For the Broncos, the weekend proved to offer no time to rest.
A busy week opening week of free agency carried over into Saturday as the team fortified its secondary by adding a pair of safeties — Marquand Manuel, formerly of the Carolina Panthers, and Marlon McCree, late of the San Diego Chargers.
Terms on the contracts for both were not disclosed.
McCree, a street free agent, started all 16 games for the San Diego Chargers in 2007. He logged 65 total tackles — 48 solo — three interceptions and six passes defensed as part of a Chargers defense that held opposing passers to a 70.0 rating last year, the best for any NFL defense in 2007.
He has been a starter on winners in recent years, spending 2005 with the Carolina Panthers and the last two seasons in San Diego. During those three seasons, his teams were 34-12 during games in which he played, a statistic skillfully researched by Patrick Smyth of the media-relations department.
McCree’s best statistical season came in 2005, when he notched 87 total tackles. three interceptions and 10 passes defensed.
The eighth-year veteran celebrates his 31st birthday this St. Patrick’s Day.
Manuel, an unrestricted free agent, started all 16 regular-season games for the Seattle Seahawks in 2005, then started throughout their run to Super Bowl XL. He moved on to Green Bay in 2006, where he again started the full season, before joining the Panthers in 2007, for whom he started twice while playing in all 16 games.
Manuel has 38 starts in 91 career games played, with 215 total tackles, 10 passes defensed, a pair of interceptions and 33 stops on special teams.
The University of Florida product enters his seventh year in the league, with the Broncos being the fifth team for which he has played.
Discuss below, and vaya con Dios.
Tags: Marlon McCree, Marquand Manuel
Great signings to wrap up a strong week in free agency.
M & M was one of the best DBs in the country at Florida and has been a 16-game starter in the NFL… Plays with a lot of intensity and heart. He will bring that Miami attitude and swagger to our defense!
Great info on McCree, Mason. The guy has won a lot during the past three years and will be an outstanding fit to a defense that we should feel pretty good about.
WHOO HOO!!!! John Lynch’s back-up. and he can help them learn. and then we don’t need to draft any safety in the early round at least. this was a smart move.
I would like to take a poll. Should the Broncos…
take Kentwan Balmer in the 1st round then take Ali Highsmith/Xavier Adibi in the 2nd
OR
take Keith River/Dan Connor (if DJ is moved in to WLB) and Pat Sims/Trevor Laws in the 2nd
we still need a bone-a-fied studdd muffin at safety! but im happy about McCree, yeah yeah.
Great addition with mc cree! I think he will do great in denver
Great Move we are all set now we need to concentrate on find a good to great WR. Brandon is the MAN!! but he will need help. Stokley is our SLOT Machine so we are good there. We need a good solid number 2 WR and hopefully he will be a playmaker.
I agree with those of you that said we are set on LBs. We have spent enough money on the position and need OL help and WR Help. I know everyon feels like we need a DT but we have good personnell at DL OUR PROBLEM WAS BATES SYSTEM NOT OUR PLAYERS. We can always use a great DL but we need another solid target for CUTLER and get him some PROTECTION.
also I think the following people make a good fit for our team and I would like to see one or two of them drafted
WR
Desean Jackson – Definate Play maker and returner solid pick
Sweed – Serious stud
Caldwell – great speed and hands
Manningham – playmaker
RB
Chris Johnson – ungodly speed looks and a playmaker
Mendenhall – solid beast of a back
Stewart – good fit
HART – second round JEWEL he would be excellent for us
Tashard CHOICE= my choice in the late rounds I will go on record stating this guy would make a fantastic bronco
I am not a betting man but I would be willing to bet a Dr. Pepper to anyone who chooses to accept the bet that with all the Free Agent Acquisitions being on D, Denver will be drafting offense in the 1st round and probably the second too!
I hope we aren’t over paying for these guys! Now are Safety position seems to be crowded with Lynch back, Abdullah should be here long term.
Lastly, I think this will free the Broncos to really shop Foxworth and get something while they can.
Go Broncos!!!
McCree reminds me of Nick Ferguson before his surgery. Mason good job
on the new opening for all video stories, simple but cool. The old countdown was very tired.
I would like to see The Broncos get Ellis or Dorsey if they don’t trade for a late first and pick up another 2nd. Late Pick in 1st round .get Merling DE from Clemson. Then get Trevor Laws in the 2nd round early and the returner from Virginia Tech Eddie Royal in the 2nd from the trade.
bigvon –
Interesting that you mention Choice … because, from having talked with him at the Senior Bowl, I can tell you that he truly would love to be a Bronco. He’s very familiar with the exploits of the Broncos’ runners the last baker’s dozen of years, and his eyes lit up when I asked him how he would feel if he was given the chance to be the next in the line. He’s also a tough runner; he had a great season last fall with not too much around him on the Georgia Tech offense.
