Most general managers dream of drafting a franchise quarterback, one who can be the face of the team for 10, 12, maybe even 15 years and lead their squad to multiple championships. The Denver Broncos found their star through the draft, but not as one of their own picks. Stanford’s John Elway did NOT want to play for the lowly Colts, who had just drafted him first overall in the 1983 Draft. So he used his leverage as the top pick and forced a trade to Denver, and the rest is history. Elway led the Broncos to five AFC title games and two championships in 16 seasons, while the Colts spent one more year in Baltimore before heading west to Indianapolis in 1984. The Elway deal is definitely on this list, but read on for nine other key Broncos trades. 

1. November 27, 1964:

Broncos received: QB Jacky Lee

Oilers received: DT Bud McFadin and a first-round pick in the 1965 AFL Draft

Most NFL trades feature draft picks, many also include established players and a few involve the occasional future or even past considerations (usual money in the past category). However, the Broncos’ list of memorable trades starts with a unique deal with the Oilers. Houston won the AFL championship in the league’s first two seasons and reached the title game for a third straight year in 1962. Lee was the backup to George Blanda on those early teams, and the Broncos were desperate to acquire him to shore up their woeful quarterback position. Denver traded its first-round pick in the 1965 AFL Draft, which ended up being the top overall selection. However, the Oilers also wanted Lee to be a part of their future, so the trade included a unique caveat. Lee would play in Denver for two seasons before returning to Houston in what would become known as the “lend-lease” deal. Unfortunately, Lee did not improve the Broncos’ fortunes. In those two seasons, he had a 2-9 record, posting 16 touchdowns and 23 interceptions in the process. He returned to Houston and played 12 games as Blanda’s backup before being moved again, this time to Kansas City. Lee was behind Len Dawson on the depth chart when the Chiefs won Super Bowl IV. He retired in 1970 and died due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease in 2016. 

McFadin was a former Texas product who started his career in 1952 and was named to a pair of Pro Bowls in five seasons with the Rams. He was out of football from 1956 until 1960, when he signed with the Broncos. McFadin played all 56 games in four seasons with Denver while earning three AFL All-Star and three Pro Bowl selections. He appeared in 26 games over two seasons with Houston at defensive tackle before retiring in 1965. After the trade, the Oilers held the top two picks in 1965 and traded the selection received from the Broncos to the Jets for Jerry Rhome, a quarterback from Tulsa. Rhome instead chose to play for the Cowboys, who selected him in the NFL Draft in 1964. He was a career backup, starting only seven games in a seven-year career with Dallas, Cleveland, Houston, and the Los Angeles Rams. 

What happened to the pick Houston sent to the Jets? New York selected Alabama quarterback Joe Namath, who was selected to five Pro Bowls, earned All-Pro honors in 1968, and led the Jets to their only championship in Super Bowl III. Namath led the league in passing yards three times (twice in the AFL and once in the NFL in 1972), with a high of 4,007 in 1967. He is the Jets’ all-time leader with 27,057 yards and 170 touchdowns in 12 seasons in the Big Apple. 

Assessment: In a Trade History series first, a team not involved in the main deal gets the nod in terms of winners. Neither Lee nor McFadin improved their team while Namath became an icon in the country’s largest media market and led New York’s younger team to its only championship. JETS

2. March 7, 1977:

Broncos received: QB Craig Morton

Giants received: QB Steve Ramsey and a fifth-round pick in the 1978 NFL Draft

Morton was an All-American at Cal in 1964. He spent nearly 10 seasons as Dallas, primarily as a backup, but led the team to Super Bowl V, a last-second loss to the Colts. The following year, he fell behind Roger Staubach on the depth chart, but won a title when the Cowboys beat the Dolphins in Super Bowl VI. Morton was traded to New York in 1974, and posted an 8-25 record in 2½ seasons with the lowly Giants. With Denver, he earned the Comeback Player of the Year Award in 1977 after posting the second-highest passing yard total of his career (2,626) and leading the Broncos to Super Bowl XII. Unfortunately, that was one of the worst games of his career: 4-for-15 passing for 39 yards and four interceptions. Morton also led Denver to playoff appearances in both 1978 and ’79 and posted a 10-6 record in 1981, but the Broncos fell off after Morton retired in 1982 (until the next trade on the list). 

