Terrell Owens and his agent visited Denver on Monday, talking with coach Mike Shanahan to see if he might be a fit with the Broncos. Owens is under contract with Philadelphia, but the Eagles have given him permission to seek a trade. Denver is a suitor, and a person familiar with the negotiations, who spoke on condition he not be identified because there was no deal, told The Associated Press the volatile receiver had a good meeting with Shanahan. Owens and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, were shown by KCNC-TV at the Denver airport on their way out of town Monday night. Broncos spokesman Jim Saccomano, working at the Super Bowl in Detroit, said he could not comment because he had no knowledge of the visit.

DENVER -- Broncos coach Mike Shanahan turned to an old friend to replace longtime assistant Gary Kubiak on his coaching staff. Shanahan hired former New York Jets offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger as assistant head coach and promoted offensive line coach Rick Dennison to offensive coordinator on Monday. The moves come after Kubiak was hired last week as coach of the Houston Texans, and Heimerdinger was freed from his contract with the Jets. "I'm excited to come back. I know everybody on staff and in the administration," Heimerdinger said as he stepped off the plane in Denver. He said his duties were still being formulated, "but I would assume I'll assist Mike in the passing game" with Dennison primarily directing the running game.

The Broncos will likely officially have a replacement for Gary Kubiak in the coming days. The expected appointment of former Tennessee and New York Jets offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger as Denver's new offensive coordinator will take a step closer to becoming official Monday when Heimerdinger is set to meet with Broncos coach Mike Shanahan. Barring an unexpected change, Heimerdinger will be hired shortly thereafter. Kubiak was announced as the head coach of the Houston Texans on Thursday.

Tom Nalen sat in a near-empty Broncos locker room Monday at Dove Valley and pondered how Denver could improve in 2006. When asked about one of the most talented players expected to be available this offseason, Nalen didn't hesitate. "I'd take T.O.," said Denver's venerable center and a quiet leader. Nalen said controversial wide receiver Terrell Owens would succeed in Denver. Nalen - whose opinion was backed by other Broncos players Monday - said Denver's veteran-oriented roster could help Owens work his way back into the NFL. Nalen said the presence of fellow veteran receiver Rod Smith - the undisputed leader of the Broncos - would help Owens adjust quickly if he were to come to Denver. "If it would work anywhere, I think it would work here because of the guys in the locker room," Nalen said. "Guys would keep him straight ... I think he'd conform. He'd fit in here." The Broncos often lacked the ability to attack deep down the field this season. Asked whether he thought Owens would enhance Denver's offense to the point of making it a Super Bowl team, Nalen said, "He'd fit into any offense. He's a great player."

Former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett turned himself in Monday night on charges of robbing two people at gunpoint in an alley behind a bar. His lawyer, Percy Squire, said his client would be jailed overnight and was set to appear in court Tuesday, where he planned to enter a plea of not guilty. Clarett was wanted on two counts of aggravated robbery since early Sunday, when police said he flashed a gun and demanded property from a man and a woman behind the Opium Lounge in downtown Columbus. Police said he fled with two men in a sport utility vehicle after he was identified by the bar owner, who happened to come out into the alley. No one was injured. The 22-year-old former Buckeye star, who helped the team win the national championship in 2002, turned himself in around 9 p.m. Monday at the county jail, Columbus Detective Art Hughes said.

Former American football collegiate star running back Maurice Clarett is finally something he never became in the National Football League - a wanted man. Clarett and two other men are wanted by police after attempting to rob two people outside a bar shortly after New Year's Day began here in the city where Clarett became a star at Ohio State University. Three men, including Clarett, sped away in a white van and have been charged with two counts of aggravated robbery. "A warrant has been filed for his arrest. He is at-large and we are trying to locate him," Columbus police sergeant Shaun Laird said. "We hope he does the right thing, calls us and turns himself in. Clarett, 22, approached two people and demanded property from them. Police reported that one of the assailants displayed a handgun. The victims were unharmed and is was not certain anything was even taken from them. "There are two sides to every story but the detective last night felt there was probable cause to file a warrant and we just want to hear his side of the story," Laird said. Clarett's greater fame in US sports circles came when he challenged an NFL rule that players must wait three years after their high school class graduates to play in the NFL.