We’ll try to keep track of the Free Agency Signings and Visitors in this post.  So be sure to check back here often as Free Agency Progresses

Updated: 03/04/2009 - 12:42 PM Eastern Time

Signings

• LaMont Jordan - RB - 03/04/2009 - 2 years, 2.5 mil
• Ronald Fields - DT - 03/02/2009 - 2 years, 5 mil
• Andre Goodman - CB - 03/01/2009
• Brian Dawkins - FS - 02/28/2009 5 years 17 mil, 7.2 Guaranteed
• Andra Davis - LB - 02/28/2009
• Darrell Reid - DT - 02/28/2009
• Renaldo Hill - FS - 02/27/2009
• Jabar Gaffney - WR - 02/27/209
• JJ Arrington - RB - 02/27/2009 — Deal has been Rejected
• Correll Buckhalter - RB - 02/27/2009
• Lonnie Paxton - LS - 02/27/2009

Offer Sheets

• David Anderson - WR - Houston - 7th Round Tender

Scheduled Visits

• Chris Simms - QB - Visit Scheduled on 03/04/09
• Vonnie Holliday - DE - Visit Scheduled on 03/05/09
• Derrick Ward - RB - Signed with the Bucs

Rumored Interest

• Chris Canty - DE - Signed with the Giants
• Ray Lewis - LB
• Ron Bartell - CB - Re-Signed with the Rams
• Phillip Buchanon - CB
• Bryant McFadden - CB
• Michael Clayton - WR
• Marques Douglas - DE

Reported NOT interested

• None of Note

For more rumors/speculation, check the forums.

We all knew the Broncos would need to sign a safety or two, but with the departure of Dre Bly, the cornerback position suddenly comes back into focus as well. If nothing else, they will need to pickup some depth. Good news is, there are a lot of corners on the market this year. Here are a few of them.

Nnamdi Asomugha - 28 - CB - Raiders

It is looking more and more like the Raiders will franchise this guy, so it seems silly to spend much time talking about him. He is, without question the number one corner in the league at the moment. The Raiders would be insane to let him get away….but as we all know, when you lookup insane in the dictionary, you are met with a picture of Al Davis.

Updated: Reports are he is close to a deal with the Raiders

Leigh Bodden - 27 - CB - Lions

Bodden was released by the Lions a week ago and is one of the more talented available corners in this free agency crop. He excelled as a press corner in his time with the Browns, and Chad Johnson even remarked that he was the toughest corner he had to play against. Then he was traded to the Lions where they proceeded to use him primarily in zone coverage. If the Broncos are looking for a press corner, Bodden could be a good solution. Unfortunately, he will probably be very expensive.

Kelvin Hayden - 26 - CB - Colts

Hayden is a young corner with some decent ball skills. He played wide receiver for a time in college and running back in high school, so you know he has some moves. He also happens to wear a Super Bowl ring from the Colts 2006 championship, so while he was young when they won, he does have an idea of what needs to be done to win a championship. Will be interesting to see if the Colts let him get away.

Update: Kelvin signed a 4 year deal with the Colts, avoiding the Franchise Tag

Domonique Foxworth - 26 - CB - Falcons

Amusing right? Why did the Broncos trade this guy away for a box full of autographed Quentin Griffin 8×10s? Foxworth came up big for the Falcons and has grown into a solid corner. If the Falcons re-sign him the Broncos need to give up a 6th round pick. Otherwise it is just the 7th rounder. So in theory the Broncos could get him back.

Ronald Bartell - 27 - CB - Rams

Another solid, young corner. On an awful Rams team, Bartell was one of the lone bright spots. At 6′1, 205 he has a solid build and decent size to deal with the larger wide receivers in the league today. He ran a 4.37 at the combine back in the day so he has decent speed as well. He has proven he can be effective in press and zone coverage. It’s is difficult to believe the Rams would let him get away.

Atogwe was given the franchise tag, so will be interesting to see what happens with Bartell.

