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Every player’s dream in the NFL is to be mentioned as one of the top players in history. There’s only a select handful of the best of all time, and when it comes to the Denver Broncos, there’ve been generations of talented players who made their mark on the team.
In this article, we’ll discuss the top five greatest Denver Broncos players of all time, including stats and other achievements they made, how long they played on the team and their legacy.
Beginning our list of top Broncos players of all time is the legendary linebacker in recent years known as Von Miller. Von Miller is the only player on this list still playing in the NFL, and while he no longer plays for the Broncos, he managed 142 total games for his team.
In those 142 games, he’d reach an all-time high of 110.5 sacks and 390 solo tackles while recovering 9 fumbles and recording 2 interceptions throughout his career. From 2011 to 2019 (excluding 2013), Miller would make the Pro Bowl 8 times, achieving the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2011 before making the All-Pros first team in 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2016, where he’d win the 2016 Super Bowl against the Panthers (and once again for the Rams in 2022).
Shannon Sharpe is one of the most well-respected Broncos players of all time, despite the fact that he left the team in 2000 for the Baltimore Ravens before returning to finish his career at the Broncos in 2002. In his 172 games for the Broncos, he proved to be one of the best tight ends around, reaching 675 total receptions for 8,439 yards and catching 55 touchdowns for a whopping 66.1% catch percentage.
Sharpe made the Pro Bowl from 1992-98 and again in 2002, and the All Pros first team in 1993, 1996, 1997 and 1998. To seal the deal, Sharpe would accomplish three separate Super Bowl championships, two of them back to back in 1998 and 1999 for the Broncos before winning in 2001 for the Ravens.
The player who started at Washington for 5 seasons as a cornerback before moving to the Denver Broncos for the rest of his career is Champ Bailey, one of the greatest Broncos players to play the game. In 135 games for Denver, Bailey would manage 524 solo tackles, 2 sacks, 6 fumble recoveries and 34 interceptions, making him one of the best defensive passing readers ever.
He did have 10 interceptions for 162 yards in his 2006 season while making the Pro Bowl for the Broncos from 2004-2007, then again in 2009-2012. Despite these crushing statistics for the defenseman, Champ Bailey never got his hands on a Super Bowl trophy in his career.
Terrell Davis may have had a short-lived NFL career, but not without making his mark on the league first. Starting as the main running back for the Broncos from 1995 to 2001, Davis would cap 77 games in total, scoring 60 rushing touchdowns (5 passing) and rushing for a total of 7,607 yards, making him one of the most potent yardage-gaining players in existence.
In his 1998 season, Davis would rush for an incredible 2,008 total yards and score 21 touchdowns, making him an absolute monster in the late 90s. From 1996-1998, Davis would dominate the field, making the Pro Bowl 3 times, the All-Pros first team 3 times, All-Pros MVP once, and the All-Pros Offensive Player of the Year twice. It’s no surprise the legendary running back would capture 2 Super Bowl trophies back to back for the team in 1998 and 1999, making him the best running back to ever grace the team.
Arguably the most impactful player on the Denver Broncos throughout history is John Elway, who was the starting QB from 1983-1998. After 234 games played for the Broncos, Elway would complete 4,123 passes for an amazing 51,475 yards. He’d throw 300 passing touchdowns on the dot while rushing for 33.
Elway would accomplish Pro Bowl status on multiple occasions (9 times), the first of which came in 1986. In 1987, he won his first and only All-Pros MVP award. Elway was also a main factor in winning the 1998 and 1999 Super Bowls along with Shannon Sharpe and Terrell Davis, and with stats like these for a quarterback, he can easily be considered one of the best Denver Broncos players of all time.
Liam has been a major sports fan and soccer player for over a decade, with a particular focus on major top-level soccer leagues, including the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and MLS. He has written numerous promotional articles for various top sportsbooks and continues to publish historical and factual sports articles covering the NFL, MLS, NHL, MLB, EPL and more.