Denver was a surprise team this past NFL season as the Broncos won the AFC West and then defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs.

Head coach John Fox likes veteran players, and the team has made several moves since he took over last year, and this off-season could see even more roster changes as Fox now has an idea of what type of players he has on the team.

Denver only had nine interceptions last season, and the latest trade rumor has the team looking to fix that problem by adding Asante Samuel from the Philadelphia Eagles. Denver would get a solid corner to play opposite Champ Bailey and a veteran that has proven his ability for the last nine years. With 45 career interceptions, Denver would get a veteran to help Bailey lead the young Broncos defense and a player that could help this team reach the playoffs again in the upcoming season.

The NFL has become all about the offense, but Denver won with solid defense and a strong running game. If the Broncos can add a couple more key players on offense and defense this off-season, they will become a favorite to repeat as AFC West champs.

By Russ Oates

– Senior Editor

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Oct 5, 2011 – The Denver Broncos have been without the services of cornerback Champ Bailey for the past three games, but he did practice all of last week. On Wednesday, Bailey was on the practice, along with Marcus Thomas, for the media practice session, the team’s official Twitter account reported.

Without Champ Bailey, Aaron Rodgers threw four touchdowns and had over 400 passing yards. Coverage on wide receivers was lacking, especially when Greg Jennings was wide open for a touchdown late in the second quarter.

Lindsay Jones of the Denver Post reports that Brian Dawkins was not present at the start of practice, but there is no word on why he was absent. Additionally, Daniel Fells, Demaryius and Julius Thomas and Eddie Royal were not at practice. Fells did injure himself during Sunday’s game, but he returned to fumble a ball and catch a touchdown pass.

For more on the Broncos, visit Mile High Report. Bolts from the Blue is the place to go for more on the Chargers.

Read More: Champ Bailey (CB – DEN), San Diego Chargers, Denver Broncos

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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP)—Defensive tackle Marcus Thomas is practicing with
the Denver Broncos for the first time since injuring his right pectoral muscle
on Aug. 15.

Thomas, who suffered a setback earlier this month when he strained a groin
while rehabbing from his initial injury, was limited in the 20 minutes of
practice that were open to the media.

Thomas was hurt within five minutes of free agent nose tackle Ty Warren(notes)
going down with a torn triceps during a drill during training camp. Warren
underwent surgery and was placed on I.R. for the second straight season.

The Broncos (1-2) haven’t had their top three defenders on the field at the
same time this season, but cornerback Champ Bailey(notes) (hamstring), middle
linebacker D.J. Williams (elbow) and pass-rusher Elvis Dumervil(notes) all practiced
Wednesday.

By Russ Oates

– Senior Editor

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Sep 28, 2011 – The Denver Broncos received encouraging on Wednesday when cornerback Champ Bailey and defensive end Elvis Dumervil stepped onto the practice field, according to the team’s official Twitter feed. Bailey and Dumervil have missed the last two games due to injury and will be needed this Sunday against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

Dumervil had been declared out for the game against the Titans a few days prior to it, but Bailey wasn’t out until the team declared its inactives before the game. Dumervil is coming back from a shoulder injury that occurred during practice before the first game of the season and had him playing sparingly against the Raiders. Bailey injured his hamstring late in the first game of the season, which has created a gap in the secondary.

The Bengals’ Jerome Simpson and the Titans’ Nate Washington both hurt the Broncos secondary for big plays. The Broncos will need a healthy Bailey back because Aaron Rodgers is going to be a tough quarterback to deal with.

Marcus Thomas, out with a groin injury, also participated in practice. As expected, Eddie Royal and Demaryius and Julius Thomas did not practice.

For more on the Broncos, visit Mile High Report.

Read More: Champ Bailey (CB – DEN), Elvis Dumervil (DE – DEN), Denver Broncos, Denver Broncos at Green Bay Packers, Oct 2, 2011 2:15 PM MDT

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Read More: Brandon Lloyd (WR – DEN), Champ Bailey (CB – DEN), Elvis Dumervil (DE – DEN), Knowshon Moreno (RB – DEN), Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos will be without star defensive end Elvis Dumervil for another game as he was declared out for this Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans, reports the Denver Post‘s Lindsay Jones. Dumervil hurt his shoulder during practice before the first game of the season against the Oakland Raiders. He attempted to play through it, but the pain was too much. He played sparingly on third downs and obvious passing plays.

Then he missed last week’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, along with Champ Bailey, Brandon Lloyd and Knowshon Moreno. Those three players, along with D.J. Williams are traveling with the team to Tennessee, but are listed as questionable. Williams dislocated his elbow during the preseason while the other three picked up injuries against the Raiders.

