Broncos Kick

The Denver Broncos on Monday re-signed unrestricted free-agent linebacker Patrick Chukwurah to a one-year contract, Head Coach Mike Shanahan announced. As per club policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Chukwurah (6-foot-1, 250 pounds) is entering his sixth NFL season and fourth year with the Broncos, who signed him as a free agent on Dec. 24, 2003. Selected by Minnesota in the fifth round (157th overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft, Chukwurah played his first two professional seasons with the Vikings and spent the 2003 training camp with Houston.

Chukwurah has played 55 career regular-season games (5 starts) and recorded 29 tackles (16 solo), 3.5 sacks (37 yds.), two pass breakups and three forced fumbles. The 27-year-old also owns 34 career special-teams tackles in regular-season play and has appeared in three playoff contests.

In 2005, Chukwurah saw action in 14 regular-season games (0 starts) for the Broncos and posted two tackles (1 solo) on defense while ranking sixth on the club with seven special-teams tackles. Chukwurah was a regular on a Denver special-teams unit that helped the team tie for the NFL lead in fewest opponent drives started past the 50-yard line (10).

Chukwurah played 14 regular-season games (0 starts) for Denver in 2004 and recorded four tackles (3 solo), one sack (12 yds.), one forced fumble and one pass breakup. He started five games during his first two professional seasons in Minnesota and registered double-digit tackle totals on special teams in each of those years with the Vikings.

At the University of Wyoming, Chukwurah was a three-year starter and earned first-team All-Mountain West Conference recognition as a senior. He finished his collegiate career ranked 11th in school history with 245 tackles and added 27 sacks in 45 games played.

An honorable mention all-state defensive end/outside linebacker as a senior at MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas, Patrick Chukwurah was born March 1, 1979, in Nigeria.