Ramsey, a North Texas product, was selected by the Saints in the fifth round of the 1970 NFL Draft. He played one game as a rookie before signing with the Broncos. Ramsey had a 14-17 record in six years in Denver and was traded after posting career bests with 1,931 yards and 11 touchdowns in 1976. After the trade, the Giants cut him in training camp and he retired without playing again in the NFL. The pick became Brian DeRoo, a wide receiver from little-known Redlands University in California. He did not appear in a game with the Giants as a rookie and had just seven catches in three seasons with the Baltimore Colts. DeRoo spent three seasons with the CFL’s Montreal Concordes (the name the Alouettes used from 1982-85) before retiring.

Assessment: Morton was never in the conversation for an MVP Award or even an All-Pro selection, but he did lead Denver to three playoff appearances and a Super Bowl, while Ramsey and DeRoo never played in a game with the Giants. BRONCOS

3. May 2, 1983:

Broncos received: QB John Elway

Colts received: T Chris Hinton, QB Mark Herrmann and a first-round pick in the 1984 NFL Draft

In the early 1980s, the Baltimore Colts hit an all-time low. They had their fifth straight losing season, and posted a franchise-worst 0-8-1 record in the strike-shortened 1982 campaign. The one benefit to a team having a season like that is said the team usually ends up with the first pick in the draft, as the Colts did in 1983. However, that player may not want to suit up for such a bad team, which is also what happened in 1983. John Elway was an All-American at Stanford in 1982 and the runner-up to Herschel Walker in the Heisman Trophy voting. However, instead of telling people, he didn’t want to play for a winless team, he used the “I want to stay closer to home” excuse as his reason for refusing to play for the Colts. Baltimore traded him to Denver, and the Broncos’ fortunes changed. Elway led the franchise to 10 playoff appearances and five Super Bowls in 16 seasons. After three losses in the late 1980s (all following dramatic wins over the Browns in the AFC Championship Game), Elway finally got the Broncos over the hump. He led his team to back-to-back titles then retired after the 1998 season. The nine-time Pro Bowler left as Denver’s all-time leader with 51,475 yards and 300 touchdowns. He was the NFL’s MVP in 1987 and the Super Bowl XXXIII MVP in his final game. Elway has been the team’s general manager and executive vice president of football operations since 2011. 

Elway’s shunning and trade ultimately led to the Colts moving from Baltimore to Indianapolis in 1984 (with moving vans showing up in the middle of the night on March 28). Chris Hinton, an All-American at Northwestern, was selected with the fourth pick in the 1983 Draft. He soon became one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL, making six Pro Bowls in seven seasons with the Colts franchise. He was sent to Atlanta with wide receiver Andre Rison in exchange for the top pick in the 1990 NFL Draft. Hinton was a Pro Bowler in 1991 and an All-Pro two years later. He spent his final two seasons with the Vikings before retiring in 1995. Herrmann was a career backup who started his career with the Broncos in 1982. He played five years in two stints with the Colts, backing up Mike Pagel in 1983-84 and Jeff George from 1990-92. He retired in 1992 after 11 NFL seasons. The 1984 first-round pick became Ron Solt, a former Maryland guard who was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1987. Solt got into a contract dispute with the Colts the following year and was traded to the Eagles. After 3½ years with Philadelphia (including a four-game suspension for steroid use), Solt signed with the Colts for one final season in 1992. 

Assessment: Take nothing away from Hinton’s stellar career, but Elway became a Denver icon, and as an executive, he assembled the pieces for a crown in Super Bowl 50 in 2015. BRONCOS

4. October 9, 1984:

Broncos received: RB Ricky Hunley

Bengals received: First- and third-round picks in the 1986 NFL Draft and a fifth-rounder in 1987

Hunley quickly wore out his welcome in Cincinnati, holding out for a month during training camp in his rookie year before the Bengals traded him away. The former two-time All-American linebacker at Arizona started 29 games in four seasons in Denver. He followed that with one year with the Cardinals and two with the Raiders before retiring in 1990. Hunley spent more than 20 years as a coach, mainly at the college level, although he was a linebackers coach with the Bengals from 2003-07. 

