John Elway is hoping to become greedy.

Nothing would please Broncos fans more.

The Denver general manager already has built a team good enough to win the AFC championship and play in the Super Bowl.

Getting back to the big game and playing much better once the Broncos get there is what Elway will seek Tuesday as the NFL officially opens its 2014 season and free-agent market at 2 p.m.

After quarterback Peyton Manning and his offense helped the Broncos set an NFL scoring record with 606 points last season, Elway’s focus in free agency will be on defense.

Defensive end Jared Allen, cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and strong safety T.J. Ward are on the Broncos’ wish list. It doesn’t mean the Broncos will get them.

But the team is expected to pursue those defensive stalwarts from free agency.

Also, the Broncos remain in the market for a middle linebacker after D’Qwell Jackson recently decided to sign with the Indianapolis Colts. Karlos Dansby, Jon Beason and Erin Henderson would fit the Broncos’ system.

The Broncos are deep in negotiations with their own Andre “Bubba” Caldwell, a backup wide receiver they hope to keep off the market.

Running back Darren Sproles may draw interest as a backup to Montee Ball, though Denver’s pursuit of the veteran dynamo might not be determined until after the Broncos assess how much of the budget the defensive side of the ball will take up.

In today’s NFL, a defensive unit’s priority is rushing the passer and covering the guys the passer is targeting.

The league’s best active pass rusher is Allen, who has averaged 14.4 sacks in his past seven seasons. Allen, who turns 32 in three weeks, played his first four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and the last six with the Minnesota Vikings. He ranks 12th in NFL history with 128½ sacks and needs only 11½ more to move into sixth place.

Among the Broncos’ top pass rushers, Von Miller is coming off a torn ACL in his right knee, Shaun Phillips and Robert Ayers are free agents and Derek Wolfe is coming off a seizurelike episode that caused him to miss the final eight games of the 2013 season.

As for covering receivers, the Broncos have been working on re-signing Rodgers-Cromartie, their own cornerback, before he hits the market.

Ward would give the Broncos a physical presence in the back of their defense, though they also like their young stable of safeties: Rahim Moore, Quinton Carter, Duke Ihenacho and John Boyett.

Allen, Ward and Rodgers-Cromartie have expensive price tags. Last year, the market for pass rushers topped out at about $8 million per season. That is expected to go up because of the league’s salary cap increase this year.

Two cornerbacks who re-signed with their teams are the Miami Dolphins’ Brett Grimes (four years, $8 million per) and the Green Bay Packers’ Sam Shields (four years, $9.75 million per). If the Broncos work out a deal with Rodgers-Cromartie, they aren’t expected to pursue another top-level cornerback. The team is hopeful that Chris Harris will return from his knee injury and that Kayvon Webster will improve in his second NFL season.

If they can’t reach an agreement with Allen, Rodgers-Cromartie or Ward, the Broncos have a backup plan. Like a Christmas shopper the night of Thanksgiving, the NFL figures to engage in a spending spree Tuesday afternoon. The Broncos don’t want to get caught up the frenzy and spend frivolously.

“The best players are not in free agency,” Bill Polian, a former Buffalo and Indianapolis GM, said during an ESPN conference call last week. “They’re either tagged or signed. These are ‘B’ players whose agents are asking for ‘A’ money.”

Among the Broncos’ 16 free agent-eligible players, Rodgers-Cromartie and Caldwell are the only ones the team is trying to keep off the market.

Denver free agents such as wide receiver Eric Decker, guard Zane Beadles, running back Knowshon Moreno, linebacker Wesley Woodyard, safety Mike Adams and defensive ends Phillips and Ayers will be able to first shop their services to other teams.

Mike Klis: mklis@denverpost.com or twitter.com/mikeklis

Hired help

Equipped with salary cap space and cash, the Broncos will try to bolster their roster when the NFL free-agent market opens Tuesday at 2 p.m. Some of the available players who have drawn Denver’s interest (ages in Week 1 of the 2014 season):

Jared Allen, DE, 6-foot-6, 265 pounds, 32, Vikings: A pass rusher is the Broncos’ top priority, and Allen is the most accomplished on the market. Age concerns are minimized by recent production: 11½ sacks in 2013, 12 in 2012, 22 in 2011. He will get big bucks.

T.J. Ward, SS, 5-10, 200, 27, Browns: He would provide a physical presence the Broncos haven’t had at safety since Brian Dawkins in 2009.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, 6-2, 193, 28, Broncos: If the Broncos re-sign their top cornerback, as expected — he should get at least a three-year contract worth $7 million per — they might not sign another top corner.

Darren Sproles, RB, 5-6, 190, 31, Saints: Would be an ideal third-down complement to bigger Denver tailbacks Montee Ball and C.J. Anderson, and would replace Trindon Holliday as a kick returner.

Jon Beason, MLB, 6-0, 240, 29, Giants: Would be reunited with Broncos coach John Fox, who drafted Beason in the first round of the 2007 draft while with Carolina. Beason has not been a front-line player the past three seasons.

Jairus Byrd, S, 5-10, 203, 27, Bills: He might be the No. 1 free agent, period, but he turned down $10 a million a year from the Bills.

Eric Decker, WR, 6-3, 214, 27, Broncos: Once other suitors establish Decker’s market value, Broncos general manager John Elway will determine whether he can keep arguably the league’s best No. 2 receiver.

Mike Klis, The Denver Post