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Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA, Von Miller 2017, CC BY-SA 2.0
Who are the top Denver Broncos of all time? Here is our top 10 countdown:
10. Rod Smith: the leading receiver in franchise history, Smith was an undrafted free agent who played his entire 12-year career with the Broncos, racking up eight 1,000-yard seasons and winning a pair of Super Bowls with the team.
9. Gary Zimmerman: one of the few players in NFL history to make the All-Decade Team twice (1980s and 1990s as a left tackle), Zimmerman spent the latter half of his career with the Broncos, making three straight Pro Bowls with an All-Pro selection and culminating with a win in Super Bowl XXXII.
8. Randy Gradishar: a leader of the Broncos’ “Orange Crush Defense” in the 1970s and 1980s, Gradishar was a 7x Pro Bowl and 2x All-Pro linebacker who won Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1978.
7. Steve Atwater: a hard-hitting Hall of Fame safety who spent a decade with the Broncos, Atwater was an 8x Pro Bowler and 2x All-Pro who closed out his Denver career with back-to-back Super Bowl wins in 1997 and 1998.
6. Von Miller: the career leader in sacks for the Broncos (110.5), Miller was not only Defensive Rookie of the Year during his decade with the team, but also earned eight Pro Bowl and three All-Pro selections while winning MVP honors for the team’s victory in Super Bowl 50.
5. Champ Bailey: a true shutdown cornerback, Bailey was already a Pro Bowler when he came over to Denver via a trade for Clinton Portis; as a Bronco, he made eight Pro Bowl and three All-Pro teams, leading the league in interceptions in 2006 (10).
4. Floyd Little: one of the Broncos’ earliest stars across both the AFL and NFL, Little was a 5x Pro Bowler and 1x All-Pro who won the rushing title in 1971 and retired as one of the top 10 rushers in league history.
3. Terrell Davis: dominant in his first four NFL seasons before being ravaged by injuries, Davis had three straight Pro Bowl/All-Pro seasons with a pair of Offensive Player of the Year awards and back-to-back Super Bowl wins, culminating in a 1998 season that saw him rush for 2,008 yards and win the MVP award; remains the Broncos’ all-time leading rusher.
2. Shannon Sharpe: a 4x All-Pro known as much for his mouth as for his hands, Sharpe was the first tight end to go over 10,000 career receiving yards and held the career tight end records for receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns until he was surpassed by Tony Gonzalez; he played 12 of his 14 NFL seasons with the Broncos and was an integral piece of the back-to-back Super Bowl teams.
1. John Elway: the first quarterback selected in the famed “Year of the Quarterback”, Elway was actually traded from the Baltimore Colts to Denver, where he went on to make nine Pro Bowls and win MVP honors while leading the Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowl titles in 1997 and 1998.
Agree/Disagree? As always, debate/discuss, and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Note: All statistics as of time of publication.
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Countdown 114: Top 10 San Francisco Giants of All Time