Cincinnati used the picks to select wide receiver Tim McGee and safety David Fulcher, two players who had key roles in the Bengals’ run to Super Bowl XXIII, as well as punter Greg Horne. McGee was an All-American at the University of Tennessee in 1985. He totaled 282 receptions, 4,703 yards and 25 touchdowns in eight seasons with Cincinnati. McGee’s best year was 1989, when he recorded career highs with 65 catches, 1,211 yards, and eight scores. He had two catches for 23 yards in the Super Bowl loss to the 49ers. Fulcher was an Arizona State product who started at strong safety for seven seasons in Cincinnati. He was a three-time Pro Bowler and an All-Pro in 1989, when he notched a career-high eight interceptions (his 31 overall ranks third in team history). Although he only had 8½ career sacks, Fulcher did take down Joe Montana in Super Bowl XXIII. He spent his final season with the Raiders before retiring in 1993. Fulcher recently was the head coach at Cincinnati Christian University. Horne was a 1986 All-American at Arkansas, but was cut by the Bengals midway through the 1987 season. He spent 1½ years with the Cardinals, and one each with the London Monarchs and Montreal Machine, which were both franchises in the World League of American Football (later called NFL Europe), before retiring in 1992. 

Assessment: Hunley had a few solid seasons in Denver, but both McGee and Fulcher were starters in Super Bowl XXIII. Fulcher’s three Pro Bowl selections give Cincinnati the clear edge. BENGALS

5. August 24, 1993:

Broncos received: T Gary Zimmerman

Vikings received: First- and sixth-round picks in the 1994 NFL Draft and a second-rounder in 1995

Zimmerman was a tackle from Oregon who started his career as a two-time All-Star with the United State Football League’s Los Angeles Express. After the USFL folded, he was traded from the Giants (who selected him in the 1984 Supplemental Draft) to the Vikings for two second-round picks. In seven seasons with Minnesota, Zimmerman was selected to four Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams while protecting Vikings quarterbacks Tommy Kramer, Wade Wilson, and Rich Gannon. After joining the Broncos, Zimmerman made three Pro Bowls in five seasons, and was also named an All-Pro in 1996. The final game of his 12-year NFL career was Super Bowl XXXII, when he started at left tackle in a 31-24 win, giving the Broncos the first title in their 39-year history. Zimmerman was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008. 

The 1994 first-round pick was North Carolina State cornerback Dewayne Washington, who started 62 games in four seasons with Minnesota, posting 296 tackles and 10 interceptions, with three returned for touchdowns. He signed with Pittsburgh in 1998, and played six years with the Steelers and one each with the Jaguars and Chiefs. Washington retired in 2005 with 31 interceptions and 807 tackles. The Vikings used the sixth-rounder on Andrew Jordan, a tight end from Western Carolina. Jordan was a part-time starter in Minnesota, totaling 97 receptions, 763 yards, and four touchdowns. He played two games with Tampa Bay in 1997 and three in Philadelphia the following year before returning for a second stint in Minnesota. Jordan retired in 2001. Minnesota’s 1995 second-rounder might be the best of the bunch. Orlando Thomas was a two-time All-Big West selection when he was a safety at Southwestern Louisiana. He was a member of the NFL’s All-Rookie Team after leading the league with nine interceptions in 1995, and he played in 98 regular season and six playoff games in his seven-year career, all with Minnesota, before retiring in 2001. He had four tackles in the 1998 NFC Championship Game, which the Vikings lost to the Falcons, 30-27 in overtime. In 2007, Thomas reported that he was suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a condition that causes the breakdown of nerve cells as in the brain and spinal cord. He died due to complications of the disease in 2014. 

Assessment: Thomas was a solid starter during his seven-year career, but Zimmerman was a Hall of Famer who protected John Elway and was a starter for Denver’s first championship team. BRONCOS

6. April 23, 1995:

Broncos received: Fourth- and sixth-round picks in the 1995 NFL Draft

Vikings received: A fourth-round pick in 1995

This trade started out like so many others at the NFL Draft, with one team trading away an extra pick to move up in the round for a player they liked. Unfortunately, this one did not end up the way the Vikings would have liked. Denver used the fourth-round pick on Jamie Brown, an offensive tackle from Florida A&M. He played 29 games in three seasons with the Broncos and was a reserve (behind Zimmerman) in the team’s victory in Super Bowl XXXII. Brown played eight games with the 49ers in 1998 and one with the Redskins the following year before retiring. Five years before New England found a late-round gem in Tom Brady, Denver selected Terrell Davis in the sixth round in 1995. Despite being Garrison Hearst’s backup at Georgia, Davis became a stellar back in the NFL behind a strong Broncos’ offensive line. He began his career with four straight 1,000-yard seasons, and his rushing total grew each year, becoming just the fourth back in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards (2,008) in a season in 1998. Davis ran for 21 touchdowns that year, leading the NFL for the second straight season. The three-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro finished his seven-year career as Denver’s all-time leader with 7,607 yards and 60 scores. However, Davis’ best performances seemed to come in the playoffs. He ran for at least 100 yards in seven of his eight career postseason contests, including a 157-yard, three-touchdown game that earned him MVP honors in Super Bowl XXXII. After helping the Broncos win a second straight title in 1998, Davis saw his next three seasons ruined by injury. He tore the ACL and MCL in his right knee in 1999, suffered a stress fracture in his lower leg in 1999, and missed eight games in 2000 and all of the 2001 season after having arthroscopic surgery on both knees. Davis retired during the 2002 preseason and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.

