While the NFL Lockout is still in place and Judge Susan Nelson has yet to rule on the players' request for an injunction, the NFL has released its preseason schedule for 2011. The team plays three NFC opponents and one AFC team. Those four games are against: the Dallas Cowboys (away, Aug. 13), the Buffalo Bills (home, Aug. 20), the Seattle Seahawks (home, Aug. 27) and the Arizona Cardinals (away, Sept. 1).
Dallas finished 6-10 last season and fired Wade Phillips during the season, promoting Jason Garret to interim coach and then to the permanent position later on. The Buffalo Bills went 4-12 in 2010, the same as the Broncos, and have the No. 3 overall pick in April's draft. If the Bills go with a quarterback for their selection, maybe the Broncos will have a rookie defensive lineman who can attack the rookie signal caller.
The Seattle Seahawks made the playoffs as the NFC West champions with a 7-9 record and a tiebreaker over the St. Louis Rams. And the Arizona Cardinals are a familiar opponent for the Broncos, having humiliated Denver in a late-season game. The Cards won that game, 43-13, but Cards kicker Jay Feely outscored the Broncos all by himself, 25-13.
NFL.com has the complete schedule for the entire league. However, it should be noted that it would likely require at a minimum three weeks to get everything underway for preseason game. So come late July, if there is no CBA in place there may be no preseason (not that that would be a huge loss).