The Denver Broncos have been blessed with the number of great players that have donned orange and blue in the franchise’s history. Limiting the list to just five doesn’t do justice to all of the other greats from the past decades, yet that’s the task at hand.
With the exception for No. 1 on this list, there can be plenty of debate as to the order of the four that follow, as well as others that should have made the cut. An organization doesn’t make it to a record eight Super Bowls without extraordinary talent and this list only scratches the surface.
With a historically great franchise, it would be safe to assume that the top five players would all be in the Hall of Fame, right? Well, since the Broncos only have four players in the Hall of Fame this isn’t even possible.
As most every Broncos fan knows, there is a great injustice with how Canton has viewed the Broncos, and while there will be great debates about many Broncos for years to come, all of the players in this list should be elected immediately.
Since this is looking at the best Broncos of all time, it was only fair to look at the careers that each player had when they were with the Broncos. Even though some players had great careers with the Broncos and another team, it only mattered what they did in Denver.
Is it too early to put any current Broncos on this list? Did any members of the Orange Crush make the cut? How many players were on the Super Bowl winning teams in the late 90’s? Let’s find out.
5. Champ Bailey
Career stats with Broncos: 10 seasons; 34 INTs; 123 passes defended; 522 tackles
Best statistical year: 2006; 10 INTs; 21 passes defended; 73 tackles; runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year
Honors with Broncos: Eight-time Pro Bowler; Three-time First-Team All-Pro; 2000s All-Decade Team
Super Bowl victories with Broncos: 0
It’s hard to imagine that the Broncos were able to land one of the best cornerbacks of all time in his prime for a running back (Clinton Portis) AND receive a second round pick. Oh how times have changed in the NFL in just 12 years.
Bailey was the champ of this defense from the moment he arrived in 2004 and could always be counted on to shut down his half of the field. Bailey ended his time in Denver with 34 interceptions, but what makes that even more incredible is understanding how infrequently quarterbacks chose to target him.
Arguably a top-three cover corner of all-time, Bailey was also one of the best tackling corners that this league has ever seen.
In 2006, Bailey was the runner-up for defensive player of the year, only behind Jason Taylor, with 10 interceptions. The year before, Bailey made one of the most memorable plays in Broncos playoff history when he picked off Tom Brady on the goal line and ran it back 100 yards to the opposite end zone, propelling Denver to the AFC Championship Game.
About the only thing that Bailey didn’t accomplish in his time in Denver was winning a world championship.
Although not a Hall of Famer yet, there is little doubt that Bailey will be elected in his first year of eligibility in 2019.
