We all have that one friend that knows way too much about football. I don’t mean they can rattle off a roster depth chart; I mean they know how many yards Chris Ivory rushed for on October 17, 2010 (158, if you’re curious).
Back in the 70s, when Orange Crush soda was flying off the shelves, thought, that guy didn’t exist, mainly because statistics weren’t kept like they are today.
For the most part, only offensive statistics were recorded back in the 60s and 70s — sacks didn’t become an official stat until 1982 and tackles weren’t made official until 2001.
So, with that being said, when it comes to selecting the best defensive tackles in Denver Broncos history, I valued team success — Super Bowl trips, rings and overall quality of the defense — above basic stats.
Here goes:
5. Malik Jackson
Draft: 2012, 137th overall by the Denver Broncos
Career in Denver: 2012-2015 (24 starts)
Pro Bowls: Zero
Super Bowls: XLVIII, 50 (ring)
I know the situation between Jackson and Broncos die-hards is still fresh, raw, a little dicey. But we care so much because he was a great player and a key to the defensive domination that was the 2015 season.
Jackson was responsible for seven batted passes and 45 tackles last year — plus, he recovered the fumble forced by Von Miller in Super Bowl 50, giving the Broncos their first points.
Shortly after, Jackson left a bitter taste throughout the Mile High City when he bolted for Jacksonville and the $90 million they had that Denver didn’t.
Still, can you really fault a 26-year-old guy whose career is just beginning for chasing the money over the potential of another championship and eternal glory? Erm… actually yes.
4. Greg Kragen
Draft: UNDRAFTED
Career with Denver: 1985-1993 (116 starts)
Pro Bowls: 1989
Super Bowl: XXI, XXII, XXIV
I have always loved an underdog story, and you won’t find a bigger underdog than the undrafted player who makes a team. And then there is Greg Kragen, who not only made the team, but earned a Pro Bowl trip, two All-Pro honors and started in three Super Bowls.
After going undrafted out of Utah State, Kragen tried out for the Broncos in 1984 but didn’t make the cut. Undeterred, he came back in ‘85 and won himself a roster spot. Last year, Joe Menzer caught up with Kragen and asked him about his unconventional beginning.
“Well, when I look back, first of all, I never thought I would make it. I heard all the ‘you’re too small, you’re too slow’ things. I probably believed them, but I just kept on playing,” Kragen said. “Having gone to my first training camp and competed and having made it to the last cut, I felt like, ‘Well, I’ve got a chance.’ So I went back and made it the next year. But even then, I never felt like I could relax.”
That mindset to always keep pushing earned him a spot on this list. His story could have only been sweeter had Denver come away with a victory in one of the three Super Bowls he started in, but, hey, you can’t have it all.
3. Paul Smith
Draft: 1968, 222nd overall by the Denver Broncos
Career in Denver: 1968-1978 (86 starts)
Pro Bowl: 2 (1972, 1973)
Super Bowl: XXII
It’s important to realize that Denver was not good in the 60s. They went 5-9 in 1968 and that was an improvement from 67’s 3-11 record. Five coaches cycled through the 60s — there have only been 10 coaches in the 46 years since. Paul Smith’s rookie season was the start of the years-long turnaround Denver would make from dead last in the AFC West to their first Super Bowl appearance in 1977, and Smith was a major part of that change, from start to finish.
He is the first Bronco to play for a decade, and his quiet lead-by-example mentality elevated the play of his teammates.
Head coach, John Ralston, once said that Smith was “the finest defensive tackle in pro football.”
He earned two Pro Bowl appearances in 72 and 73 and was a member of that historic ‘77 AFC Championship victory. He played in the first Super Bowl in Denver’s history and was a member of the baby Orange Crush defense.
He left Denver in 1978 and played out two more seasons with the Washington Redskins.
2. Trevor Pryce
Draft: 1997, 28th overall by the Denver Broncos
Career with Denver: 1997-2005 (114 starts)
Pro Bowls: 4 (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002)
Super Bowls: XXXII (ring), XXXIII (ring)
Pryce spent nine years with Denver at defensive tackle and earned himself four pro bowl trips during that time. His rough career statistics with the Broncos reveal just how he earned those trips: 317 tackles, 64 sacks, 2 interceptions, 9 pass deflections, 6 forced fumbles and 4 fumble recoveries.
The Broncos defense in the late 90s was one of the greatest pass-rushing defenses at the time, and Pryce made a name for himself as one of the most fierce and talented guys on the field. He played in only eight games as a rookie, but started 15 of 16 in his sophomore season and helped John Elway win his final game as Bronco: Super Bowl XXXIII.
While Pryce lists that as the proudest moment of his career, he only continued to improve from there.
“I started all year and had a pretty good year and the year before some people had written me off except for my coaches and my teammates so it was pretty special to me to do that,” Pryce said, via Mile High Report. “I should have gone to the Pro Bowl, too.”
Pryce got his wish in 1999, and the consecutive three years after that. He was also a three-time All-Pro selection from ‘99-01. Pryce may have caught the tail-end of the magical 90s at Mile High, but he continued to produce until he was released by Denver in 2005, and picked up by Baltimore.
After his days as a monster on the field were over, he flipped a full-180 and wrote a couple of children’s books. They’re apparently pretty good — talk about a man of many talents.
1. Rubin Carter
Draft: 1975, 121st overall by the Denver Broncos
Career in Denver: 1975-1986 (154 games)
Pro Bowls: none (it’s a scandal)
Super Bowls: XII, XXI, XXII
This Rubin Carter is not to be confused with the boxer Rubin Carter who ended up in prison. This Carter was drafted out of Miami as a defensive tackle, but he only stayed at that position for his first two seasons.
After DT Lyle Alzado went down with an injury, defensive coordinator Joe Collier moved Carter to nose tackle. Collier had debated switching to the 3-4 scheme — brand new to football at the time — and the switch for Carter was the spark he needed. Carter was one of the first nose tackles in NFL history and one of the greatest to every play the position.
If you need proof, take a look at the 1977 cover of Sports Illustrated — it is a close-up of Carter’s game-face, talking about the 3-4 defense.
In his 12-year career, Denver had the most prolific defense of the decade, if not all-time. Carter anchored a defense which carried the team to the first of five AFC Championship games and three Super Bowls. A knee injury sidelined him for majority of the 1986 season, and at age 34, he retired as a player, but never from the game.
He stayed on as a defensive linemen coach for the Broncos until 1988, and coached a slew of other teams before reaching Purdue, where he is still the defensive line coach. The guy has dedicated his entire life to the game — that’s pretty neat.