Minnesota moved up to select Chad May, a quarterback from Kansas State. He was the third-stringer behind Warren Moon and Brad Johnson as a rookie, and held a clipboard for Boomer Esiason and Kent Graham in Arizona during the 1996 season. May spent one year with the NFL Europe’s Frankfurt Galaxy in 1997 and two with the Arena Football League’s Arizona Rattlers, finding a spot on the AFL All-Rookie Team in 1999. He retired in 2001 having never appeared in an NFL game.

Assessment: There is a very short list of players who produced more than Davis during his first four NFL seasons. Chad May is not on that list. BRONCOS

7. March 4, 2004:

Broncos received: CB Champ Bailey and a second-round pick in the 2004 NFL Draft

Redskins received: RB Clinton Portis

Bailey was the seventh overall selection in the 1999 NFL Draft, and made the All-Rookie Team after posting five interceptions with Washington. He followed that by making the Pro Bowl in each of the next four seasons while totaling 18 interceptions and 332 tackles in 80 games with the Redskins. Bailey continued his strong play after the trade, earning eight Pro Bowl and three All-Pro selections in 10 seasons with the Broncos. He amassed 24 interceptions, including a league-high 10 in 2006. Bailey had four tackles in Denver’s 43-8 loss to Seattle in Super Bowl XLVIII, which turned out to be his final game. He signed with the Saints in 2014, but retired after he was released in the final round of training camp cuts. Bailey was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019. The Broncos used the pick on Tatum Bell, an all-Big 12 running back with Oklahoma State in 2003. He ran for 921 yards and a career-high eight touchdowns in 2005, and topped the 1,000-yard mark for the only time when he ran for 1,025 the following year. Bell was traded to Detroit in 2007 in the deal that brought Dre’ Bly to Denver. After one season with the Lions, Bell returned to the Broncos in 2008, but was used primarily as a reserve. He spent one year with the Florida Tuskers, helping the team reach the United Football League Championship Game in 2009 before retiring the following year.

Portis was an All-Big East rusher and a member of the University of Miami’s National Championship team in 2001. He was a member of the NFL’s All-Rookie Team in 2002 and made the Pro Bowl the following year with Denver, reaching the 1,500-yard mark in each of his two seasons while posting 29 rushing touchdowns. After the trade, Portis hit the 1,000-yard mark four more times in seven seasons with the Redskins, but was named to the Pro Bowl just once. He ranks second in Redskins history (behind John Riggins) with 6,824 yards and 46 touchdowns and fell just short of 10,000 yards (9,923) in his nine-year career. Washington released Portis in 2011 and he retired the next year. Portis reportedly suffered at least 10 concussions during his career, and in 2013, he joined with several other NFL players to file a civil lawsuit against the league over head injuries. 

Assessment: Bailey and Portis were both stars throughout their NFL careers. However, Portis’ short career due to concussions, plus those few seasons from Bell swing the trade in Denver’s favor. BRONCOS

8. April 3, 2009:

Broncos received: QB Kyle Orton as well as first- and third-round picks in the 2009 NFL Draft and a first-rounder in 2010 

Bears received: QB Jay Cutler and a fifth-round pick in 2009

The Broncos have been desperately searching for the “next John Elway” ever since he retired after winning a second Super Bowl in the 1998 season. This trade was just another attempt for Denver to find that next great quarterback. Orton was coming off a year in which he threw for nearly 3,000 yards and 18 touchdowns with the Bears, and his Broncos career began with a pair of 3,500-yard, 20-score campaigns in 2009 and ’10. However, Denver was not doing well on the field, and Orton started to lose playing time to Tim Tebow until he was released midway through the 2011 season. He signed with Kansas City for the rest of the year, then was the backup for two years in Dallas. Orton signed with Buffalo in 2014 and started 12 games in place of the ineffective EJ Manuel, but retired after the season. 