UPDATE: Lloyd, it turned out, was listed as probable on the official injury report.

Receiver Eddie Royal, defensive tackle Marcus Thomas (groin), tight end Julius Thomas (high ankle sprain) and receiver Demaryius Thomas (Achilles, pinky) have also been declared out for the game.

Name	Position	Injury	Wed.	Thu.	Fri.	Status
Champ Bailey	CB	Hamstring	DNP	DNP	DNP	Questionable
Elvis Dumervil	DE	Shoulder	LP	LP	DNP	Out
Brandon Lloyd	WR	Groin	LP	FP	FP	Probable
Knowshon Moreno	RB	Hamstring	LP	LP	LP	Questionable
Eddie Royal	WR	Groin	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out
Demaryius Thomas	WR	Finger	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out
Marcus Thomas	DT	Groin	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out
Julius Thomas	TE	Ankle	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out
D.J. Williams	WLB	Elbow	LP	LP	LP	Questionable

For more on this game, visit our Broncos blog Mile High Report and our Titans blog Music City Miracles.

Read More: Brandon Lloyd (WR – DEN), Willis McGahee (RB – DEN), Champ Bailey (CB – DEN), Elvis Dumervil (DE – DEN), Jonathan Wilhite (DB – DEN), Lance Ball (RB – DEN), Knowshon Moreno (RB – DEN), Cassius Vaughn (CB – DEN), Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos

Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Lloyd returned to practice today, as the team’s official Twitter feed sent out, but injury news on other fronts don’t look as good. Champ Bailey, Elvis Dumervil and Knowshon Moreno were non-participants in practice for the third day in a row, reports Lindsay Jones of the Denver Post.  All four of these players left Monday’s loss to the Oakland Raiders with issues from hamstrings (Bailey, Moreno) to shoulders (Dumervil) to groins (Lloyd). 

While Kyle Orton appears to have his main target on the sidelines back, the other injuries are cause for alarm. Dumervil missed all of last season with a torn pectoral muscle and there’s no indication on how long his strained shoulder will keep him out. Bailey’s absence would force Cassius Vaughn into the starting lineup opposite Andre Goodman, and Jonathan Wilhite would see increased playing time. Both are many steps below Bailey’s level.

If Moreno is unable to play, Willis McGahee will get his carries, though Lance Ball should also pick up the rock a few times. Moreno was ineffective before he left the game, picking up just 22 yards.

For more on the Broncos, visit Mile High Report. Check out Cincy Jungle for more on the Bengals. And stick with SB Nation NFL for league-wide coverage.

Read More: Jonathan Wilhite (CB – NEP), Darcel McBath (S – DEN), Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos added former New England Patriots cornerback Jonathan Wilhite to the roster on Sunday, reports the Denver Post. Wilhite is entering his fourth year in the NFL, having primarily played as a reserve for the Patriots. As fourth-round pick, WIlhite started four games as a rookie for New England and intercepted one pass. He doubled that total in 2009 and started eight games.

He’s played the nickelback role, as the Denver Post points out, which could allow the team to shift Champ Bailey out of that role. We’ll see how that goes soon enough.

The Denver Broncos confirmed this moved and announced the corresponding roster move. Safety Darcel McBath, who beat out Kyle McCarthy for a roster spot on Saturday, was waived. McBath was a Josh McDaniels second-round draft pick in 2009

For more on the Denver Broncos, visit Mile High Report. Check out SB Nation NFL for more on the latest roster cuts around the league.

The NFL combine has been very good to the Denver Broncos.

Many of the prospects who are candidates to be taken by Denver with the No. 2 pick performed very well at the NFL combine, which solidifies their candidacy.

The latest is LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson. He entered the combine with the reputation as one of the best cornerback prospects in years. He did nothing to damage that reputation. Peterson ran a blazing 4.32 40-yard dash Tuesday, Todd McShay of Scouts Inc. said on ESPN’s “SportsCenter.” Peterson weighs 219 pounds, so having a cornerback who looks like a strong safety run that fast has to make scouts drool.

Peterson has been considered somewhat of a long shot to be taken by Denver because the Broncos just re-signed cornerback Champ Bailey and because they have great needs on the defensive line. However, Peterson’s performance at the combine will surely keep him in the conversation.

Other top defensive prospects who performed well at the combine include Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller and Alabama defensive tackle Marcell Dareus. These strong performances will give Denver both a lot of good choices and perhaps some solid trade leverage. The better the talent is up top, the more likely trade partners will materialize. Denver is open to both keeping or trading the No. 2 choice.

Read More: Champ Bailey (CB – DEN), Denver Broncos

Fresh off signing a new four-year contract with the Denver Broncos, cornerback Champ Bailey is now making the rounds to discuss what exactly went on over the last several weeks. While it looked nearly impossible for him to return, Bailey always wanted to stay in Denver and he and the Broncos obliged each other.

