Three months of unemployment for former Broncos cornerback Dré Bly ended Thursday when he agreed to a one-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers.
Bly, released by the Broncos on Feb. 17 after two years in Denver, will compete to replace veteran Walt Harris, who tore his ACL during a practice earlier this week.
“It was unfortunate for him, but fortunately for me, it opened up an opportunity that was good for me,” Bly said.
Bly, who turns 32 Friday, started all 16 games in each of his two seasons in Denver after arriving in a trade with Detroit. He started his career with the St. Louis Rams in 1999.
Since he joined the league, Bly ranks third in the NFL in interceptions with 40, behind only Minnesota’s Darren Sharper (54) and former Denver teammate Champ Bailey (43).
He led the Broncos with five interceptions in 2007 and had two last year. He was released by new coach Josh McDaniels as part of a major purge of the defense before the start of free agency in February.
“For whatever reason, I’ve had some doubters,” Bly said. “This is a chance to prove that I can play.”
Bly is the first of the eight defensive starters from 2008 who were released or not re-signed to latch on to a new team. Bly has remained in Denver through the offseason and has been working out with Nuggets trainer Steve Hess.
Bly will face his former Denver teammates on Aug. 14 in the preseason opener in San Francisco.
“A lot was said in Denver, and nothing went good when I was there. No playoffs, coaches got fired, players got released,” Bly said. “The football player I was last year, that’s not who I am.”
Lindsay H. Jones: 303-954-1262 or ljones@denverpost.com