Bryant McFadden - 27 - CB - Steelers

McFadden is a solid corner who had some injury issues last season (broke his arm). Having joined the Steelers back in 2005 he now has been on two Super Bowl winning teams. Given his age, and his ability, he is another one that I would assume the Steelers would try to resign. But given their issues with the offensive line free agents, they may not have the opportunity. They have come out and said they would like to get him signed before free agency begins. Given the Steelers run a 3-4, he would be a nice pickup for the Broncos.

Dunta Robinson - 27 - CB - Texans

Dunta is a solid corner, at one point looking like he would be one of the top corners in the game. However, injuries, including an ACL tear have plagued his career as of late. He is still young, is fast, and is a solid performer when healthy. At 5′10 and 184, he is on the smaller side of the corner spectrum, but he could be an interesting signing, assuming he was inexpensive. Big assumption there.

Phillip Buchanon - 28 - CB - Bucs

Early on in his career it, Buchanon was written off as a bust with the Raiders. He then toiled in Houston for a couple more years. Now, for some reason he has figured things out and became a solid corner for the Bucs. Raheem Morris? System? I do not know. I am not sold on bringing in a cover-2 style corner for the new 3-4 system. I think there are better options.

Safeties

While not as deep as the cornerback pool, there are a number of safeties who could be plugged in and be effective immediately. One would have to assume the Broncos will also select a safety in the first few rounds who would step in a start immediately.

Jermaine Phillips - 30 - S - Bucs

Phillips has turned into one of the better safeties in the league over the past couple years. Unfortunately he was injured late in the 2008 season, but should make a full recovery. At 30, he is getting up there, but would be a solid addition to the Broncos.

James Sanders - 25 - S - Patriots

Sanders is an interesting player. He is young. He understands what McDaniels will be looking for. He should be able to step in immediately and contribute at one of the safety positions. I am sure if McD feels he can fit the Broncos new needs, he will push hard to sign the guy.

Sean Jones - 27 - S - Browns

An injury in 2008 hampered Jones’ progression, however he really started to show some flashes of being a solid safety in this league. He is still young and should be able to bounce back from his injury and get back to tearing things up in the league. At 6′1 - 220, he has always been known as a hard hitter.

O.J. Atogwe - 28 - S - Rams

There have been rumblings that Atogwe would be franchised by the Rams. He has racked up a number of interceptions over the past two seasons, but at the same time is a bit of a gambler. Risk/Reward right?

Update: Atogwe has been slapped with the Franchise tag

Jim Leonhard - 26 - S - Ravens

When Dawan Landry went down, Jim Leonhard stepped up his game and filled in well. Of course, this was on a team with an amazing front 7 and next to one of the best safeties in the league. Was it a flash in the pan? At 26, he has youth on his side and could be a decent plugin. Speculation is, however, that he will sign with his former defensive coordinator, Rex Ryan in New York.

Brian Dawkins - 35 - S - Eagles

Future Hall of Famer who still brings intensity and big hits to the field. His leadership alone is worth every penny he would be paid. While B-Dawk may only have another season or two in him, I would be excited to see him in Orange and Blue. That being said, it would be nice to see the guy play out his career in Philly.

Mike Brown - 31 - S - Bears

Mike Brown has shown flashed of brilliance…in those moments when he has been healthy. If he could stay healthy for more than a week, I would love to have him on any team. But, giving the guy a roster spot would certainly be a gamble. Only way I see him in Denver is with an incentive laden contract.

That concludes our Free Agency series on the defensive side of the ball. I think we will skip the offensive side as, while there may be some surprise signing, the Broncos really need to focus on filling out the defensive side of the ball.

If you have not already read them, feel free to check out our other Free Agency features:

• Available Free Agents - Linebackers
• Available Free Agents - Defensive Line

A couple days ago we discussed the available free agent defensive linemen for 2009. Today we will have a closer look at the available linebackers and which ones may fit the new 3-4 scheme McD and Nolan will implement.