Speaking recently on 104.3 the Fan, Bailey addressed a number of questions. In describing the whole process Bailey said, “[N]ow I am certain where I am going to be and I am happy about it.” It’s a stark contrast to the recently-traded Carmelo Anthony, who only wanted to get out of Denver to be happy. And mentioning that the current collective bargaining agreement is set to expire, Bailey believed it was better to get his pay day now instead of whenever free agency started under a new CBA.

Bailey also mentioned that he believes the team is close to being a championship-level team. However, he wants stability on the team, something missing recently. As for head coach John Fox, Bailey has only met him once but came out of that meeting with a positive impression, saying, “He is a guy that you are probably going to want to win for.”

The only question right now, for everyone, is when Bailey and the Broncos will start winning games for Fox.

INDIANAPOLIS — When new Denver Broncos head coach John Fox took over the Carolina Panthers before the 2002 season, that team was coming off a 1-15 record in which the previous talent base had been looted dry, and all that was left was a 1-15 joke of a team and just a few parts with which to rebuild. Within three years, Fox had the Panthers within a few points of a Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots. Iffy personnel decisions and the inability to find a franchise quarterback to replace Jake Delhomme(notes) took the Panthers back down to earth over the last few years, and Fox wasn’t asked to coach the team after his contract expired following the 2010 season.

Now the head coach of the Denver Broncos, Fox faces a similar challenge to the one he took on a decade ago. Nearly bereft of talent as a result of the personnel mistakes of Josh McDaniels, the Broncos must come back to the middle and try to rebuild after a 4-12 record that was the franchise’s worst in a non-strike season in the 16-game era. With new team president John Elway on board, a switch back to a 4-3 defense, and newly-resigned cornerback Champ Bailey(notes), Fox must first eliminate a culture of losing that he couldn’t always transcend in Carolina. After all, the Broncos have the second overall pick this year, but the Panthers have the first – and that’s on Fox, too.

Step one, as Fox said from the podium at the scouting combine on Thursday, was getting Bailey back in the fold. The 32-year-old cornerback has 30 of his 48 interceptions in a Broncos uniform, and he’s still playing at a very high level. “Champ Bailey is a great football player. Again, not just as a player. First and foremost, that’s why we signed him back. We think he’s a great cornerback. But as far as leadership, in the locker room, in the community, a guy representing the organization, I’m not sure anybody’s like that. So I thought it was huge for the Denver Broncos organization and I know it was huge for me personally, because he’ll help our cause.”

Step two will be to decide who the quarterback will be, both short-term and long-term. Will it be Kyle Orton(notes), who put up impressive numbers in McDaniels’ system, 2010 first-round pick Tim Tebow(notes), who is still learning the pro game, or an Option C nobody’s quite aware of just yet.

“I don’t think we’ll really figure it out until we start competing. It’s a group of three I think are very capable. Right now, I think Kyle Orton’s our starter. We’ve got a very young guy, a high draft pick in Tim Tebow who got his feet wet last year toward the end of the season. He did an outstanding job. He’s got some of the intangibles you’re looking for. And then, shoot, Brady Quinn(notes) I’m looking forward to seeing play. I’ve watched him play a little bit in Cleveland. He’s a young guy that’s got about 13 starts under his belt. So we’ll see. But all three I think, I’m excited about.”

Problem is, of course, the greatest quarterback in franchise history (and perhaps NFL history) now hits behind a desk. Fox was asked what it’s like working with Elway. One thing Fox wanted to make clear – THE Elway hire isn’t a misguided Millen-esque disaster waiting to happen.

“Even during the interview process, I obviously followed John as a player and competed against him on the wrong end probably more than I liked,” Fox said. “But he’s all in. This isn’t a PR move. Although, he’s very big in the community in Denver. But he’s burning the midnight oil, he’s working hard, he’s very willing to learn. This isn’t rocket science. I don’t think anyone’s going to find the cure for cancer. But he understands what a football player looks like. Standing in the huddle and doing the things he did as a team leader and football player at the quarterback position, I think he understands what a football player looks like. I’ve been very impressed. He’s got a great willingness to learn the things he doesn’t know. But he knows football.”

John Fox has proven that he knows football. Now, he has to prove – once again – that he can turn a team around. And this time, the biggest challenge will be to keep his team at the top.