Awesome!!!!! Was hoping McCree didn’t leave Denver to sign in Buffalo.
This is gonna be great!! I bet Walker is trembling!! Lynch? Boss? McCree? Bailey interception? He’ll be feeling the thunder all right!!
I have to agree with dimondgirl, Javon may be in for a serious beating this year! And for the first round of the draft if we can’t get Sedrick Ellis or perhaps Glenn Dorsey then we should go after Trevor Laws.
Perhaps the M&M duo can be a modern-day version of Steve Atwater and Dennis Smith. That would rock!
I know that we will eventually have to address DT in the draft, but with our pick I would love to see the Broncos get DeSean Jackson. Watching our return game last year was painful and Jackson would solve that immediately. However, if there’s a way we can get Sedrick Ellis we should, because overall he has more value than Jackson. I love the McCree signing, but the Manuel doesn’t sound very good. I hope we didn’t pay him too much to ride the bench because I see Lynch and McCree starting.
Bly, Champ, Lynch, McCree
We SHOULD have the BEST secondary in the NFL.
With DJ and Boss on the outside no running back should out run us.
Now just to put pressure on the QB.
I was a little worried but now it appears Shanny is making some conservative decisions in free agency and hopefully really smart decisions in draft. The next free agent signings and/or draft picks are going to be critical but we definitely need a dt, ot and wr. I still hoping to get a free agent veteran dt like robertson from the jets but it appears they want too much for him. If we cant get dorsey or ellis which appears unlikely then I think we get the best OT available because our o-line without nalen and hamilton was horrific and now that lepsis is gone we need so good oline players. Does anyone knows the status of hamilton? What if he doesnt come back? I love cutler but he needs protection for our offense to click as well as better run blocking. It appears the smaller athletic lineman are in the past as most dline are hugh, fast and agile.
ok both these guys will help. we need a dt and a replacement for lepsis. i really wish jake long would slip down to us. can we sign elam yet, along with foxy.
Mason… do you know who Kiper Jr. has us taking in his mock draft? I don’t have an espn insider subscription…
Does anybody else think that Hamza is going to be a stud. I am happy we signed M & M, but I would much rather see Hamza starting, he showed a lot of potential last year. Lynch and Abdullah, could be sick. Tell me what you guys think.
John-Jake-n-Jay
7;16,6
berlownacyo7s -
The lastest mock has us taking OT Ryan Clady from Boise State…a fantastic choice if you think we really need an OL.
I’d rather see us take another weapon for Cutler (D. Jackson from CAL?)…
Go Broncos!!
this is a nice pick up. very nice
first i would like to say please don’t get any more guys this . what Denver needs to do is use there cap space on elite athletes, on both sides of the line or trenches in football lingo. they also need wide out Lima swede from Texas i seen that guy play he is going to be a play maker because of his size and athletic ability. or else trade for chad johnson because cutler has a cannon on him and he needs some bigger targets in the red zone, thats were Denver was struggling last year. as for d-linemen all denver needs is some run stoppers and the d line will be good. i hope we have a good offseason Go Broncos!!
Wow I guess that means we are going OT in the first round, already signed LBs and Safeties.
It looks like we have good depth at safetie and LB now. But I don’t know how the starting safetie is going to work out. Lynch is the guy until he calls it quits and I like Abdullah all he needs is to start to get the needed experience. I think we should trade Foxworth and our first round pick next year for another first round pick this year preferably top 3 and get Glenn Dorsey to team with marcus thomas and the other young D-line. And then clady with no. 12. Then in the 2 take mike hart, ray rice or kevin smith. And then try to find a gem at wide out and another defensive end on the second day. And then either add travis henry to the trade if have to or cut him to get better character on the team. Foxworth needs to start at cb somewhere to become the player he can be and its not here on the bench.
John-Jake-n-Jay, Abdullah does have a lot of potential, but I think with Mcree here Denver will use Abdullah as a back-up to Lynch and/or as a safety net. If Lynch calls it quits next year (which unfortunately seems likely) they will want Abdullah to step in so he can make lynch’s departure an easy transition without having to really worry about losing talent at the other safety spot. Either way, we have potential to have one of the best secondaries in recent memory.
Great addition, Marlon “can’t tackle” McCree. Anyone see highlights off the big runs made against the Chargers last year?… Ya boy McCree was usually at the rare end of a stiff arm, getting befuddled from some good footwork of getting straight burnt on the outside. Check the Vikings game tape. No wonder the chargers let him walk.
These signings do not excite me. Only one that does is Boss.
