On a personal level, Bannan said life couldn’t be better. He married his wife, Sommer, in the offseason, and the couple bought a house here, where Bannan said they hope to settle and start a family.

As it turned out, Justin Bannan never left the Broncos. He just took a one-year detour to St. Louis. Bannan, a 10-year NFL defensive lineman and a former University of Colorado star, returned to ...