Denver’s first-round selection from this trade became Robert Ayers from the University of Tennessee. Ayers split his time between linebacker and defensive end, playing in 72 games over five seasons with the Broncos. He had one tackle in a loss to the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII, and had 14 sacks in two seasons after signing with the Giants in 2014. He then spent two years with the Buccaneers and sat out the 2018 season before retiring. Denver traded the 2010 third-rounder to Pittsburgh (which the Steelers used on wide receiver Mike Wallace). The first of the two picks received from Pittsburgh was Richard Quinn, a tight end from North Carolina, who was taken with the final pick of the second round. He spent two years with the Broncos, catching one pass for nine yards. After stints with the Redskins and Bengals, Quinn spent the next two years on several practice squads before he retired in 2014. The fourth-rounder from Pittsburgh was used to select Seth Olsen, a tackle from Iowa. Olsen played three games with the Broncos and 11 with the Colts, while also spending two stints on the Redskins’ practice squad during his five years in the NFL. Denver made several deals during the 2010 draft, including one that involved the Bears’ pick. After making several other deals involving picks received in subsequent trades, the Broncos ended up with three selections that started with the Chicago trade, which were used on Demaryius Thomas, Tim Tebow, and Eric Decker. Tebow’s impact will be discussed later in this list, but the others became a solid receiver duo. Thomas was a former Georgia Tech product who was selected to four Pro Bowls and had five straight 90-catch, 1,000-yard seasons from 2012-16. He had 13 receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown in Super Bowl XLVIII loss and was part of Denver’s win over the Panthers in Super Bowl 50 despite posting just one catch for three yards in the game. Thomas was traded to the Texans midway through the 2018 season, but he left with the second-most yards (9,055) and touchdowns (60) in Broncos history. Decker totaled 222 catches for 3,070 yards and 33 touchdowns in four years with Denver, and he posted two 1,000-yard seasons. He spent three years with the Jets, one with the Titans and one on the Patriots’ practice squad before retiring in 2018. 

Cutler started his career with three seasons in Denver and earned his only Pro Bowl selection after throwing for 4,526 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2008. He threw for at least 3,000 yards five times in eight seasons with Chicago, but he failed to lead the Bears to a championship. The closest he came was in 2010. Cutler threw two touchdowns and ran for two more in a win over the Seahawks in the Division game, but he was knocked out in the third quarter during the NFC Championship Game and the Bears lost to the Packers 21-14. Cutler was highly criticized for not coming back into that game, but it was later revealed that he sprained his MCL. Cutler’s record in Chicago was 51-51, and he lost the starting spot to Mitchell Trubisky in 2016. He came out of a brief retirement to start for the Dolphins after Ryan Tannehill got injured in 2017, but officially retired again after the season. The Bears used their pick on Johnny Knox, a wide receiver from Abilene Christian. Knox ended his rookie season in Chicago by making the Pro Bowl as a kick returner, and he followed that with two solid seasons as a receiver. However, his career was ended early after suffering spinal cord damage during a game in 2011. Knox was diving after a fumble when he collided with Seattle’s Anthony Hargrove head-on. Despite spinal fusion surgery and extensive rehab, Knox was never able to return to the NFL, and still walks with a limp. He, along with another ex-Bear, Nathan Vasher, coaches at Carmel Catholic High School in Illinois. 

Assessment: This trade basically comes down to the stars on each side, Thomas and Cutler. Thomas was a four-time Pro Bowler who played in two Super Bowls with Denver. Cutler had solid individual numbers but could not get Chicago to the Super Bowl during his time in the Windy City. BRONCOS

9. March 21, 2012:

Broncos received: Fourth- and sixth-round picks in the 2012 NFL Draft

Jets received: QB Tim Tebow and a seventh-round pick in 2012

Denver used the fourth-round pick on Baylor center Philip Blake, who never appeared in an NFL game. He spent 2012 with the Broncos and 2013 in Arizona, mostly on the practice squad. Blake signed with the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes in 2015 and was traded to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2018. He signed with the Toronto Argonauts in February 2020. The sixth-rounder became Danny Trevathan, a linebacker from Kentucky. Trevathan played in 50 games over four years with the Broncos, but missed most of the 2014 season with a fractured leg bone and a dislocated patellar tendon. He made 12 tackles in a loss to the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII, and had eight stops and recovered two fumbles in a Super Bowl 50 victory over the Panthers. Trevathan signed with the Bears in 2016 and has 327 tackles in four seasons. He agreed to a three-year extension with Chicago in March 2020. 