We need a punter and a center and a kicker. Elam get back from Israel and sign. You know your a BRONCO FOR LIFE.
I’d still feel better if the broncos drafted a safety in the third round or so to give the franchise a future safety to be groomed over the next few years. With the exception of Hamza, all of the other big name safeties aren’t exactly young.
Our center position realistically is one of the best in the league. After Tom Nalen leaves, either Hamilton or Myers will take the spot (probably Hamilton) and Ben is one of the best linemen in the NFL
Those new acquisition seems smart on the paper but in the end , all these people need to gel on the field , to be well coached , if not , they’ll be of no avail , and last we really need a good OL and DL , it all starts here !!!Protect your passer , rush the opposite then you’ll feel confortable §
grat addition with mccree i love it but what do you guys think if denver picks up mario manningham in the draft ?
great another old safety and a non starting material 1. plz mason get ted sunquist and shanny to get bryant johnson, hes still out there!
I know you guys are going to think I’m crazy, but after watching Denver’s moves this off season, I think they will suprise everyone with the 12th pick and select the best athelete available. That will be RB Darren McFadden. His off the field issues have dropped him off the radar of many lists but if you look into the circumstances of those issues …..I think Shanny will pull the trigger. They drafted Ryan Harris last year for a reason, he will be the starting left tackle. The Broncos have always groomed their OL’s and I think they may pick one but not with their first choice. Hamilton and Nalen will be back. They have addressed a lot of needs already in the off season and did it very smart. They waited for everyone to spend their money on bigger names but maybe not better players and very carefully got some free agents that will make a difference without brankrupting the budget. Smart, very smart.
I would’t be suprised if they draft a kicker or maybe a punter on the 2nd day. They have been in no hurry to resign Elam and I sincerely believe they won’t, they have their eye on someone. They need the roster spot, it cost them to lose a player to the Giants last year that they wanted to keep.
I think they may draft a DT in the second round. After watching the picks the last couple of years, I do know one thing and that the Broncos will do well in the draft and most likely not target the obvious players we all expet them to pick. I’ll never forget the shock when they picked Cutler when it seemed they had more pressing needs. If Mcfadden falls to them , they will snatch him up. The running game is what the Broncos offense is all about and when the running game works the rest of the pieces fall into place.
Oh, I forgot the actual topic. I don’t think they will be playing Lynch every down this year. Hamza showed flashes of brilliance last season but he wasn’t consistant. I think they are going to do safty by committee this season and though 31 is old for a lot of positions I think a safety can still be productive. He doens’t take the every play beating like some positions on the field and can probably still have a few really good years left.
The problem with Hamza is he thinks he’s worth more than his actual value. Yes the guy has a lot of upside but he misses too many tackles and is caught out of position more than he should. I do believe these guys will push him though and if he can start doing the little things I believe he’s the long term answer. Having said that I believe while our number 1 needs are offensive and defensive line there is no WAY we should reach for a player witht he draft slot we have. I’d much rather draft Mendenhall if Clady is gone and there isn’t another top tier DT on the board. There’s no way of knowing if Henry can stay healthy. Young is a great change of pace/3rd and long type player but he’s not big enough to go 20 carries a game all season.
With the signing of these two guys, we dont need to bring back Hamza. These two guys will both start the 09 season.
i still think we should go after mcfadden. he could help out a lot more than just the running game. lets say we trade henry and a pick to move up a few spots and get him. he can help out with the return game too. hes been returning kicks for arkansas with felix for the last few years. doing pretty good at it too.
also i like the two safties we picked up this week. they will be a good help this season if lynch wears down twords the end.
I still say I have the strangest feeling we wil be seeing the Broncos draft Earl Bennet in the second round since he should hopefully still be on the board when we select in the 2nd. He would be all cutler needs at WR along with Marshall and Stokley if you ask me.
good signing – now we can address the lines in the draft.
Great signings!!!! i can’t believe how well this free-agency is going!
These safties are both excellent aquisitions to our defense since Lynch will be gone in a year, and has already lost a step or two. Now we can focus on getting great players in the draft.
We need some young talent on the o-line. Lepsis is gone and we do have a strong middle three, but we need a tackle.
We signed shepperd so i think he will be a good returner, but need one more good speed wideout to go along with marshall.
We definetly don’t realy need a running back. I mean our line makes these running back good. We have two great backs in henry and charles already.
