Today, as the NFL preseason is set to kick off in mere hours, Sports Illustrated released their top 100 players of 2016 list, but the Broncos, despite being Super Bowl champions, didn’t get as much love as you might expect.
With three players on the list, the Broncos faired well, but when you consider how many players from the Seahawks (8), Panthers (7), Cardinals (6), Cowboys (6) and Patriots (6) made the list, something seems a little off.
Actually, the Broncos were closer to the bottom of the list, where the Browns, Chargers, Titans, Jaguars and Lions all had just one player than the top.
But before we get talking about who was snubbed, let’s talk about who made the list.
At 69, T.J. Ward was the lowest on the list, but it was high praise nonetheless. While Darian Stewart is probably the most underrated member of the No Fly Zone, Ward rarely gets the respect he deserves, either.
Near the top, Chris Harris clocked in at 15, making him the second-highest ranked cornerback in the NFL, only trailing Seattle’s Richard Sherman.
And above him, at No. 6, was Von Miller, who SI ranked as the second-best defender in all of football. As you might expect, J.J. Watt was the only defender above him at No. 1 overall.
It’s also worth pointing out that Evan Mathis (80) and Danny Trevathan (60), who both parted ways with the organization in free agency, made the list.
But what notable names missed the cut?
First and foremost, the exclusion of Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders makes sense, but there’s definitely a case for why they should be on the list. Despite down years — caused by poor quarterback play and drops, in DT’s case — both wideouts put up Pro Bowl-caliber numbers. And if you look at their entire body of work, especially with Thomas, it’s hard to deny that they’re not top 100 players in the NFL, if not at least very close.
It’s on the defense, though, where we can see the biggest snubs.
With Trevathan ranked all the way up at 60, it’s curious how Brandon Marshall didn’t make the cut at all. The Broncos, as evidenced by their offseason decision, obviously valued Marshall as the better player, paying him $7.5 million more over the next four seasons and giving him $8 million more in guarantees than Trevathan received from Chicago.
And based off of his playoff run alone, DeMarcus Ware should have been considered for the backend of this list; add in his historical performance, and it should have been a no-brainer.
Once again, this is just more evidence that the football world is counting out the Denver Broncos in 2016. Luckily, that just gives them all the more reason to prove the doubters wrong.