For the first time since Trevor Pryce in 2000, the Broncos have a player under contract holding out from training camp.
To no surprise, Broncos receiver Ashley Lelie did not show up for the first day of training camp meetings Thursday at the team’s Dove Valley headquarters. Lelie, who has one year left on a five-year contract that pays him $1.3 million, is working out in Los Angeles. He is not expected to show up today for the first day of workouts, or anytime soon.
“I’d be shocked if he came in here,” said Rod Smith, who had teamed with Lelie as the Broncos’ receiver duo the past four seasons.
Pryce, one of the best defensive linemen in Broncos history, held out for 14 days in 2000 in hopes of getting a new contract. He was fined $5,000 a day and returned without a new deal, although he received a seven-year, $60 million extension after the season.
New rules allowed the Broncos to dock Lelie a whopping $14,000 a day, although the receiver is hoping his fines would be reduced, if not erased, with a trade. The Broncos have held initial discussions with the Chicago Bears regarding a Lelie swap for disgruntled running back Thomas Jones.
“Thomas Jones is one of 500 scenarios that have been discussed,” said Lelie’s agent Peter Schaffer. “It is like pointing out one tuna reference in a Hemingway book.”
Schaffer also represented Pryce during his 2000 holdout.
“Different situations entirely,” Schaffer said. “In Trevor’s case, he was hoping to get an extension with the Broncos. In Ashley’s case, it’s not about the money. It’s about moving on.”
Broncos coach Mike Shanahan tried communicating to Lelie this week that a trade is unlikely and urged him to report.
“We’re holding all the cards,” Shanahan said.
Pryce and another Broncos holdout, running back Bobby Humphrey in 1991, were stars at the time of their protests, but Lelie is considered a role player – which Lelie has said is exactly the problem. He’s a No. 2 receiver in a run-first offensive system.
“I just don’t know where his head’s at,” Broncos owner Pat Bowlen said. “It’s mind-boggling to me because it doesn’t make any sense. He’s a good wide receiver. He should have been in here and playing this season and looking for a new contract – if not here, than somewhere else. Whoever started him down this path, I think, really made a big mistake as far as his career is concerned. He’s been around the NFL long enough to figure out there could be injuries, there could be this, there could be that, and he could be the No. 1 receiver by the second week of the season. To me it’s made him look ill-advised and foolish in the eyes of most people who touch the sport.”
Hixon may miss time
Fourth-round pick Domenik Hixon was examined Thursday and may be examined today to determine how much time, if any, the receiver and returner will miss as he recovers from a broken foot.
The fracture in the middle of Hixon’s foot has taken more time to heal than expected. Still, the Broncos say they don’t expect any long-term issues. Hixon, from Akron, is vying to return kicks and punts.
“We expect him to be ready, but it may take some time,” Hixon’s agent, Vance Larimer, said.
New receiver Javon Walker – coming off a torn anterior cruciate ligament – will be among a group of players practicing once a day. Shanahan said the others are center Tom Nalen, defensive ends Courtney Brown and Ebenezer Ekuban and safety John Lynch.
Shanahan also said veterans Matt Lepsis, Stephen Alexander, Champ Bailey, Ian Gold, Al Wilson and Gerard Warren will take a practice off every few days.
Three QBs likely
The past two seasons, the Broncos went with two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster – a rarity in the NFL. Shanahan said the team likely will carry three quarterbacks this season. That means former Colorado State standout Bradlee Van Pelt has a good chance of sticking with the team along with starter Jake Plummer and first-round pick Jay Cutler. Van Pelt was Plummer’s backup last season.
Ringing the Bell
Shanahan likes what he has seen of third-year tailback Tatum Bell, who is fighting for the starting job.
“He has a sense of urgency about him,” Shanahan said.
Bailey on offense
The Broncos would like to use star cornerback Bailey on offense on occasion, but Shanahan said he doesn’t want to overwork Bailey. He played receiver sparingly in 2004. He missed all of last preseason with a hamstring injury and battled hamstring and shoulder injuries throughout the season.
“We’ll see how it goes and how everything looks at receiver,” Shanahan said.
Footnotes
Shanahan spoke with former offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, the coach in Houston, Thursday. … Defensive coordinator Larry Coyer has lost 30 pounds and is improving from procedures to correct hip and back problems.