Great signings. Now it looks like we can put the safety position to rest for the draft. Or can we? I still think that The Broncos will draft a young guy in the 4th or 5th round to solidify the future of our secondary. I would love to see Clady in orange and blue. If he is gone there should still be a LB by the name of Dan Conners…
broncoboy2012, the broncos dont have a 2nd rounder. We jump from 1st to 3rd round. And no we should not get balmer, we should take keith rivers or ryan clady.
my bad we dont have a 3rd rounder. We should take felix jones if he’s still there and if not, jordy nelson. my bad broncoboy
Denver will go offense 1st. Henry has to prove something this year and he will. (2nd receiver they have!) chances are they will pick one up in the late rounds, Look for the draft to be OT or if a DT falls down to #12, if not they might even trade down in the draft to pick up more Draft picks.
will you people give running back a rest?!? there are more pressing needs on the broncos than another RB. if you don’t remember, the offensive line was banged up all year, and that caused the trouble there. and, even with the injuries, travis was solid before the offseason troubles, and selvin had a few solid rushing games.
another thing: get off the d-line. the broncos should not pull a detroit lions and draft the same position every year. you can’t spend 3 picks on the d-line in 07 and then burn the 12th pick on the same position. let moss, crowder, and thomas develop a little bit before deciding that we need a new DE on the team.
the number 1 need is OL, and i think that should be the 1st rounder, going with cladsy or chris williams. reciever is incredibly deep in this draft, and i think the broncos should go their second round.
as for safety, i like these pickups, because while neither of these guys great, they’ll add depth and a gap between lynch and the young guys. i think the broncos should go for depth and youth later in the draft there. also, i think the broncos are ok at LB, because boss will be on the strong side, DJ will be on the weak side, and niko will play the middle. they didn;t give him 7 mil to play special teams.
i have said this many times before and i will say it again we need an o-line but nice move getting mcree
M&M have playoff experience and didn’t cost too much by current free-agent standards. Having addressed LB & S, OT would seem the logical next step w/#1 pick. If McFadden, J.Long, Dorsey or Ellis are still there, then sure…! But, they won’t be. Trade up? Trade down? Stay Put? We’ll find out at the end of April. Is Connor a #12 guy? Rice is a better running back in the 2nd round than Mike Hart. If OT is 1st and you want an offensive skill guy in the 2nd (WR or RB), then it just depends on who’s left. That’s the fun of the draft. A million mock drafts and they never turn out the way you think because each move depends on the one before and the guys making them know more than we do. I question whether DeSean Jackson is a #12 guy. The problem on ST last year wasn’t the returner. Broncos need a good FB-4th round? I like the kid from Furman. They beat App.St. O. Scmitt? Oh yeah…if he’s there. A big DT is still needed. D’s problem wasn’t Bates’ system. It was which system today? This week? Next play? Next series? The beauty of free-agents is their experience. The beauty of youth is coachability. I wonder if Frank Okam or Red Bryant would be there in the 4th? Okam says he feels “comfortable” at 350. SWEET!
this wat the broncos need to do trade bly for Larry f. from the cards. and trade henry for d. hall from the atlanta or do the opposite henry for larry, and bly for hall wat yall think
McCree may be more helpful than people think. Does anyone else remember to very embarrassing losses to one of our division rivals? Does anyone else think that ontop of adding depth they were adding information about a system that whipped our butts last year? I am sure he will be pumped for infomation.
Hey JOSH, that’s the problem, Henry ALWAYS has “something” happen that derails him. His greatness is behind him, a running game is needed badly. Cutler can sling it, but we don’t have an O Line good enough to keep him passing 40 times a game. Get an offensive playmaker and get him NOW! Don’t take line just because we have a need, take the BEST PLAYER ON THE BOARD!
Look at the history of the Broncos. The last time they selected an OL early was George Foster because “he had good feet”. That ain’t gonna happen again! They may pick an OL but I’m guessing it won’t be early. Denver seldom gets to pick this high , they will go for offensive impact! How best to help out your defense…. run the ball and eat up the clock! Like Hrdnokd says , they will pick the best player on the board and that could very well be Mcfadden.
I love this time of year, it’s a blast to speculate on what they might do and who knows what could happen between now and then. All I know is Shanny has got to want another Terrell Davis type beast in the backfield.
I think this is good, signing these two guys. Denver’s got the secondary pretty much taken care of, at least for this year, and the LB core as well. So they can concentrate on the lines, and also maybe getting another WR. I think if Jake Long goes before Denver gets a shot (he probably will), and Jeff Otah also goes, then they should get Ryan Clady in the first. Address the DT position in the second, maybe Balmer, Laws, or Moore might fall that far. And in the fourth, maybe Owen Schmidt will fall that far, that would be a great pick. Also, Denver will almost for sure not pick a WR or RB in the first. They just don’t do that kind of stuff and that’s fine with me, because those are usually the make or break positions that are in the first round like that. There is no way they will get a RB in the first, but maybe they will pick one up late or in free agency after the draft is over.