The Broncos might not be willing to publicly acknowledge defense is their top priority this offseason, but so far, actions speak louder than words.

The team's intention to overhaul that side of the ball became even clearer Tuesday night with the release of starting cornerback Dre Bly.

One day earlier, four players with significant playing time last season on defense - linemen Dewayne Robertson and John Engelberger, safety Marquand Manuel and linebacker Jamie Winborn - were jettisoned.

To date, Bly is the highest-

profile player to get pared off the roster in a move that comes with some steep financial implications, even with the Broncos in solid shape with the salary cap.

The cornerback received a $10 million signing bonus last year. And the remaining prorated amount from that payout, along with those from a previous renegotiation in April 2007, means the "dead" money he'll account for is higher than his previously scheduled 2009 cap figure: $9.45 million vs. $6.8 million.

But the cornerback's performance in the estimation of new coach Josh McDaniels, defensive coordinator Mike Nolan and the rest of the new staff took precedent over the financial books.

Broncos general manager Brian Xanders declined comment Tuesday night. Bly and agent Kennard McGuire didn't return phone messages.

Bly started all 32 games in his two years with the team after his acquisition in a trade from the Detroit Lions in March 2007. He had five interceptions in his initial season with the Broncos, pairing with Champ Bailey to form a top-notch tandem and earning him a new contract.

But Bly was more inconsistent last season.

He began the year slowly but responded well around midseason to the challenge of facing opponents' No. 1 receivers after Bailey went down because of a groin injury.

Yet it also was clear Bly, who just finished his 10th season, frequently lacked the explosion out of his cuts and catch-up speed, even if he often was a victim of a sporadic Broncos pass rush that forced defensive backs to hold up an inordinate amount of time.

Bly finished last season fifth on the team with 77 tackles and intercepted two passes. The Broncos had only six interceptions as a team. And the defense allowed a franchise-record 67.3 percent completion rate while ranking 29th in yards allowed, setting off this week's roster bloodletting.

Aside from those cuts, added to six others last week, several prominent defensive contributors are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents. The list includes linebacker Nate Webster, cornerback Karl Paymah, safety Marlon McCree and defensive linemen Ebenezer Ekuban and Kenny Peterson.

Many, if not all, of those players soon will be gone, too, as McDaniels and Co. make the transition to what is expected to be a 3-4 defensive alignment and begin anew.

The Broncos will start restocking the roster Feb. 27 when the free-agent period begins. Defensive line and safety were expected to be focus areas, but with Bly's exit, the Broncos currently have only Bailey, Josh Bell and Jack Williams on the roster with any pro experience and now might dip into that positional pool as well.

The Broncos staff will be in Indianapolis beginning today for the annual scouting combine.