Miller was named the 2011 Defensive Rookie of the Year in February. (Joey Foley/Getty Images, File Photo)

While one perennial Denver Broncos Pro Bowler may be on his way out of the team locker room, two others are are on their way out of the country.

Cornerback Champ Bailey and linebacker Von Miller are among six NFL all-stars heading to the Middle East to spend time with American service members as part of a USO tour, the NFL announced. The other players are Browns linebacker D’Qwell Jackson, Bucs guard Davin Joseph, Panthers WR Steve Smith, and Texans defensive end J.J. Watt.

It will be the first NFL-USO tour for all six players, the NFL said in a statement.

“This is a great opportunity to support the service men and women of our armed forces and bring attention to their efforts overseas,” Bailey said.

“I’m excited to represent the Broncos and the NFL on this tour and show my appreciation for the military personnel who serve our country,” said Miller.

Miller and Bailey will be sure to pass on a Mile High Salute on behalf of all Broncos fans to the those who really deserve it — our servicemen and women overseas.

(Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Add Rashard Mendenhall to the list of free agent running backs that the Denver Broncos are interested in this offseason.  The team has already been linked to Shonn Greene and Steven Jackson, and is now reportedly interested in Mendenhall.

Per the Denver Post‘s Mike Klis:

Rashard Mendendall, who at 25 years of age and with two 1,000-yard rushing seasons will be one of the youngest and most accomplished running backs to hit the free-agent market Tuesday, has drawn interest from the Broncos.

The level of the Broncos’ interest in Mendenhall is difficult to gauge. They have a menu of 12 to 15 free agent players who they believe could fit their roster under the right circumstances and for the right price. While contacting agents of these free-agent players, the Broncos to date have said little more than they have some interest and they’ll get back to them later.

Other free agents that the team has looked at include Dwight Freeney, Osi Umenyiora and Dunta Robinson.  Denver is also reportedly interested in trading for Darrelle Revis, while attempting to lower Elvis Dumervil‘s salary.

(Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

Between now and Saturday the 16th, something is going to happen with Elvis Dumervil.  The Denver Broncos have several options.

On Saturday, Dumervil’s $12 million 2013 base salary will become fully guaranteed, and Denver has no intention of paying that much for his services.  The Broncos want Dumervil to take a pay cut and are threatening to cut him if he doesn’t.

Meanwhile, the team appears to be interested in Dwight Freeney and Osi Umenyiora as possible replacements.  Dumervil and his agent, Marty Magid, haven’t talked to the team since Friday, leading ProFootballTalk.com‘s Mike Florio to speculate that the team may be planning to move on without Dumervil.

What Dumervil and Magid may hear is, “Thanks for the memories.”  Now that they know what Dumervil will take, the Broncos have been able to spend the last two days finding out whether they can sign Dwight Freeney or John Abraham or Cliff Avril or Osi Umenyiora or any other available pass rushers for substantially less that Dumervil is willing to take.

An ideal situation for Denver would be trading Dumervil and signing a similarly productive rusher at a cheaper price tag.  Whether that will happen remains to be seen, but something—a pay cut, trade, or Dumervil’s contract being restructured—will likely happen by next weekend.

On a different note, we passed along a report earlier today that the team is interested in New York’s Darrelle Revis.  The team is now emphatically denying that report through multiple media outlets.  Somebody is bluffing.

Update:  The team has denied interest in Revis through multiple media outlets.

The New York Jets may be on the verge of trading cornerback Darrelle Revis, and Denver appears to be a potential landing spot for the veteran defensive back.

We have already connected the dots that point to the Broncos being interested in Revis, and on Sunday, ESPN.com‘s Rich Cimini reported the following:

“The Darrelle Revis camp is pushing for a resolution ASAP — i.e. a trade — because it’s concerned about the cornerback market drying up […].

“For those of you on Revis Watch, pay attention to the cornerback signings, starting Tuesday. That could tell us where Revis might be headed. The Broncos have expressed interest, according to a source,” Gimini wrote on ESPN‘s New York Jets blog.

The Broncos apparently want to move Chris Harris back inside in nickel packages and are looking for a proven starter to play across from All-Pro Champ Bailey.  Last week, the team visited with free agent Dunta Robinson, confirming that they are indeed looking at CBs.

