We’ve already detailed the greatest offensive players in Denver Broncos history, and now we’re on to the defense, starting with defensive ends.
Now, unlike the offense, where players almost always hold a clearly defined position, things can get a little more fuzzy on the defensive side of the ball; depending on what kind of defense the team is running in any given year, the same player could be categorized as a defensive end (4-3 defense) or an outside linebacker (3-4 defense), and in some cases that defensive end will spend the majority of his time playing inside as a de-facto defensive tackle.
So, just to get us all on the same page, when deciding what position a player would be categorized as, we simply looked at their Pro Football Reference page and chose the position they were described as most often during their stay in Denver.
So if you disagree with a designation, take it up with them, not us.
Nonetheless, we feel as if we developed a good list. And so here goes …
5. Alfred Williams
Years With Broncos: 1996-1999 (4 Seasons)
Stats: 28.5 sacks; 131 total tackles
Career Accolades: 1-time 1st-Team All-Pro; 1-time Pro Bowler; 2-time Super Bowl champion
I was really close to giving this spot to Maa Tanuvasa, and I still feel like I probably should have, but in the end, I had to go with Big Al.
For one, there is something to the fact that he feels like a Colorado guy. He went to CU, he should have been drafted by the Broncos and he eventually found his way back to Denver when it mattered most. To me, while he only spent four seasons here and he wasn’t incredibly consistent, that’s worth a ranking in this top five.
And there’s no denying that his peak was significantly higher than Tanuvasa and about as high as anyone who’s played defensive end for the Broncos; his 13-sack, 56-tackle 1996 season earned him a 1st-Team All-Pro nod.
4. Rich Jackson
Years With Broncos: 1967-1972 (6 Seasons)
Stats: Defensive statistics not yet recorded
Career Accolades: 3-time 1st-Team All-Pro; 3-time Pro Bowler
With Rich “Tombstone” Jackson, as well as several other players on this list, it becomes difficult to compare statistics because prior to 1982, the NFL didn’t officially keep track of sacks, and it took even longer to keep track of tackles.
So when you go look at Jackson’s career statistics, you’re going to see a whole lot of blank spaces.
Jackson, though, was one of the best pass rushers of his generation; he was named 1st-Team All-Pro three seasons in a row (’68-’70).
The only thing holding Jackson back from being higher on this list is that he only spent six seasons in Denver.
3. Rulon Jones
Years With Broncos: 1980-1988 (9 Seasons)
Stats: 52.5 sacks (sacks not counted first two seasons; tackles not counted yet
Career Accolades: 1-time 1st-Team All-Pro; 2-time Pro Bowler
Consistency is what earned Rulon Jones a spot on this list.
For nine seasons, Jones played defensive end for the Denver Broncos, and for nine seasons he produced. As of today, his 52.5 sacks are sixth most in franchise history (second most amongst defensive ends), and it would be higher had they counted sacks during his first two seasons.
Jones was drafted by the Broncos in the second round of the 1980 draft and he would spend his entire career with the team, starting 99 games.
During the two-year stretch from 1985-1986, Jones totaled 23.5 tackles, earned two Pro Bowl trips and was voted 1st-Team All-Pro.
2. Barney Chavous
Years With Broncos: 1973-1985 (13 Seasons)
Stats: 23.0 sacks (Sacks not counted first nine seasons); tackles not counted yet
Career Accolades: None
Barney Chavous was never one of the best defensive ends in the NFL, but he’s one of the best defensive ends in Denver Broncos history because he represented this franchise to the fullest extent.
Chavous was selected in the second round of the 1973 draft, and he would go on to spend the next 13 years in Denver, starting 179 games, nearly twice as many as any other player on this list.
If sacks were counted during his first nine seasons, there’s no question that he’d be ranked inside the top-five; his 23 official sacks (from 1982-85) still rank ninth on the all-time list.
To cap it off, after retiring in 1985, Chavous returned to the team in 1989 as the assistant strength and conditioning coach. He would remain with the team through the 1999 season, earning two Super Bowl rings in the process.
1. Elvis Dumervil
Years With Broncos: 2006-2012 (6 Seasons)
Stats: 63.5 sacks; 225 total tackles
Career Accolades: 2-time 1st-Team All-Pro; 5-time Pro Bowler
Far and away, Elvis Dumervil is the greatest defensive end in Broncos history, and if he’d been able to fax his contract in on time, there’s a chance he could go down as one of the greatest defenders in franchise history, too.
Not only are Dumervil’s 63.5 sacks as a Bronco fourth most in franchise history (just a half sack behind Trevor Price for third), but his 96 career sacks are the third most in the league since being drafted, only trailing DeMarcus Ware (126.5) and Jared Allen (116).
Simply put, Dumervil has, and continues to be, one of the best pass rushers of his generation.
He’s topped 10 sacks four times in his career, including two 17-sack seasons, and you could have made the case that he deserved to be defensive player of the year in 2009, when he lead the league in sacks.
While Dumervil’s career in Denver ended in confusing fashion, there’s no denying that he played a big role in the franchise’s history.