The Broncos acquired the pick used on Tebow in a deal that sent three selections to the Ravens (linebacker Sergio Kindle, along with tight ends Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta). Tebow was a three-time All-SEC, two-time All-American two-time Maxwell Award winner (best all-around player in college football), as well as the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner at Florida. Despite all those accolades, he played just 35 games in the NFL. Tebow was the backup behind Kyle Orton, but he scored six rushing touchdowns when Denver increased its use of the Wildcat formation on offense. In 2011, Orton proved ineffective, and Tebow made the most of his chance, scoring several comeback victories and leading the Broncos into the playoffs. Despite completing just 10 of 23 passes in the Wild Card game against the Steelers, Tebow threw an 80-yard strike to Demaryius Thomas on the first play of overtime to give Denver the victory. After Denver got trounced by New England in the Division round, the team signed Peyton Manning in free agency and shipped Tebow to the Jets, where he was used primarily on special teams and in the Wildcat formation. He had failed tryouts with the Patriots and Eagles and retired from the NFL in 2015. Tebow is now pursuing a professional baseball career in the New York Mets’ organization and is an analyst on the SEC Network. 

The seventh-round pick was packaged with two others and moved to the Seahawks, allowing the Jets to move up four spots in the second round in 2012. Seattle took future All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner four picks after New York selected Stephen Hill, a wide receiver from Georgia Tech. Hill totaled 45 catches, 594 yards and four touchdowns in two seasons with the Jets, but suffered knee injuries both years. He signed with the Panthers in 2014, but tore his ACL and never played for the team, although he was with the organization when Carolina played in Super Bowl 50. Hill played one season with the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts and had a tryout with the Alliance of American Football’s Atlanta Legends, but did not make the team. 

Assessment: None of the players in this trade have had star careers, but Trevathan’s role in two Super Bowl appearances gives Denver the edge. BRONCOS

10. October 22, 2019:

Broncos received: Third- and fourth-round picks in the 2020 NFL Draft 

49ers received: WR Emmanuel Sanders and a fifth-round pick in 2020

Denver had three picks in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the last of which was acquired from San Francisco. The Broncos selected McTelvin Agim, a four-year starter who moved from defensive end to defensive tackle while at Arkansas. He is currently unsigned, but is expected to back up Mike Purcell at nose tackle as a rookie in Denver. The fourth-rounder was traded to Jacksonville for A. J. Bouye, who pencils in as a starter at cornerback in 2020. Bouye spent four years in Houston and made the Pro Bowl in 2017, amassing six interceptions in his first season after signing a five-year, $67.5 million deal with Jacksonville. He has 14 interceptions and 315 tackles in his seven-year career. 

Sanders played his first four years in Pittsburgh before his career took off in Denver. He had three straight 1,000-yard seasons starting in 2014, when he posted career highs in receptions (101), yards (1,404) and touchdowns (nine). Sanders was selected to Pro Bowls in 2014 and ’16, and he had six catches for 83 yards in a win over the Panthers in Super Bowl 50. He missed time the next two years due to an ankle injury and a torn Achilles, and his production was declining before the trade. With the 49ers, Sanders had two 100-yard games and became the first player in NFL history to catch a pass in 17 games in one regular season (since he was traded before Denver’s bye week and after San Francisco’s). He became a veteran leader on a young team, and had three receptions for 38 yards in the 49ers’ 30-21 loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV. The fifth-rounder was traded to Washington along with a 2021 third-round pick for offensive tackle Trent Williams, who did not play in 2019 due to a mishandling of a growth on his head that turned out to be cancerous. The seven-time Pro Bowler first noticed the growth in 2013 and said the Redskins’ medical staff told him it wasn’t serious. Williams brings instant stability to a 49ers’ offensive line that saw stalwart Joe Staley abruptly retire during the 2020 NFL Draft. 

