This week, there has been a lot of talk about the Broncos moving on from Peyton Manning. Some find it difficult to believe that John Elway and the team’s brass would willing pull the plug on a future Hall of Fame quarterback. But that sentiment is iignoring history; since taking over as Denver’s general manager, Elway has repeatedly shown that he’s willing to make cold, calculated decisions with regard to the team’s roster.
That’s not necessarily a bad trait; in fact, it’s probably a good one. But it also flies in the face of the public’s perception that Elway isn’t capable of doing something like ending the Manning era in unceremonious fashion. He’s run off a lot of talent during his tenure in Denver; he’s not above doing it to No. 18.
Need some proof? Here’s the all-time roster of players run out of town by Elway:
OFFENSE
QB – Tim Tebow (2012)
WR – Eddie Royal (2012)
WR – Eric Decker (2014)
WR – Wes Welker (2015)
RB – Knowshon Moreno (2014)
TE – Julius Thomas (2015)
T – Chris Clark (2015)
G – Zane Beadles (2014)
C – Manny Ramirez (2015)
G – Chris Kuper (2013)
T – Orlando Franklin (2015)
DEFENSE
DE – Robert Ayers (2014)
DT – Brodrick Bunkley (2012)
DE – Elvis Dumervil (2012)
LB – Wesley Woodyard (2014)
LB – Nate Irving (2015)
LB – D.J. Williams (2012)
LB – Shaun Phillips (2014)
S – Mike Adams (2014)
S – Rahim Moore (2015)
CB – Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (2014)
CB – Champ Bailey (2013)
Would that team be able to win some games? Absolutely. And the roster will be even better in a few months when the quarterback gets replaced with one of the all-time greats. At that point, this group could probably win the AFC West.
Did the orange and blue move on from Manning this week? If so, the quarterback is in good company; a lot of players have endured a similar fate with the Elway-led Broncos.
