ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The Denver Broncos have one of the longer lists of free agents in the league and just a week out from the formal opening of the NFL's festival of checks, it's a good time to take a one-a-day look at some of the impending Broncos' free agents.

Today: Virgil Green.

Thursday: Nate Irving.

At least some of the numbers swirling around Green make him a curious case in this class of free agents for the Broncos. Start with the fact the team wants, and needs, what Green does, which is play the parts of football that don't include the ball and he plays them with passion.

Also start with the fact Green does play tight end and, from his perspective, would certainly like the opportunity to do a little more in the parts of the offense that would include him running with the ball. He's said it, consistently offered he believes he can contribute more in the offense, catch more passes be more productive.

"I always believe in my abilities to do more if the opportunities are there," Green said. "...I just do what they ask me to do."

That he does and it has usually involved rolling up his sleeves and getting to work while quarterback Peyton Manning throws the ball someplace else. Green has played in 56 games in his four seasons with the Broncos and he has caught 23 passes in those 56 games combined.

His lone career touchdown reception came in that 56th regular-season game -- the Broncos' regular-season finale against the Oakland Raiders in December. He played 394 snaps on offense this past season -- 34.9 percent of the team's total -- and was the No. 1 guy at the position down the stretch as Julius Thomas recovered from an ankle injury.

Yet, this is what Broncos' executive vice president of football operations/general manager John Elway has had to say about Green and free agency:

"We like Virgil a lot, he was a big part of, he's was kind of our rock, he was asked to do a lot of different things," Elway said. "...He does it all, he's very versatile, we like Virgil a lot too, we would love to have him back."

In fact, at least publicly, the Broncos have been far more complimentary about Green, a player with 23 receptions and one touchdown in his four seasons with the Broncos than they have been about a player at the same position with back-to-back seasons of 12 touchdowns and was in the same draft class as Green -- Thomas.

The Broncos do have significant work to do at the position given the top three tight ends -- Thomas, Green and Jacob Tamme -- are set to be unrestricted free agents, and combined the three played all but four of the snaps at the position in the offense this past season.

With the Broncos installing a new offense that will feature a bigger push to be better in the run game -- coach Gary Kubiak has already vowed, on multiple occasions, a more concerted effort to run the ball -- Green would have a place in the new offense.

And with Thomas expected to sign elsewhere given he's looking to be at, or near, the top of the league's pay-scale at the position and the Broncos haven't shown themselves willing to go there, re-signing Green will be something the Broncos look at hard in the opening days of free agency.

Kubiak wants players at the position who can produce as blockers in the run game with enough athleticism to participate in the passing game when asked to. It's an important piece of the puzzle on offense and in his eight seasons as Texans' coach, Kubiak had at least one tight end catch at least 35 passes in an offense where they were asked to block plenty in the run game as well.

In five of those seasons, Kubiak had two tight ends catch at least 26 passes, and in 2012 the Texans had three tight ends catch at least 28 passes and all three scored at least three touchdowns. One of those three included James Casey, who the Broncos had in for a free-agent visit last week.

So, no doubt the position is getting a makeover for the Broncos and they'd like Green to be a part of it. Now, they just have to see if he fits into their budget.