Assessment: Bouye could continue to get better and Agim could develop into a solid starter, but San Francisco getting two veterans with considerable talent and leadership may finally bring a title to the Bay Area. 49ERS

All NFL statistics and awards courtesy of https://www.pro-football-reference.com/

Next: Detroit Lions

Writer

-By: Kevin Rakas

Free agency has finally hit, and many positions of need for the Denver Broncos are getting filled up quickly. Yet for many positions, there are still holes to be filled and much depth to be added. Last season, the Broncos were a team with potential that was never realized due to numerous reasons. Between the injuries, the close losses and the occasional offensive ineptitude, it was hard for them to fully be the team envisioned by GM John Elway. They went through three different quarterbacks, but finally landed on their potential franchise guy in Drew Lock by the end of the year. The wide receiver group went through some changes as well, with the departure of Emmanuel Sanders midseason. The offensive line wasn’t the best either, and gave up too many penalties and sacks. On defense, they lost rising star Bradley Chubb early in the year, and then went on to have a defense that could have been top five, but didn’t live up to expectations. The loss of one of their top pass rushers and the need for another top tier cornerback was evident in their play. After all that, the loss of slot corner Bryce Callahan was just too much for the defense to overcome. They were still close to finishing in the top 10, ending up at number 11 in terms of total defense. Going into next year, let’s see what can help improve this roster to the one that went to the super bowl only five seasons ago. 

Denver Broncos 

Needs

1. Offensive tackle

2. Wide receiver

3. Cornerback

4. Defensive Line

5. Safety

Wants

1. Find some more help to protect Drew Lock

2. Give Courtland Sutton a partner on the other side

3. Get a future partner for  Free Safety Justin Simmons that will replace Strong safety Kareem Jackson

4. Figure out the secondary lineup, including the other boundary corner spot

5. Figure out the new lineup for the defensive line after several losses to free agency

Offensive Tackle

The biggest weakness of the Broncos offense last season was the offensive line. The line has not been able to protect well, get push in the running game or even stay healthy as a unit for a full 16 games. The last time they had even four offensive lineman starters for a full 16 games was in 2016, the last time they had a winning season according to ESPN.com. Their investments in the offensive line have produced middling to failing results. Right tackle Ja'Wuan James, last season's free agent target, was hurt this past year and didn’t look himself when on the field, only lasting 63 snaps this past season. Meanwhile, former first round left tackle Garrett Bolles has been a disappointment since his rookie season. He has been able to stay healthy in the last three seasons, but routinely finishes in the top three of holding penalties and has two second place finishes in that category among all players. He is a turnstile in terms of pass protection, and can’t be trusted to protect the blindisde of Drew Lock for the foreseeable future. They lost their starting center in Connor McGovern, and right guard Ron Leary battled injuries the entire year, eventually missing the last four games of the season. Luckily, they do have left guard Dalton Risner who looks to have a bright future in that spot and was among one of the best rookie lineman in the league. In free agency so far, they have signed Graham Glasgow from the Lions to be the new center in the lineup. With the interior settled and the hopeful return to form of Ja’Wuan James on the right side, the Broncos can focus on getting a true franchise left tackle in the draft. The best options for them would be Mekhi Becton or Andrew Thomas. Both have good athleticism and are strong at the point of attack. On top of that, both have prototypical frames for the position. If the Broncos can do this, then they should be able to strengthen the line enough to make a playoff push this upcoming season. 

Wide Receiver

The wide receiver group last season left much to be desired in terms of production outside of Courtland Sutton, who was the only receiver on the team to have more than 300 yards receiving according to ESPN.com. They traded Emmanuel Sanders midseason, and even he only had 367 yards receiving before the trade. Sutton has started to show himself to be a true number one receiver, but now he needs a sidekick to work with. The receiver options on the team look more suited to be number three guys or just role players. DaeSean Hamilton has not panned out like most thought he would when he came out of Penn State, and Tim Patrick is a good player but better kept in a reserve role. This upcoming draft is filled with great wide receiver talent in the first four to five rounds, so they can have a pick of what they are looking for. My best guess is they need a short to intermediate guy that can work underneath while Sutton can go deep and over the middle. In that case, there are a few guys that can do that in KJ Hamler from PSU, KJ Hill from OSU, Kalija Lipscomb from Vandy and Bryan Edwards from SC. I particularly like KJ Hill and Bryan Edwards for this position. Hill has shown the route running ability and run after the catch ability to thrive underneath as a number two. He is shifty and deceptively fast in his play. On the other hand, Edwards plays like a running back when the ball is in his hands, and can be a taller Anquan Boldin type early on in his career. He can be like what Anquan Boldin was for Larry Fitzgerald his first few seasons, a guy that can play underneath and over the middle while also being a mauler in the run game at the point of attack. Both can be had in the later rounds of the draft, so as to not hurt the top priority on the offensive line. 

