Broncos bring back familiar veteran on new deal

For the third year in a row, the Denver Broncos have signed veteran safety Kareem Jackson to a one-year deal.

Selected in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans, Jackson will be entering his fifth season in Denver. Though he just turned 35 years old, he has been an effective player for the Broncos and doesn't show many signs of regression.

His 94 tackles last season ranked third on the team.

Jackson will provide veteran insurance behind third-year player Caden Sterns, who many expect to still be in line to be the other starting safety opposite Justin Simmons this season.

The Broncos also have second-year safety Delarrin-Turner Yell to go along with veteran P.J. Locke on the roster. The team also added JL Skinner in the sixth round of this year's draft.

This will make the safety position very intriguing heading into training camp this summer. General manager George Paton has selected at least one safety in each of his three drafts with the team and it is clearly a position he places an extra emphasis on.

Jackson is going to be used as a player that the team can turn to and know that he can be counted on, even in a starting role. At the same time, if Sterns looks good enough and a player such as Turner-Yell or Skinner has a strong summer, Jackson could be a roster casualty before the season gets underway.

This is a win-win move for the Broncos and certainly one many fans of the team have likely been expecting. The Broncos will need to cut a player from the current roster to make room for Jackson. That player has not been named as of this writing.

For his career, Jackson has 901 total tackles, 20 interceptions, three sacks, seven forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries.