The Broncos reached a three-year, $5 million contract agreement with defensive end John Engelberger that can void into a two-year deal that is worth $1.6 million a year.
Engelberger was scheduled to become a free agent March 3 because the final year of his contract voided.
The re-signing of Engelberger was Denver's third key re-signing in the past month. The Broncos reached agreements with safety Sam Brandon and center Tom Nalen in recent weeks.
Included in the Engelberger deal is a $750,000 signing bonus.
Mike Shanahan still has a lot of work to do for negotiations to keep the defensive line together. The Broncos are working on contracts for defensive end Courtney Brown and defensive tackle Gerard Warren. Defensive tackle Monsanto Pope is also a free agent. Defensive end Marco Coleman retired last week.
Engelberger came to the Broncos in a trade for cornerback Willie Middlebrooks last summer. He became a solid third defensive end for the Broncos and early in the season showed some good pass-rush ability.
John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.