ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) -The Denver Broncos spent Labor Day juggling their secondary, claiming hard-hitting safety Calvin Lowry off waivers from Tennessee and trying to trade nickel back Domonique Foxworth.
Upon arriving at team headquarters Monday, Foxworth, a fourth-year pro who had been splitting time with Karl Paymah, was told to go home and await word on his destination.
“We’re talking to a few teams right now, got a trade in the works. We did not want to take a chance of him practicing today and incurring some injury,” coach Mike Shanahan said.
He said he expected the deal to be completed in the next day or two.
Without Foxworth, Paymah solidifies his hold on the position, but sure to get playing time as well is rookie cornerback Jack Williams, a fourth-round draft pick from Kent State who had two interceptions in the preseason. He returned his second one 89 yards for a touchdown at Arizona two weeks after getting razzed by his teammates for allowing the quarterback for Dallas to trip him up on his way to the end zone with his first pickoff.
“I don’t think I heard one thing about the Dallas game since then. I made up for it,” Williams said. “I told them all I needed was the opportunity. I said, ‘All right, next time I’m going to do something crazy.’ And it came sooner than expected.”
As did Foxworth’s departure from Dove Valley.
“I came in and he was walking the other way,” Paymah said after Monday’s practice. “I knew something was up. We talked and we basically came to the same conclusion that it’s time for him to get his chance to start somewhere else. That’s how you’ve got to look at it because it’s a business. It definitely could have been me.”
Foxworth, who is entering the final year of his contract, started 20 games over his first three seasons in Denver after the Broncos made him a fourth-round pick in 2005 out of Maryland. He averaged 55 tackles and 11 pass breakups while playing cornerback, safety and nickel back.
“It’s just one of them things where numbers played a factor,” starting cornerback Dre’ Bly said. “But like I told Foxie, he’s going into his contract year and hopefully he’ll get an opportunity to go somewhere where he can start and play and get rewarded.”
An 11-game starter last season, Lowry was a surprise cut by the Titans, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2006 draft out of Penn State. He has 62 tackles, two interceptions and 12 pass breakups in two NFL seasons.
“I was just glad to get a second chance somewhere because when you get waived, it’s not guaranteed that somebody’s going to pick you up,” Lowry said. “And I was very excited when Denver picked me up. I’ve always watched Denver. Steve Atwater is one of my idols.”
To make room for Lowry, the Broncos waived safety Roderick Rogers, a second-year pro from Wisconsin who agreed to stay in Denver on the practice squad.
Lowry could provide the Broncos with the type of hard hitter they’ve lacked in run support since John Lynch left the team in July after being bumped from his starting role.
“He’s got a lot of work to do here in the next couple of days to catch up,” Shanahan said. “But we like the way he plays and I think he’s a plus for our football team.”
Notes: Rookie LB Spencer Larsen practiced at fullback Monday, and Shanahan said he’ll play both offense and defense. … With rookie RBs Anthony Alridge, out for the year with a foot injury, and Ryan Torain, out until midseason with a broken elbow, the Broncos are down to two tailbacks in Selvin Young and Andre Hall. So, they signed RB P.J. Pope to their practice squad Monday and told him to be ready to get activated to the 53-man roster.
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