Terrell Suggs - 26 - OLB - Ravens

In my opinion, Suggs is the crown jewel of this free agency crop, at least with the Broncos in mind. The guy is a young, dominant pass rushing force who can also play well in coverage. He has experience as a 3-4 OLB and just came off a great season. Adding to this, two of Terrell’s best seasons came while Mike Nolan ran the Ravens’ defense. Unfortunately, it would seem that the Ravens will do all they can to resign the guy, and failing that would probably slap the franchise tag on him. 26 year old guys who have proven they can get to the quarterback do not become available.

Update: Suggs was stuck with the Franchise Tag. They are working on a long term deal now.

Pierre Woods - 27 - OLB - Patriots (RFA)

Interesting guy here. He has mostly been a reserve/special-teamer in New England, but as we mentioned in the defensive line post, we could see McDaniels trying to pickup a few depth guys who already understand the Patriots way of doing things. Woods being a restricted free agent makes this a little dicey, but I could see him ending up in Orange and Blue.

Ray Lewis - 34 - ILB - Ravens

The Broncos have lacked Ray Lewis type leadership since Al Wilson left town. Ray Lewis would bring a fire and intensity to the team that the Broncos desperately need. However, he will command a large salary and at 34 one has to wonder how many more productive years the guy has in him. He could be another Junior Seau playing till 40, but that’s asking a bit much. He will more likely end up in a Jets uniform playing for Rex Ryan or will stay in Baltimore to retire in his purple jersey.

Karlos Dansby - 27 - ILB - Cardinals

Dansby proved to be a dominant force during the playoffs. He has quietly become one of the better inside backers in the league over the past couple seasons. At 27, he has a good number of productive years ahead of him. Team him up with DJ Williams inside and you’d have a nice solid run stopping machine. Dansby has already come out and said that he wants to see what kind of contracts linebackers will be getting this off-season and thinks he deserves to be one of the highest paid among them. Do the Broncos want to invest that much cash in this position? I think the Broncos could get buy with DJ and a draft pick or a cheaper free agent or even Spencer Larsen on the inside.

Jonathan Vilma - 27 - ILB - Saints

Former teammate of DJ Williams at ‘Da-U’, Vilma spent the last season in New Orleans after spending the early years of his career with the Jets. While it would be interesting to see DJ and Vilma paired up again, Vilma was not very productive as a 3-4 ILB at the tail end of his Jets days. His recent resurgence while playing in the Saints’ 4-3 should mean that he will likely stay in such a system. So I really cannot see him coming to Denver.

Bart Scott - 29 - ILB - Ravens

Bart Scott…with Suggs probably being franchised, and any other money the Ravens may be able to muster up, most ‘experts’ figure Scott will be the odd man out. One has to question whether Scott is simply a product of the volume of talent on the Ravens, or if he really is a stand out 3-4 linebacker. If nothing else, he could be plugged into the Broncos new linebacking corps and should be a solid contributor. He will probably be looking for a good payday though and at 29 is it worth it?

Channing Crowder - 25 - ILB - Dolphins

To me, Crowder is an interesting option. He was a tackling machine for the Phins in their 3-4 system. The question will be, how much will be be looking to get? At 25, one would think he will be looking for a big payday. Is it worth it for a 3-4 ILB? Again, we may have enough talent on the roster already to fill that spot, so, I am not sure. The Phinsider had a nice detailed writeup on the guy and whether or not he was worth keeping in Miami.

Takeo Spikes - 32 - ILB - 49ers

Spikes played for Mike Nolan in San Francisco and served as a solid ‘partner in crime’ next to Patrick Willis. While Takeo is getting up there in age, he could provide some leadership and act as a mentor to some of the younger linebackers on the roster. At the right price I could certainly see him filling a role on the team. Sure, he will not be the answer for years to come, but he could fill in as the starter next to DJ until a younger guy steps up to take the spot.

