After going largely unrecognized and entirely unrepresented by the Pro Football Hall of Fame for several decades, the Denver Broncos have seen several former players immortalized in Canton over the past few years.
The next former Bronco to be enshrined might be Demarcus Ware, who came aboard in 2014 to help the Broncos chase a Super Bowl, and played a vital role on Denver’s legendary defense that won Super Bowl 50.
Ware’s inclusion on the semi-finalist list doesn’t come as much of a surprise, as he’s easily one of the strongest candidates eligible for enshrinement this year, and a heavy favorite to become a first-ballot induction.
In NFL.com’s ranking of the 26 semifinalists, Ware ranked third, behind only Devin Hester and Patrick Willis.
“I feel like I kind of slept on Ware before taking some time to really examine his career. It was excellent,” Adam Rank, who authored the piece, wrote. “A four-time first-team All-Pro four times, he also earned second-team honors three more times. He twice led the league in sacks and is a member of the 100 sacks club. Oh, and he was a key member of the Broncos’ Super Bowl 50 championship team. Of the first-time eligibles, I’d give the Hall nod to Steve Smith, Ware and one other guy to be named shortly.”
Over his three seasons with Denver, Ware tallied 25 sacks, 3.5 of which came in the playoffs and were a major factor in the Broncos reaching the Super Bowl. Ware was truly dominant during the 2015 Super Bowl run, something that is often overlooked as a result of Von Miller’s own dominance, but it deserves more credit. Along with those 3.5 sacks, Ware racked up 12 quarterback hits, four tackles for loss, and a fumble recovery.
Ware would be the Broncos’ 15th member of the Hall of Fame, giving them the 17th-most among the NFL franchises.