Might Revis Island play across from Champ this fall?  Stay tuned…

(Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

Teams are allowed to begin talking with free agents today through Tuesday, with all signings allowed to begin on the 12th.  The Denver Broncos are reportedly looking at a pair of defensive ends.

The Broncos want Elvis Dumervil to take a pay cut (he will be a $13.6 million cap hit in 2013), and if the two sides are unable to come to an agreement, the team is reportedly ready to move on from the sixth-year Pro Bowl defensive end.  Two possible replacements for Dumervil appear to be Dwight Freeney and Osi Umenyiora, who are both hitting the open market.

Titans beat writer @terrymc13 reports that the #Broncos have interest in Dwight Freeney and may also have Osi Umenyiora “on their radar.”

— Jon Heath (@JHeath_DEN) March 9, 2013

Freeney (6′-1″, 268 lbs.), quarterback Peyton Manning‘s former teammate, is 33 and coming off a 5-sack season.  Umenyiora (6′-3″, 255 lbs.) is 31 and coming off a 6-sack season.  Both players are older, less productive options than Dumervil (5’-11″, 260 lbs.), who recorded 11 sacks last season, but the thinking is that both would come at a cheaper price tag than the $12 million salary Dumervil is owed this season.

Two years ago, John Elway, Denver’s v.p. of football operations, offered a second round pick to the Giants in exchange for Umenyiora, but New York turned Denver down, seeking a first round pick.  With Osi now a free agent, the Broncos appear to be interested in his services once again.

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

On Friday, the Denver Broncos placed tenders on five players.  Details below via the Denver Post:

“The Broncos tendered restricted free-agent punter Britton Colquitt with a “right of first refusal” distinction that would pay him a $1.323 million salary for the 2013 season.

“The Broncos also offered right-of-first-refusal tenders to two other restricted free agents, running back Lance Ball and offensive tackle Chris Clark. The team will not tender restricted free agent fullback Chris Gronkowski. […]

“The Broncos also issued tender letters to exclusive-rights free agents Tony Carter and Mitch Unrein.”

Per the ‘Post, the Broncos will be able to match any offers from other teams made to Colquitt, Ball or Clark, while Carter and Unrein will both earn the third-year minimum of $630,000.  Teams can begin negotiating with unrestricted free agents tomorrow (the signing period begins on the 12th).

The Broncos are expected to make an offer to wide receivers Brandon Stokley, while letting their other FAs test the open market.  Cornerback Tracy Porter and linebacker D.J. Williams are not expected to return, and the team would like defensive end Elvis Dumervil to take a pay cut.

With their six RFAs out of the way (assuming they will sign their tenders), the team can now focus on unrestricted free agents.  Who would you like to see the team sign?

(Jim McIsaac/Getty Images North America)

Update:  The IAOFM story that we linked to below has been updated: teams trading for Revis would receive the contract clause that prohibits them from using a franchise tag on Revis.  This obviously would make trading for Revis less profitable and less likely to happen.

The Denver Broncos have made big splashes in every offseason since 2009 — expect that trend to continue this spring.

Currently, the team appears to be jockeying to land All-Star cornerback Darrelle Revis via trade with the New York Jets.  Allow us to connect the dots:

• The Broncos have already been linked to Revis several times this offseason, and are not afraid to invest a lot of money on defense.
• After securing left tackle Ryan Clady with their franchise tag, the team still has a nice chunk of 2013 cap space available.
• But the team is not satisfied with the space available, and is likely to cut D.J. Williams, freeing up another $6 million.
• Now, the team wants Elvis Dumervil to take a pay cut and is threatening to cut him and bring in Dwight Freeney.
• If Dumervil, Williams and Joe Mays are cut, the team would have over $20 million in additional cap space.

So, with all of that in mind, it’s not hard to imagine Denver making an offer for Revis.  As IAOFM.com‘s Ted Bartlett has pointed out, the Broncos could secure Revis for $6 million in 2013 and use their franchise tag on him the following offseason (his no-franchise tag deal with the Jets would not transfer in a trade).

The Broncos could cut (or possibly trade) Dumervil and clear up $12 million, sign Revis for $6 million this year and still go after Freeney with the additional $6 million left over from Dumervil’s contract.  That sounds like an ideal situation, and it may be just what John Elway is planning.

