ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- In the process of wooing a potential free agent, teams will sometimes tell a player what they want to hear, overwhelming the prospect with platitudes and plaudits.
Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie said the Broncos took the opposite approach.
"The one thing that stood out when talking to everybody, they didn't really just talk about what I can do as a player, they pointed out my flaws and told me how they can help me get better," he said.
What stood out to the newest Broncos cornerback, who agreed to terms Wednesday after visiting team headquarters, was their desire for him to avoid the ups and downs that have occasionally plagued his play during his five previous seasons with Arizona and Philadelphia.
"The main thing is just about the consistency, playing and just being hungry to go out there and play," said Rodgers-Cromartie, who played nickel cornerback with the Eagles in 2011 before moving outside to right cornerback in 2012.
The Broncos' sentiments might have come at the proper time. Like many associated with the Philadelphia Eagles of the last two years, Rodgers-Cromartie appeared a bit chastened by the experience. In 16 months from August 2011 to the end of last season, the Eagles gradually devolved from a "Dream Team" assemblage -- in the words of Vince Young, signed to be Michael Vick's backup before the 2011 season -- to one that endured the Eagles' longest losing streak (eight games) since 1968.
"When you have a lot of talented guys like that, a lot of things are expected from you," Rodgers-Cromartie said. "The main thing is to just go out and play football and play consistently. Don't get caught up in the hype of names and people on the roster, and really, just grind it out."
The Broncos stole headlines nationwide with their acquisitions this week, but Rodgers-Cromartie doesn't place the pickups of himself, Wes Welker, Louis Vasquez, Terrance Knighton and Stewart Bradley in the same category as the Eagles' 2011 haul of himself, Young, cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, defensive end Jason Babin, running back Ronnie Brown and guard Evan Mathis.
"Basically, they're bringing in not a lot of guys, as the Eagles did, and the organization, the people that are here, already believe in something -- and that's winning," Rodgers-Cromartie said. "You just walk around this building on the day that I've been here, talking with everybody, and you see the main thing is about winning games and coming in here and just working."
Where he fits with the Broncos will depend on how he fares in the expected competition with Chris Harris and exclusive rights free agent Tony Carter; Harris is a more natural fit working inside at nickel corner, but also excelled at right cornerback when the Broncos used four defensive backs in their base package last season.
Both Harris and Rodgers-Cromartie can move inside and outside, which adds intrigue to their competition.
"I'm really here just to compete, and however they use me, they use me," Rodgers-Cromartie said. "I played both inside and out, but I'm more comfortable playing out."
