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Top 50 Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos were charter members of the American Football League in 1960, but it is hard to remember that they were even in that league, to begin with.  The Broncos were the only team that never played in the AFL Title and not only that they also never even had a winning record.  Beyond having a star in Running Back, Floyd Little, the team might have folded or relocated.  But as they say, time heals everything.

By the mid-'70s, the Broncos would have a defensive unit called the "Orange Crush," and it took them to Super Bowl XII and a loss to the Dallas Cowboys.  The "D" remained solid for years, but they would later be known for their offense when they traded for Quarterback, John Elway.  The Broncos would win the AFC Conference three times in the last half of the 1980s, but they would lose each Super Bowl by wide margins.

Along with Running Back, Terrell Davis, Elway again took the Broncos to the Super Bowl, and he would finally win it all in Super Bowl XXXII and repeated it the following year with a championship win over the Atlanta Falcons in a game that would be Elway's last.

Denver would be up and down after that for the following fifteen seasons and Elway, now the team's General Manager brought in Peyton Manning.  Manning would take the team to two Super Bowls, the first a lopsided loss XLVIII to the Seattle Seahawks but backed by a potent defense led by Von Miller, and they would win Super Bowl 50.


This list is up to the end of the 2022 regular season.

Note: Football lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics, and post-season accolades.

Arguably the best Safety in the American Football League days of the Denver Broncos, Goose Gonsoulin would lead the AFL in Interceptions as a rookie in 1960, which coincidentally was also the “rookie” year of the AFL.  Gonsoulin would finish in the top eight in pick the next five seasons, and he would be an AFL All-Star four times while…
Trevor Pryce had to feel happy when the Denver Broncos drafted the former Clemson Tiger as he was on a team that was on the cusp of something special.  Pryce was a member of the Broncos' first two Super Bowl wins, but he came into his own after that success by putting together a four-year streak of Pro Bowl Selections…
From the University of Tennessee, Al Wilson would win the starting Middle Linebacker job as a rookie for the Denver Broncos, which would be the only team he ever played for.  Wilson would become known in the NFL for his speed and his ability on the pass rush, and from 2001 to 2006 he was named to the Pro Bowl. …
Ed McCaffrey was the reliable second option for the Denver Broncos for many years, and he was an essential part of the organization's two Super Bowl wins in the late 1990s.  The Wide Receiver would have three straight 1,000 Yard seasons (1998-00), was named to the Pro Bowl in 1998 and had a 101 Reception season in 2000, which was…
Jason Elam was drafted in the 3rd Round in 1993, and it proved to be a high-value selection as the Place Kicker would participate in 236 Games over 15 years as a Denver Bronco.  Elam was a member of the first two Broncos Super Bowl wins, and he would be named to three Pro Bowls (1995, 1998 & 2001) and…
Rick Upchurch was a decent Wide Receiver who started 69 of his 119 Games, which reflects where he was in the food chain.  His best season as a wideout was in 1979 where he had 937 Receiving Yards with seven Touchdowns.  Where he shined in the league was as a Returner, and he would be named a four-time Pro Bowl…
Drafted 5th Overall in 1972 from the University of Houston, Riley Odoms would have a very good career in the NFL, which all transpired in Denver.  Odoms was one of the better receiving Tight Ends of his day, and he would be named to four Pro Bowls (1973, 1974, 1975 & 1978) with two of those seasons earning him a…
A 1st Round Pick (12th Overall) in 2008, Ryan Clady would have an excellent rookie campaign where he was named a Second Team All-Pro and finished third in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.  Clady, who was instituted as the starting Left Tackle as soon as he began his professional career, would be named to his first Pro Bowl and…
Despite a good career at Kansas, Chris Harris went undrafted in 2011, but he found a home with the Denver Broncos where he played in all 16 Games of his rookie season, starting four of them.  By 2013 he was cemented as a starting Cornerback, and in 2014 he would be named to his first of three straight Pro Bowls,…

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Barney Chavous played his entire career with the Denver Broncos, and it was a long one!  Selected in the 2nd Round of the 1973 Draft, Chavous was a Defensive Tackle as a rookie, and he would move to Defensive End where he would be a starter until he retired after the 1985 season.  Although Chavous has 23.0 official Quarterback Sacks,…
Rubin Carter played his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos where he predominantly played Nose Tackle.  Carter would start 162 of his 166 Games where he was a decent pass rusher.  While he was never named to a Pro Bowl, he was on the fringe of making one in a few seasons, and he was named a Second Team…
You can’t talk about Bill Romanowski without mentioning how he was one of the dirtiest players ever to put on an NFL uniform. 
Rich Jackson was traded from the Oakland Raiders after his rookie season and from 1968 to 1970, the Defensive End would be considered among the best Defensive Ends in Professional Football.  In those three seasons, he was named a First Team All-Pro and AFL All-Star, and while he was not in the AFL for very long, he was named a…
Simon Fletcher was one of the most consistent Linebackers of the early 1990s, and from 1989 to 1993 he would have at least 10 Sacks.  A Bronco for his entire 11-year career, Fletcher would at one time share the record with ten consecutive games with a Sack, and he would have 97.5 overall.  Fletcher was never chosen for a Pro…
Steve Foley was drafted in the 8th Round in 1975, but he would try his luck in the upstart World Football League, and he would play for the Jacksonville Express in 1975.  The WFL folded, and he would join Denver in 1976 and would play there for his entire career in the NFL, which comprised 150 Games over 11 Years. …
Haven Moses was traded from the Buffalo Bills during the 1972 Season for another Wide Receiver (Dwight Harrison), and with all due respect to Harrison, it was the Broncos who got the better end of the swap of wideouts.  Moses would be in the top nine in Yards per Reception four times with Denver and was named to the Pro…
From Florida State, Ken Lanier would play 13 of his 14 seasons with the Denver Broncos where he would start 163 Games, mostly at Right Tackle.  Lanier was a steady presence protecting John Elway's right side for over a decade, and the Broncos were lucky to have him.
A late round pick in 1987, Tyrone Braxton would become a starting Cornerback in 1989.  His career was up and down, and he was released after 1993 as one of the many scapegoats for a bad Broncos season.
One of the most well-known defensive players of his day, Lyle Alzado was more recognized with the Oakland Raiders but his best years and most extended years were with the Denver Broncos.  With Denver, Alzado would be a First Team All-Pro in 1977, and he was a Pro Bowl Selection that year and the one after.  The Defensive End would…