In 1983, the Denver Broncos traded for arguably the best quarterback in NFL history, some guy named Elway.

21 years later, they traded for the greatest cornerback of all-time, and there is no argument about it.

In 2004, the Denver Broncos unloaded running back Clinton Portis to the Washington Redskins in exchange for cornerback Champ Bailey and a second-round draft pick, which turned out to be the Broncos’ most recent 1,000-yard rusher in Tatum Bell.

That is what they call in the business industry a “steal.”

To begin the preview of the Broncos’ cornerback unit, I would like to offer a disclaimer:

The following statements I am about to make are not to disrespect Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha in any way, shape, or form. He is an excellent player with superb abilities, size, and athleticism, and I would welcome him to the Mile High City any day with open arms.

Despite the picture ESPN or NFL Network may be trying to paint, the title of “NFL’s best cornerback” belongs to Denver’s own Champ Bailey, no doubt about it.

If you do not wish to take my word for it, take a look at the facts.

Since he was drafted seventh overall in 1999 by the Washington Redskins, not a single cornerback in the NFL has as many interceptions as Bailey. He h as picked off 43 passes in that timeframe, 45 if you include the post-season.

As if that were not enough, Bailey has proven in that time period to be one of, if not the very best tackling cornerback in the NFL, recording 696 stops in all.

Thanks to that absolutely superb play, Bailey has all but guaranteed himself a shrine in Canton.  For his efforts, Bailey was selected to eight consecutive Pro Bowls from 2000-2007, and is a six-time All-Pro.

As a comparison, Asomugha has made two Pro Bowl appearances, and is a two-time All-Pro.

So why has he seemingly taken Bailey’s “crown”?

Aside from many national media outlets’ apparent hatred toward the Broncos, one has to imagine that the seven games Bailey missed last season would have to have something to do with it.

Is it fair to remove a player of his title because of injury? 

Should Tom Brady not still be considered the best quarterback in the NFL?

It should be noted that of Nnamdi Asomugha’s 10 career interceptions, eight of them came in one season.

Bailey can completely take over a game defensively.  In fact, I would challenge any doubter to find the last player to record four or more receptions against him in a single game since he has become a Bronco.

Heading into 2009, I firmly believe that the Broncos are blessed with the best cornerback to grace an NFL field, past or present.

Did I mention there are other cornerbacks on the Broncos’ roster as well?

After trading for Dre’ Bly, it was said that the Broncos would feature the best cornerback tandem in the NFL.

Little did we all know that Bly would turn out to be a mediocre acquisition at best, one who did not provide leadership or tackling abilities to go along with his horrendous one-on-one coverage skills.

Acquiring Bly definitely proved how good Champ Bailey really is, because opposing teams picked on Bly worse than any player I have ever seen.

Despite his best efforts, Bly was shown the door by the Broncos, and now resides in San Francisco.

To replace the veteran presence of Bly on the Broncos’ roster, Josh McDaniels recruited and signed former Miami Dolphin and Detroit Lion Andre’ Goodman, who had the best season of his career in 2008 with Miami.

Goodman led the Dolphins with five interceptions, which ranked sixth in the NFL.  He also ranked seventh in the NFL with a very respectable 19 pass break-ups.

Lindy’s NFL preview magazine felt that Goodman’s 2008 performance was good enough to the point that they rate the Broncos’ current duo of cornerbacks as the best in the entire NFL.

While many felt the Broncos failed to address their biggest need of the off-season by reaching for defensive linemen, I would contend that signing Goodman was the beginning to replenishing the Broncos’ “biggest” need.

In 2008, Denver was tied for last in the NFL with a turnover ratio of -17, which makes it even more unbelievable that they were able to win eight games.

Goodman will not only provide the Broncos with a legitimate threat to pick off passes, but he provides much needed veteran leadership.

In addition to Goodman, the Broncos brought in cornerback Alphonso Smith, who has been a controversial topic of this off-season among Denver fans.

Smith was selected by the Broncos with the 37th pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, and to obtain that choice, the Broncos traded away their own first round pick in the 2010 draft.

Many feel that was a foolish choice by the Denver front office because Smith stands at only 5’9″, but was it really?

In my “You Make the Call” mock draft series, the fans voted that the Broncos should select Smith with the 12th overall pick in the draft prior to them even having two first-round choices.

Couple that with the fact that if Smith were an inch or two taller, he would have been a lock for a top ten pick in the draft anyway.

In his career at Wake Forest, Smith became one of the better college cornerbacks in NCAA history.

He finished his career with the Demon Deacons with 174 tackles, a Wake Forest-record 21 career interceptions, four forced fumbles, eight sacks, five blocked punts, and four interceptions returned for touchdowns.

Because Smith’s career was so prosperous, he was named first team All-ACC twice in his tenure, numerous All-American honors, and Nagurski Award Semi-Finalist honors.

Smith’s 21 career interceptions are good for 10th All-time in NCAA history at any level, and are an Atlantic Coast Conference record.

Many seem to disregard his talent because of his stature and the fact that the Broncos gave up so much for him, but nearly half of last season’s Pro Bowl selections at cornerback were under six feet tall, so who is to say Smith cannot be the next?

It is likely that Smith will begin his career with the Broncos as a “nickel” cornerback, but this college star will soon find himself in the starting rotation.

Behind Smith on the depth chart is really anyone’s guess.

Second-year player Joshua Bell started five games in 2008 in place of the injured Champ Bailey, and although he did not record any interceptions, he played very well.

Bell was acquired off of waivers from the San Diego Chargers, and in nine games for the Broncos he recorded 43 tackles and four pass break-ups. 

Pushing Bell for a roster spot will be Jack Williams, a fourth-round draft pick in 2008 out of Kent State.

Williams came to Denver in 2008 with high expectations after he showed great play-making ability in the pre-season, and especially after he drew favorable comparisons to the late Darrent Williams.

Williams will undoubtedly be in the mix for the Broncos’ “dime” package cornerback spot as well as a key player on special teams thanks to his exceptional speed.

Another intriguing player who could potentially make the final roster is undrafted free agent D.J. Johnson.

Johnson played college ball at Jackson State, and has prototypical size at 6’1″ 191 pounds.  He was one of the many projected players I had going to the Broncos in my mock drafts, so there is no doubt I would love to see this kid succeed.

Another player who the Broncos added via the college free agent route was former Florida State Seminole Tony Carter, who will be tough to let go of thanks to his great tackling ability, speed, and potential special teams prowess.

This is the best group of cornerbacks the Broncos have had since 2005 when they featured Bailey, Darrent Williams, Domonique Foxwoth, and Karl Paymah. 

Denver has added a veteran ballhawk in Andre Goodman, and arguably the best cornerback in NCAA history statistically in Alphonso Smith.

Whenever your unit is led by a player of the caliber of a Champ Bailey, you have to know you are sitting pretty.

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