So what do I see happening out of all of this? It is difficult to say. I would love to see a guy like Suggs in Orange and Blue, but it’s a bit of a stretch. Could the Panthers let Peppers get away? Seems more likely than Suggs at this point, but do the Broncos dump a truck load of money for him? Again, not sure. Orakpo, Brown and Curry will all most likely be gone at our pick, so an impact outside backer in the draft is not extremely likely either. So let’s just assume for the moment that we can get Peppers or Suggs.

Little Pie in the Sky, but…

Starters
Julius Peppers - DJ Williams - Rey Maualuga - Jarvis Moss

Crazy? Perhaps. Let us know what you think in the forum.

With free agency set to open on February 27th, it is time we had a look at the free agency market and see which players may be able to help the Broncos make the transition from 4-3 to 3-4.

Today we will start with a look at the defensive line.  Over the next few days we will have a look at the available linebackers and defensive backs as well.

Albert Haynesworth - 28 - DT - Titans

The man with the big foot.  As dominant as he was over the past two years, where was he the first few years of his career?  Haynesworth will command a truck load of money and he just seems to have ‘once I am paid, I am done’ written all over him.  There is a huge amount of risk involved here and there is nothing that says he will be as dominant in a 3-4 scheme as he was in a 4-3.  Is he a 3-4 End?  Is a 3-4 end worth that much?  I really hope the Broncos pass on this guy, the money could be better spent elsewhere.

Gabe Watson - 25 - DT - Cardinals (RFA)

Gabe is a mountain of a man who had a slow start to his career but turned it on strong here for the Cardinals late in the season and in the playoffs.  That could point us to ‘wanting to get paid’, or it could just mean that he started to figure things out, he is a young guy.  Watson could be an answer at nose tackle, but being a restricted free agent (that would most likely get the highest tender ), do you give up a 1st and a 3rd for the guy?  Not sold on him either.

Shaun Cody - 26 - DT - Lions

In the months leading up to the 2005 draft, a lot of draft gurus projected Cody as a 3-4 defensive end.  Unfortunately for him, the Lions drafted him and they have been experimenting with him at DT and DE in a 4-3.  He should be a relatively inexpensive signing and could fit into a rotation at DE.

Julius Peppers - 29 - DE - Panthers

This guy interests me.  He is aging, but he is still extremely athletic and a playmaker.  He has said that he would like to play OLB in a 3-4, and that could prove to be very interesting.  The problem here is, he will still command a ton of money and will be playing in a position where he has not proven himself.  If the Broncos are going to dump a ton of money on a playmaking OLB, I would rather see them get Terrell Suggs (assuming he isn’t franchised).

Chris Canty - 26 - DE - Cowboys

On the surface, Canty seems appealing.  A young guy who has played 3-4 end.  However, I have read a lot of negative commentary on him from various Cowboys fan sites.  He certainly seems like someone who could step in day one and be at least servicable at the DE spot.  So I am still on the fence on signing this guy.

Mike Wright - 27 - DE - Patriots

Wright is a servicable 3-4 defensive end.  He should fit into a rotation or at least provide backup potential.  He should be relatively inexpensive and already understands the Patriots way of doing things.  I suspect the Chiefs will be looking to nab this guy as well should they hire a 3-4 defensive coordinator.

Ebenezer Ekuban - 33 - DE - Broncos
Kenny Peterson - 30 - DT - Broncos

Eb and Kenny are both aging, but both proved to be solid performers last season on a horrible defensive squad.  Eb got a little pressure and Kenny was generally solid in the run game.  We’re just looking for bodies who can gobble up blocks and both of these guys are big enough, and stout enough at the point of attack to fill in at 3-4 end.  They should be inexpensive, if nothing else, they should provide good depth.

Potential Defensive Line

It is looking more and more like the Broncos will have to find a nose tackle in the draft.  If BJ Raji is available at pick 12 (looking unlikely), he should be the selection and should fill in nicely.  Otherwise there are some other options later in the draft, like Raji’s teamate Brace who could be had in the 3rd round.  Let’s just assume Raji is available at pick 12.

Starting Line

Marcus Thomas - BJ Raji - Shaun Cody

Backups

Ekuban - Mike Wright - Peterson

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