Klis: Bailey will return with Broncos in 2013

During Denver’s heart-breaking 38-35 second overtime loss to Baltimore in the divisional round of the playoffs, Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey was burned twice by Ravens receiver Torrey Smith.  Immediately following the game, the knee-jerk reactions from fans started pouring in.

Some yahoos even went so far as to say the Broncos should cut the 34-year-old veteran to save cap room this offseason, an outlandish suggestion if you consider how well Bailey played in the regular season.  There was also talk of Champ being moved to safety, but head coach John Fox quickly shot down those rumors.

Adding fuel to the fire, CBS Sports‘ Jason La Canfora wrote on Tuesday that Champ may get the boot this summer:

“Bailey had a brutal time of it in the postseason, the Broncos have emerging young corners and owner Pat Bowlen has had them operating on a tight budget,” La Canfora wrote.

In reality, Bailey blew coverage twice—as do all corners at every level from time to time—before returning to shut Smith down in the second half.  Considering that La Canfora is considered an “insider” (he broke of the news of Brandon Stokley‘s signing last summer), his quip on Bailey raised a few eyebrows.

But Bailey won’t be going anywhere, according to the Denver Post‘s Mike Klis. 

“There was a speculative report out there that Champ Bailey is possible cap casualty.  Not true.  Champ will be Bronco,” Klis tweeted on Saturday evening.

It’s hard to tell if Klis spoke to somebody within the organization that confirmed if Bailey will be back or if Klis is just stating something he considers to be fact. If Klis had spoken to a coach or executive, he probably would have insinuated as much.

While we agree that unless something completely unexpected happens, Champ will be a Bronco in 2013; Klis isn’t the most reliable source when it comes to his opinion.

Last offseason, Klis published this nugget in the Denver Post during the Peyton Manning sweepstakes:

“The Broncos will not be in the bidding [to sign Manning], although where Manning lands will create a domino affect that could affect which free-agent quarterback Denver does sign to back up Tim Tebow.”

The next day, Klis ran a piece which stated:

“The Broncos are expected to place a phone call to Manning’s agent, Tom Condon, to gauge their chances [of signing Manning], according to an NFL source close to the situation. …

“It’s too early for Broncos fans to get their hopes up, or for Tebowmaniacs to get depressed. The Redskins and Dolphins are considered the favorites to land Manning, followed by the Seahawks, Jets and Cardinals. The Broncos, though, will at least check out his interest.”

In a matter of twenty-four hours, Klis went from reporting that the Broncos would “not be in the bidding for Manning” to “the team will look into him”. Maybe his information from the team changed during that time, or maybe his first report was just speculation.

Either way, take Klis’ report on Bailey with a grain of salt.  Champ isn’t going anywhere today, but feel free to check back tomorrow.