the same record. The key in both instances is that they get starters out of the draft.
It is also becoming clear that teams hoping to find starters in free agency can't blink and must be willing to pay big to land their first choice. Teams trying to rationalize third and fourth options usually fail in free agency.
The 49ers didn't hesitate to sign cornerback Nate Clements to an $80 million contract, and their defense has improved significantly. The Patriots have benefited from the addition of linebacker Adalius Thomas. Leonard Davis has added power to the Cowboys' running game.
There is no reason for a team to overspend on an average player, but if a quality starter is available in free agency, it is better to sign the player and worry about the cap consequences later.
After the first few days of free agency, though, all bets are off.
The Broncos knew there were risks to signing Henry. He had a couple of strikes against him in the substance abuse program, so his next bad drug test would cost him a season.
With so few additions, it is pretty clear injuries are going to affect teams more and more this season. The Bears were missing four defensive starters this past Sunday -- safety Adam Archuleta, cornerbacks Charles Tillman and Nathan Vasher, and linebacker Lance Briggs. Defensive tackle Tommie Harris was merely a third-down pass-rush specialist because of a knee injury.
The Rams and Bills have suffered the most injuries in football so far, which explains their struggles this season.
Simply put, the turnover in the standings this season has plenty do with the lack of turnover in talent this offseason.
John Clayton, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame writers' wing, is a senior writer for ESPN.com.