By now you’ve all heard the news, and we’re simply late to the party – Marcus Thomas was arrested in Florida this weekend for suspicion of possession of cocaine. It’s unclear whether the drugs belonged to Thomas or his driver (one representative claimed that Thomas was getting a ride because he had been drinking, doing the “responsible thing”). Thomas passed a subsequent drug test.

Are you kidding me, Thomas? You’re our only DT worth anything on our roster, you’ve said time and time again you were through with that crap, and here you are hanging out with the wrong crowd. GET YOUR LIFE TOGETHER, FIND SOME NEW FRIENDS, AND STOP FINDING YOUR WAY IN THE POLICE BLOTTER. Whether it was yours or not, keeping that company will get you nowhere.

What are the Monday Morning Quarterbacks saying about the newest Broncos signing? Read on to find out.

Christopher Hart of The Beat–

I think this is a decent signing. Colbert has #2 potential, but also has to be more consistent catching the ball and staying healthy. If he can return to his rookie season form and work hard in the off-season, Colbert could have a good first year with the Broncos.

Pat Yasinkas of ESPN Hashmarks –

Very surprising that the first wide receiver the Broncos brought in for a visit was Keary Colbert. A former second-round pick, Colbert was nothing short of a complete bust in Carolina. … Colbert works hard, but he drops a lot of balls. He doesn’t have great size and has only very ordinary speed. What less could you want in a receiver?

More reactions from fans, and my thoughts, after the jump.

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The Denver Broncos have made their first splash in the free agent market, and they’re staying consistent with their draft-first, conservative mentality.

Former Carolina Panther wide receiver Keary Colbert isn’t a headliner or a Pro Bowler, but he’s a solid, young acquisition with upside who could blossom into the #2 the Broncos are looking for. He signed a 3 year deal with the Broncos worth excess of $7 million, Adam Schefter of the NFL Network reports.

Keary Colbert Stats:

The Denver Post also reports that Ebenezer Ekuban agreed to a one-year deal with the Broncos after his visit to Oakland.

According to the Denver Post, we narrowly dodged a bullet and Lynch agreed to take a significant pay cut to play one more year and not have to move his family.

“I slept right through my phone ringing,” Lynch said. “Had I answered the phone, I would have told him, ‘Thanks for the four years here, but I’m going to free agency.’ ”

“And then I woke up thinking, “What am I doing?” I’ve got four kids who are happy here. I’ve found a home here and I didn’t want to be one of those guys going from team to team. I felt I had earned what I had coming to me but sometimes you have to step back and look at the big picture. And the big picture to me was: I had to find a way to make this work.”

I’m very glad we have Lynch, but I hope he doesn’t end up playing a little less well than he could this season because he resents getting low-balled. I don’t think he will; he’s one of the most stand-up guys in the game, but you can never quite tell what a guy’s subconscious mind will do.

The Broncos seem to be cleaning house today. Less than an hour after the news broke that Javon Walker was released, CBS4 Denver’s Gary Miller has been informed that outside linebacker Ian Gold has also been let go. Full Story.

The move opens up D.J. Williams to move to the weak side, his preferred spot, and one in which he hasn’t filled since his outstanding rookie year in 2004.

Gold was due a roster bonus in the coming days in excess of $1 million.  He will likely be a hot commodity on the free agent market.

Unable to complete a trade, and with a looming $5.4 million bonus due March 4th, the Denver Broncos have released wide receiver Javon Walker. (Story – Denver Post).

Our thoughts in a bit.

Keeping up with Ebenezer Ekuban these days is tricky. Adam Schefter of the NFL Network reported that the Denver Broncos had come to an agreement with Ekuban for a one-year deal. The news was still appearing on the NFLN ticker the last time I checked at around 11am MST.

It is important to note that neither the Denver Post or the Rocky Mountain News published that Ekuban had accepted the Broncos’ deal. In a previous story, Ekuban’s agent Drew Rosenhaus said that his client anticipates testing the free agent market.

In fact, the Denver Post has reported several times that Ekuban remains unsigned, and is the top priority (along with Jason Elam) for the Broncos at this point.

To top it all off, My Fox Colorado is currently reporting that Ekuban is planning to visit Oakland as he explores his free agency options.

By the simple law of numbers, it’s clear Ekuban is, in fact, not in the fold, and that the Broncos are at risk of losing their best run-defending end to our division rival. We’ll keep you posted.

The Denver Broncos signed tight end Nate Jackson to a two-year deal, the Denver Post reports. Jackson’s contract is worth $2 million, including some escalators.

Jackson started to come on in 2007 before he suffered a season-ending groin injury in Week 5. He caught his first career touchdown in Week 3 against Jacksonville. Jackson followed that up with a 24-yard grab in Week 4 and a 9-yard catch in Week 5 before suffering the injury. He ended 2007 with 3 catches for 34 yards (11.3 average) and a touchdown.

In his 4 previous seasons with Denver, his season high came in 2004, where he snagged 8 balls for 73 yards (9.1 average) and no touchdowns.

Jackson is an injury waiting to happen.  In five years with the Broncos, he has never seen the field for all 16 regular season games (often due to injury).  I’m really surprised he got such a large deal.  Meanwhile, Domonique Foxworth, Karl Paymah, Hamza Abdullah, and Chris Myers all got low tenders at $927,000?  Let’s pay Jackson $1 mil to site the bench while we ask Foxy and Myers to play multiple positions on the field, shall we?

I don’t mind Jackson being on the team; nothing against the guy, I wish he would stay healthy so he could have more of an impact… but I hate this deal.  Overpaid, and then some.

Scroll down the blog for last night’s news… we stayed up late so you didn’t have to. Big news from John Engelberger, Ebenezer Ekuban, not as big news from John Lynch, Jason Elam, and then some could-have-been Broncos including Jonathan Vilma and Shaun Rogers made some noise.

• Domonique Foxworth may not be going anywhere after all… and Champ‘s lil’ bro is coming to visit next week. [Denver Post]
• The Broncos were rumored to have been willing to give up a 1st rounder for Carolina DT Kris Jenkins last year. This year, the Jets only gave up a 3rd and a 5th. Informative first 12 hours of free agency recap. [ESPN]
• The Kircus is coming to town… Miami, that is. [PFT Rumor Mill]
• Probably the best place to stay bookmarked if you want the latest free agency news and buzz. [Rotoworld]

After sitting on the fence for months, it appears that 9-time Pro Bowl safety John Lynch is leaning toward returning for another year in the NFL. The Broncos, however, want the team captain to take a paycut in order to return to the squad next season.

Talks between the parties heated up Wednesday afternoon and all day Thursday, ultimately leading to a potential situation where Lynch could be cut if he doesn’t agree to the restructure. Lynch is due over $1 million in bonuses on March 4th on top of $2 million in base salary for 2008. Among the teams Lynch would consider visiting is his home town and AFC West rival San Diego Chargers.

Could Elam, Lynch be gone? [Denver Post]