DENVER (April 15, 2005) -- The Denver Broncos re-signed restricted free agent cornerback Lenny Walls, a move the team needed to make after losing Kelly Herndon in free agency.
Walls dislocated his shoulder three times last season, missing nine games. Still, the Broncos put a "first-round tender" on him at the start of free agency, meaning any team that signed him would have to part with a first-round draft pick.
Details of Walls' new contract were not disclosed.
Herndon, who started most of last season in place of Walls, was also a restricted free agent, but the Broncos chose not to use the first-round tender on him and when the Seattle Seahawks made Herndon an offer, the Broncos didn't match it.
Walls is expected to start opposite Champ Bailey. He missed all of training camp last year with an ankle injury. Then came the dislocated shoulders. After the third one, Walls had surgery.
In February, he told the Broncos that doctors had told him there was less than a 10 percent chance of the shoulder popping out again.
"I talked to a few guys that had dislocated shoulders and then had surgery, and they said sometimes the shoulder ends up getting stronger than it was before," he said.
Going into his fourth year, Walls has played 36 games -- all with Denver -- and started 17. He has one career interception.
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