Wes Welker (83) after organized team activities at the Broncos training facility. (Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)

The Denver Broncos did their part this off season to sign some key veteran players that could make an immediate impact.

The most notable signings were wide receiver Wes Welker and linebacker Shaun Phillips. There’s a certain amount of pressure on both players to perform. For Welker, he’s expected to have as productive as a season as he had last year when he had 118 receptions for 1,354 yards and six touchdowns. That’s because he’s got another first-ballot Hall of Fame quarterback throwing to him.

“It’s good,” Welker said of catching passes from Peyton Manning versus Tom Brady. “I don’t want to do any comparisons or anything like that, but obviously Peyton’s a great quarterback and has been for a long, long time. I’m just fortunate to be a part of it.”

For Phillips, he’s expected to fill in for Elvis Dumervil. Phillips had 50 tackles, 9.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles in 2012. Can he do the same after making the switch to the 4-3?

“It’s a little tough that they’ve got me covering tight ends a little bit more and not just rushing the passer, but it’s the first day,” Phillips said. “I’m learning. It’s a learning curve to it and I’m learning and picking it up. Football, at the end of the day, is always simple—see the ball, go tackle the guy with the ball.”

For both Welker and Phillips, this week is important for getting them used to their new surroundings.

“Getting comfortable with everybody—the strength staff, getting to know people’s names, learning my teammates’ names and everything like that,” Welker said. “It’s all coming together slowly but surely.”

The great thing about Welker and Phillips coming to the Broncos is that while the pressure is on them to perform, they don’t have to be the sole contributors at their respective positions.

Welker has the Demaryius Thomas/Eric Decker safety net.

“They’re great players,” Welker said. “Not only that, they’re good guys and they work hard. That’s all you can really ask for as far as being a receiver. Going into my 10th year, having some guys like them that appreciate it and are working hard and want to do a good job out there.”

Phillips has the Von Miller safety net.

“Another good thing is having a guy like Von on your team, because of the fact that the last few years in San Diego, I was that guy,” Phillips said. “The offense was always turning the line my way. Now it’s going to help me get back to getting some one-on-ones, and I look forward to those and I can make the most out of those.”

Both Welker and Phillips will be making the most of this opportunity as their careers wind down.

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It looks like the other teams in the AFC West are tired of seeing the Denver Broncos make all the splashes.

Dwight Freeney signed with the first team that got desperate enough to meet his financial demands. (Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports)

Dwight Freeney was signed by the San Diego Chargers over the weekend after losing Melvin Ingram for the season due to injury, and the Oakland Raiders have surprisingly jumped into the Charles Woodson hunt.

Previously it has been the Broncos making the most noise in free agency and the draft and they’ve been established as a favorite to win the AFC and the Super Bowl.

Denver showed last season they’re only a couple of pieces away from winning a championship. They were also in pretty good shape in regards to the salary cap when the offseason started. A team like that can afford to be aggressive in free agency and it can be good strategy.

But when you’re in financial purgatory like the Raiders, or if you’re more like 11 players away rather than one like the Chargers, spending big in free agency can end up hurting more than it helps.

In the Chargers’ case they were desperate and it showed with Freeney’s contract numbers. They have a lot of holes on their roster but the loss of Ingram meant they didn’t have a single legitimate pass rusher. They absolutely had to get one of the few big-name defensive ends left in the free agent market.

Considering the Chargers have one of the worst offensive lines in the league, seeing them spend a maximum of $13.35 million over two years on an old defensive end is good news for the rest of the division. Not to mention the Chargers will have to adjust their defensive scheme to accommodate him since he doesn’t fit well in a 3-4 alignment.

It also makes the one-year $1.4 million deal the Broncos gave ex-Charger Shaun Phillips look like an absolute steal. It will be interesting to see whether Phillips or Freeney ends up with more sacks in 2013.

As far as the Raiders go they need to do something to give their fans hope. But bringing Woodson to Oakland wouldn’t do much in terms of wins and losses. This year is a complete bust for them regardless of what they do before the start of the season and their front office knows it. A big name would give their fans something to cheer about and a reason to get dressed up like clowns on Sundays.

Woodson would bring value for sure, but Oakland is looking way beyond the one or two years he has left in the league. Other than to mentor the young guys he wouldn’t make a meaningful impact on the big picture. It just doesn’t seem that a stud like Woodson would be okay with that. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where he would choose to languish through a 2 to 4 win season when his career is coming to a close.

Even though Woodson may make a visit to Oakland tomorrow it’s highly doubtful he ends up there. The Raiders don’t have much money to spend and they certainly can’t give him the chance to compete for a Super Bowl. This looks like an obvious leverage tactic by the Woodson camp. They’re using the Raiders to get every last drop of cash they can out of a good team.

Odds are that Woodson will end up with a contender, and my guess is he’ll sign exactly where he’s wanted to sign all along; in Denver. He just wants John Elway to open that wallet a little bit wider before he does so.

With a club like the Denver Broncos living on the block teams will do almost anything to keep up, even if they’re just covering up crumbling houses with layers of paint.

The recent developments show that the rest of the division is pulling out all the stops. And at the very least they want to their fan bases to see they’re giving it a try. A lot of things come down to image in the NFL and these moves provide the right image.

Unfortunately for them any image they project won’t make a bit of difference. The Broncos have the AFC West locked down until Peyton Manning hangs up his cleats.

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Von Miller (58) celebrates after sacking Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (not pictured) during the overtime period of the AFC divisional round playoff game at Sports Authority Field. The Ravens won 38-35 in double overtime. (Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports)

Entering his third year in the NFL, Von Miller is becoming a true leader for the Denver Broncos. He got off to a great start thanks in large part to former teammate Elvis Dumervil.

Now Miller is hoping to be the same kind of mentor for fifth round pick, defensive end Quanterus Smith.

“I know when he comes here, all I can control is what type of person I am in the locker room and do everything I can possibly do to make it easy for him, to show him the same stuff that Elvis showed me. But Elvis, he’s such a technician,” Miller said. “There’s no way you can be at that size and play at the level that he played without being a technician.”

Even before Dumervil came into the picture for Miller, there was some one else. “[Shaun Phillips] was one of the first guys that I met in the National Football League, before I even had even stepped foot at Dove Valley. We both had the same agent—we were both represented by Athletes First. He just had a lot of wisdom to give me before I had even stepped on the football league, before I had even met Elvis.”

Putting Phillips and Dumervil aside, it’s Miller (along with Champ Bailey) that has become known as the leader on defense. Much like Peyton Manning is concerned about the well-being of the defense, Miller is taking note of the improvements the Broncos have made on offense.

“I like the Wes Welker addition—and I don’t even play offense,” Miller said. I like Demaryius [Thomas] coming back. He’s not an addition, but with the success that he had last year, with the success [Eric] Decker had, and all those guys, I’m pretty excited for the offense.”

When Miller takes stock of who’s on the roster and in the locker room, he gets excited.

“On the field, that’s going to take care of itself, but inside the locker room, I feel like we have one of the best locker rooms in the National Football League, and everybody plays different.”

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