Mile High Sports

PFF’s Denver Broncos All-Time team a walk down memory lane

Rich Kurtzman

Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Former Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning in attendance before Super Bowl LX between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

PFF’s Denver Broncos all-time team—which covers the last 20 years—is a great bit of nostalgia.

Pro Football Focus has taken the top performers at most positions and created their All-PFF team, and for Broncos Country, it includes two Hall of Famers and multiple Ring of Famers.

While Denver missed the playoffs for a decade following their Super Bowl 50 win, it’s a reminder that this has been a special 20 years in the Mile High City.

PFF’s Denver Broncos all-time team is stacked

Most of the names on the All-PFF Denver Broncos team are to be expected, with a few surprises sprinkled in.

With this being the 20th year of the analytics website, they’re looking back to all the greatest players from each franchise. And Denver’s is brilliant.

The way Pro Football Focus compiled the list was by looking at their grading and compiling a list of the best players. Of course, PFF grades are often debated, which opened the door for at least one questionable addition to the team.

Let’s quickly examine who made the All-PFF team for the Denver Broncos:

Offense

It wouldn’t be an all-time list without “The Sheriff” Peyton Manning leading the way. Manning was brilliant in his time with the Broncos. Not only did he lead the all-time highest-scoring offense in NFL history in 2013, but helped the Broncos to two Super Bowls during his short tenure, including the Super Bowl 50 victory.

C.J. Anderson is a bit of a surprise, as Knowshon Moreno was the team’s leading back for three years over the two decade timespan. But, Anderson apparently had the higher grade during that 2015 season.

But it is hard to argue with the receiver choices. Demaryius Thomas is the second-best receiver statistically in Broncos history and the best over these 20 years. And we have to go all the way back to 2006 for Brandon Marshall, who enjoyed a great three-year run, while Sanders is arguably the best slot receiver in Broncos history.

Onto Tony Scheffler, who actually has the fifth-most yards and third-most touchdowns of any Broncos tight end, and “Orange Julius” Thomas was a big part of that 2013 season.

Along the offensive line, it’s pretty solid all around. The one question mark I see is at center with Matt Paradis. He was the center in the 2015 Super Bowl season, but Tom Nalen was still playing in 2006-07. Again, Paradis’ grade was likely higher than Nalen’s, but I’d put Nalen in there. Also, honorable mention for Ryan Clady, who was a two-time First-Team All-Pro.

Defense

This defensive group is beyond elite. It’s a beautiful blend of the No Fly Zone with the more current defense, and even includes Hall of Famer Champ Bailey.

The front five here is nuts. Derek Wolfe and Malik Jackson could really get after the quarterback, and Shelby Harris was elite at knocking the ball down at the line of scrimmage. Meanwhile, Von Miller is arguably the best EDGE in NFL history and Shaq Barrett was huge in 2015 when DeMarcus Ware went down due to injury.

The biggest surprise on the defense was Alexander Johnson. Al Wilson wasn’t included, although he had a 2nd-team All-Pro season in 2006. And D.J. Williams had a great career in Denver, too. I’d have rather seen either of them over Johnson.

But man, Champ Bailey and Pat Surtain as your cornerbacks. Combined with that pass rush? Good luck.

Overall, this is a fantastic team despite a few questionable calls due to PFF’s grading system.

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