Broncos beef up defense, sign McCree and Manuel
By Lee Rasizer, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Scratch safety off the Denver Broncos’ wish list.
The team dipped into the free-agent pool twice Saturday, signing a pair of veteran players, Marlon McCree and Marquand Manuel.
The moves at worst are a hedge against a weak draft crop at the position and adds depth to a shallow defensive spot on the roster.
But both McCree and Manuel have extensive starting experience and have been assured they’ll get shots to break into the lineup, too.
McCree is a strong safety and should compete with John Lynch for playing time. Manuel will challenge relatively untested Hamza Abdullah at the free-safety position.
Terms of McCree’s deal weren’t immediately available. But Manuel got $4.5 million over three years with $500,000 guaranteed. The total package could swell by another $1.5 million based on playing time incentives.
The Broncos have now addressed two of their weakest spots via the open market, as they try to fix the league’s 30th-ranked rush defense. The club earlier signed Niko Koutouvides and Boss Bailey to buttress the linebacker position.
Manuel, 28, has played 91 games in six NFL seasons with Cincinnati, Seattle, Green Bay and Carolina. His best season came in 2006 with 81 tackles for the Packers.
McCree, 30, has played 30 games over the last two seasons for the San Diego Chargers. He started his career with Jacksonville in 2001, moving to Jacksonville, Houston and Carolina before settling in with the Chargers. He has 421 total tackles in 106 career games.
LINK
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/new...-and-marquand/