Broncos swap cornerbacks

The Denver Broncos signed fifth-year cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris, Wednesday. The 28-year-old finished last season with Baltimore, after spending the first five-plus years with the Bengals. In a corresponding roster move, Denver released cornerback Taurean Nixon.

Lewis-Harris played 44 games at Chattanooga, where he was a four-year starter. The Georgia native totaled 183 tackles, 23 pass breakups and five interceptions over the course of his career. Lewis-Harris was a team captain and Second Team All-SoCon his senior season.

Despite standing out at FCS Chattanooga, Lewis-Harris was not  selected in the 2012 NFL Draft, but signed with Cincinnati soon after. During his rookie year, he bounced between the Bengals’ active roster and practice squad, notching his only two tackles of the year in a Week 17 game against Baltimore.

The 5-foot-10 cornerback played in 17 games over the next three seasons, totaling five tackles. In 2016, Lewis-Harris appeared in seven games for the Bengals before being released in early November and signing with the Ravens. He played seven games for the Ravens, but his contract was not renewed this offseason.

Lewis-Harris will be up against the odds to make the Broncos’ roster, with established veterans Aqib Talib, Chris Harris Jr. and Bradley Roby holding the starting jobs, and rookie Brendan Langley and third-year cornerback Lorenzo Doss likely winning depth spots.

Third-year cornerback Taurean Nixon, Doss’ teammate at Tulane, was selected by the Broncos in the seventh round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Nixon split time between Denver’s active roster and practice squad in his two seasons with the team. The 26-year-old could be claimed off waivers in the coming days.