It's been an eventful off-season, but you know that when they lace 'em up, the Denver Broncos will be on top of their game, and BroncosLocker.com is right there with them. This is your daily dose of Bronco-mania, from the field to the locker room to the "man on the street." Get it all right here!
The Broncos continued their spending spree by adding Darrell Reid to a 3-year, $6.8 million dollar contract. Reid played in all 16 games for the Colts last season and he made 30 tackles and had 2 sacks. He has now played in 55 games in his NFL career and he has made 98 tackles and has 2.5 sacks. This was a good signing for the Broncos as the 26-year old Reid has a decent upside.
The Broncos have signed 30-year old inside linebacker Andra Davis to a undisclosed deal. Davis played in all 16 games for the Browns last season and he made 90 tackles, defensed 3 passes and he had 1 interception. Davis has now played in 105 games in his 7 year NFL career and he has made 642 tackles, defensed 26 passes, has 8.5 sacks, forced 4 fumbles and he has intercepted 8 passes. Davis should help improve the run defense for the Broncos.
The Broncos have signed 35-year old safety Brian Dawkins to a 5-year, $17 million dollar contract with 7.2 million dollars guaranteed. Dawkins played in all 16 games for the Eagles last season and he made 75 tackles, defensed 6 passes, had 3 sacks, forced 6 fumbles and he intercepted 1 pass. He has now played in 183 games in his NFL career and he has made 898 tackles, defensed 153 passes, has 21 sacks, he’s forced 33 fumbles and he has picked off 34 passes (2 returned for a TD). Teaming Dawkins with Renaldo Hill should really improve the back of the Broncos’ defense which was awful last season.
The Broncos have signed 30-year old safety Renaldo Hill to a 4-year, $10 million dollar contract. Hill played in all 16 games for the Dolphins last season and he made 77 tackles, defensed 4 passes and he had 3 interceptions. Hill has now played in 110 games in his NFL career and he has made 474 tackles, defensed 55 passes, has 4.5 sacks and he has intercepted 15 passes (one of which he returned for a TD). With the defense in shambles in Denver this was a good first signing to help them improve on that side of the football.
The Broncos have signed 28-year old WR Jabar Gaffney to a 4-year deal. Gaffney played in all 16 games for the Patriots last season and he caught 38 passes for 468 yards (12.3 avg) with 2 TD grabs. Gaffney has now played in 107 games in his NFL career in which he has caught 256 passes for 3,068 yards (12.0 avg) with 15 TD grabs. He also has carried the ball 9 times for 56 yards (6.2 ypc) in his NFL career. This was a good move for the Broncos as Gaffney is a talented football player who will give the team great depth at WR in 2009.
The Broncos have signed 26-year old J.J. Arrington to a 4-year contract. Arrington played in 11 games for the Cardinals last season and he carried the ball 31 times for 187 yards (6.0 ypc) with 1 TD run. He also caught 29 passes for 255 yards (8.8 avg) with 1 TD grab last season. Arrington has now played in 58 games in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 183 times for 654 yards (3.6 ypc) with 3 TD runs. He has also caught 91 passes for 693 yards (7.6 avg) with 2 TD grabs in his NFL career. Arrington will provide a nice change of pace back for the Broncos in 2009 and beyond because of his speed.
Arrington is also a good special teams player which had to interest the Broncos. He returned 36 kickoffs last season for the Cardinals for 923 yards (25.6 avg) with 1 TD return. Arrington has now returned 114 kickoffs in his NFL career for 2,694 yards (23.6 avg) with 2 TD returns. This was a good signing for the Broncos.
The Broncos have signed 30-year old running back Correll Buckhalter to a 4-year contract. Buckhalter played in 14 games for the Eagles last season and he carried the ball 76 times for 369 yards (4.9 ypc) with 2 TD runs. He also caught 26 passes for 324 yards (12.5 avg) with 2 TD grabs last year. Buckhalter has now played in 74 games in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 476 times for 2,155 yards (4.5 ypc) with 18 TD runs. He has also caught 85 passes for 930 yards (10.9 avg) with 4 TD grabs. Buckhalter has always been productive whenever he has stayed healthy. The Broncos will try to keep him healthy by watching his touches this season.
The Broncos have signed 30-year old long snapper Lonie Paxton to a 5-year, $5.3 million dollar contract. Paxton played in all 16 games for the Patriots last season and he made 1 tackle. He has now played in 141 games in his NFL career and he has made 12 tackles….all on special teams. Paxton is good at his job so it was probably smart to sign him although the price tag might be a tad excessive.