Would you like to see Revis line up across from Champ Bailey in Denver’s secondary?  Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Haven’t heard of Sammie Lee Hill? Get to know him. (Photo by Adam Bettcher /Getty Images)

The discussion on defensive linemen couldn’t be more timely given the recent rumors of the Denver Broncos working with Elvis Dumervil to renegotiate his contract. Though whether this is legitimate or not has not been confirmed, from what I have gathered the Broncos would carry nearly $4-million in dead money on Dumervil for 2013 if he were cut. Dumervil is due $12-million this season and according to Albert Breer of NFL.com Dumervil has not been approached by the team regarding his contract. Which could mean that Denver will just flat out cut him.

Now, beyond that is another report that the Broncos are interested in signing former Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney. Freeney is currently a free agent, Denver would need to wait until March 12th to sign him. However, if the team is interested they have been very quite about it (other than Peyton Manning telling him to come to Denver).

This is why I don’t know how accurate the renegotiation reports are for Dumervil, Freeney, who is 33 would likely get at least $7-million from the team that he signs with. Dumervil is 29 and is healthy (Freeney was hurt for most of 2012, notching a career low in sacks and tackles), the seven or eight million that the Broncos would need to give Freeney plus the dead money from Dumervil’s contract is basically what Denver is paying Dumervil as it stands… So there is that.

In the first pick they made in the 2012 Draft, the Broncos choose a defensive lineman– Derek Wolfe. Wolfe spent most of the season at defensive end. Under Josh McDaniels the team drafted Robert Ayers in the first round. Both of those players current situations could be used as justification for jettisoning or cutting Dumervil as well.

We’re here to talk about all of Denver’s defensive linemen though and aside from Dumervil, the biggest threat of the group may simply be untapped potential.

That and team currently only employs one pure defensive tackle.

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(Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

We would not be surprised to see the Denver Broncos make a few splashes this offseason. Between the Darrelle Revis situation and the many big-name free agents about to hit the open market, chances are that Denver will be buzzed about this spring.

But the buzz dies down, the draft will be right around the corner.  The Broncos currently have six selections and unless they trade out, they will be selecting 28th overall on April 25th.

Here are two scenarios to consider:

1. Alabama RB Eddie Lacy falls to No. 28 and the Broncos draft him there.

2. Lacy goes in the middle of the first round, so the Broncos go with Notre Dame LB Manti Te’o.

Personally, I would like to see the team go after Lacy.  But if he is not available, I would not be surprised to see John Elway and Co. draft Te’o.

The team has been down-playing the MLB situation, but they may be bluffing.  And Elway has been intrigued by Te’o, who was considered a top prospect before his poor performance in the National Championship game.

Who do you think Denver will—not should—draft in the first round?  Dish out your thoughts in the comments below!

Denver young guns Nate Irving and Danny Trevathan will have a bigger role in 2013. The Broncos seem satisfied with their current corps. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)

Every since the Denver Broncos‘ defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio signed his name in ink to take his place amongst John Fox’s staff in Denver it was assumed that linebacker would be the strongest position on the defensive side of the ball. A quick glimpse at last season solidifies that thinking, the fact that a player as talented as D.J. Williams has become expendable in the opinion of a lot of the Denver loyal talking heads and fans alike is the etching in the granite.

Much has been said about Williams exodus from the Rocky Mountains, his contract and off the field issues likely being the primary reasons for him being ushered off the team. However, what if Williams does the unthinkable and agrees to restructure, settles his heels into the dirt and sets his cross hairs on one of the three linebacking positions that he has consistently rotated towards every off-season thus far in his career? What if his time in Denver isn’t done? What if fans are done with him, but he isn’t done with them? A big what if… I am aware. However, it is possible.

John Elway started the off-season by stating that the middle linebacker position was up for grabs and that the person who started in that position would be either third year linebacker Nate Irving or second year linebacker Steven Johnson. Johnson spent most of the season on the practice squad, but did suit for six games in the second half of the season, Irving wasn’t just a special teams ace, he wreacked havoc when filling in at linebacker.

Elway’s statement does leave a few question marks though, like what will come of Joe Mays who started last season at middle linebacker, before his injury and replacement by Keith Brooking?

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