Related: Tim Tebow, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots

BRONCOS SIGN CB CHAMP BAILEY TO NEW FOUR-YEAR CONTRACTENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos on Tuesday agreed to terms with cornerback Champ Bailey on a new four-year contract, it was announced.“The talent and leadership that Champ Bailey brings to the Broncos made it very important for us to keep him with the organization,” Head Coach John Fox said. “I have admired him for a long time and I really look forward to having him on our team.”Bailey (6-foot-0, 192 pounds) completed his 12th NFL season in 2010 and his seventh with the Broncos. He was selected to the 2011 Pro Bowl—the 10th of his career—to set a record for the most by a cornerback in NFL history, passing Hall of Famer Mike Haynes (9).Named to the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team, he has played 181 career games (181 starts) and recorded 864 tackles (729 solo), 48 interceptions (446 yds.), 213 passes defensed, three sacks (26 yds.), eight forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries. He has played six postseason contests (six starts), totaling 16 tackles (14 solo), two interceptions (105 yds.) and six passes defensed.His 48 career interceptions rank first among cornerbacks (third among all players) since he entered the NFL as a first-round (seventh overall) draft choice by the Washington Redskins in 1999, and his 183 passes defensed (press box total) are tops among all players during the last 12 seasons.Since being acquired by Denver via trade prior to the 2004 season, Bailey has totaled 30 interceptions (322 yds.), which rank sixth in the NFL during that span and tie him with Broncos Ring of Fame safety Dennis Smith for the sixth most in franchise history.ADDITIONAL NOTES ON BAILEY:* – Began his NFL career starting 99 consecutive regular-season games and has totaled the second-most starts (181) among league cornerbacks since his rookie year in 1999.* – Has been penalized for defensive pass interference just three times in the last five years in the 360 times he was targeted (0.83%) according to Stats Inc.* – Recorded 18 interceptions with Denver from 2005-06, marking the most by an NFL player in a two-year stretch since Everson Wells had 18 interceptions for Dallas from 1981-82.* – Tied for the NFL lead in 2006 with a career-best 10 interceptions, which marked the second-highest single-season total in Denver history and propelled him to a second-place finish in the Associated Press’ NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting.* – Won the 1998 Bronko Nagurski Award at the University of Georgia as the nation’s top defensive player while also earning consensus All-America honors that year.QUOTE FROM BRONCOS EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT JOHN ELWAY ON CHAMP BAILEY:“Champ is truly one of the NFL’s elite players, a 10-time Pro Bowler who is playing at the absolute highest level. He demands greatness from himself at all times and is going to play a big part in returning the Broncos to championship contention.“The commitment that Champ has shown to the Broncos, the city of Denver and this region is exemplary. He’s been rightfully embraced by our community for how he’s represented the Broncos with his play as well as his generosity and charitable efforts as a two-time Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee.“We’re fortunate to have Champ on the Denver Broncos for a long time. This is a GREAT day for our entire organization and all of Broncos Country.”QUOTE FROM BRONCOS GENERAL MANAGER BRIAN XANDERS ON CHAMP BAILEY:“Signing Champ was a top priority this offseason. He has shown incredible loyalty to the Broncos organization and this community in his seven seasons with the club. His value on and off the field is immeasurable, and we couldn’t be happier that he is positioned to finish his Hall of Fame career as a Bronco.”

DENVER, Feb. 22 (UPI) — The Denver Broncos have signed veteran cornerback Champ Bailey to a four-year contract, the team announced Tuesday.

Bailey, 32, picked off a pair of passes and made 45 tackles this past season for Denver, during which he started 15 games.

Bailey has spent seven seasons with the Broncos after playing his first five campaigns with the Washington Redskins.

The deal was confirmed in Twitter posts by John Elway, the Broncos’ executive vice president of football operations.

“Champ is truly one of the NFL’s elite players, a 10-time Pro Bowler who is playing at the absolute highest level,” Elway wrote. “The commitment and loyalty that Champ has shown to the Broncos, the city of Denver and this region is exemplary.”

Bailey has appeared in 10 Pro Bowls and his 48 career interceptions are the most among active cornerbacks.

Updated Feb 22, 2011 6:26 PM ET

The Denver Broncos have reached a new deal Tuesday with starting cornerback Champ Bailey, who was set to become a free agent.

“We are thrilled to announce that the Broncos have agreed to terms on a new four-year contract with cornerback Champ Bailey,” Broncos executive vice president of football operations John Elway said via his Twitter account. “Champ is truly one of the NFL’s elite players, a 10-time Pro Bowler who is playing at the absolute highest level.”

Bailey, who was selected in the first round of the 1999 draft by the Washington Redskins, was acquired in a trade with the Redskins in 2004.

Bailey turns 33 in October, but is still one of the better cover cornerbacks in the NFL.

“The commitment and loyalty that Champ has shown to the Broncos, the city of Denver and this region is exemplary,” Elway added.