Figure out the secondary lineup, including the other boundary corner spot

The secondary is going through a reload phase rather than a rebuilding phase. They have let most of their older, more experienced options go in free agency, and are only keeping their younger players. They did bring in one veteran option via trade in the form of cornerback AJ Bouye from the Jacksonville Jaguars. Yet, for the most part, they have guys that are under the age of 26. The new leader of the group is free safety Justin Simmons, who the last two years showed he can be the building block for a strong secondary. Now they just need to figure out the best combination that works with him. So far they have two corner spots filled by Bryce Callahan in the slot and AJ Bouye on the boundary. Additionally, they have the other safety spot filled by veteran Kareem Jackson, who is an excellent compliment to Simmons. All that is left to figure out is the other boundary corner. They can target guys like Kindle Victor and Kristian Fulton in the 2nd or 3rd round . Both are very athletic, instinctual and fast guys to put on the boundary. Fulton has more height, but Victor is more explosive shown by his game tape and the NFL combine workouts. Also, the Broncos could look into more developmental options at the safety spot to pair with Simmons since Jackson is 31. They can look at a guy like Brandon Jones or Jordan Fuller in the third round or fourth round of the draft. Both can come in immediately in three-safety sets while developing for a starting role.

-By: Darren Braxton

Writer/Interviewer

The Broncos have been to eight Super Bowls, five during the latter part of the 1980s and 1990s, as well as twice over the past six seasons, thanks to a dominating defense. Quarterback John Elway was a star on those five earlier Super Bowls. He was traded to Denver by the Colts after Baltimore drafted him first in 1983, but he refused to play for them. Denver is the only franchise that did not make the playoffs in the AFL before the merger with the NFL in 1970, but that was not due to a lack of a good draft strategy. The Broncos could have had even more talent in their early years if several Hall of Famers had decided to play with Denver instead of teams that selected them in the NFL draft. Among those players are Merlin Olsen (Rams defensive tackle), Bob Hayes (Cowboys wide receiver), Bob Brown (Eagles and Rams offensive tackle), Paul Krause (Redskins and Vikings safety) and Dick Butkus (Bears linebacker). 

BEST

10. Tom Nalen, C (Round 7, Pick 218 in 1994) - Denver has found great value in its later round picks, so it would make sense to start with Nalen, one of the most successful seventh-round selections in recent NFL history. He was a five-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro who was part of a Broncos offensive line that blocked for six different 1,000-yard rushers during his tenure. Nalen was the last player left from Denver’s two championship teams in the 1990s when he retired in 2007. 

9. (tie) Simon Fletcher, LB (Round 2, Pick 54 in 1985) and Elvis Dumervil, DE/LB (Round 4, Pick 126 in 2006) - The Broncos found two players who really knew how to get to the quarterback after Round 1. While Fletcher did not make a Pro Bowl, he ranked second in team history with 97½ sacks in 11 seasons, including five seasons hitting double figures. He also totaled 828 tackles, and was a part of three Broncos Super Bowl teams in four years. Dumervil was more of a one-dimension player than Fletcher, but he was very good at his job. In six Broncos seasons, he was a three-time Pro Bowler and had double-digit sack totals three times. He had 63½ sacks, including a league-high 17 in his All-Pro 2009 season. Dumervil missed the following year with a torn pectoral muscle. He missed playing in two Super Bowls with Denver when he signed with Baltimore in 2013. 

8. Randy Gradishar, LB (Round 1, Pick 14 in 1974) - The Broncos did not make the playoffs until the 1977 season, but when they did, they made a splash, reaching Super Bowl XII. Gradishar was the leader of the team’s “Orange Crush” defense. He was a seven-time Pro Bowler, a two-time All-Pro and the 1978 Defensive Player of the Year after registering four interceptions and returning a fumble for a touchdown. Although tackles were not officially kept by the league when Gradishar played, his unofficial total of 2,049 was an NFL record when he retired in 1983. 

7. Dennis Smith, S (Round 1, Pick 15 in 1981) - Smith was an All-American at USC in 1980, and totaled six Pro Bowl selections in 14 seasons with Denver. He tops Denver’s all-time list with 1,158 tackles (including five years with 100 or more), and he also had 30 interceptions and 15 sacks. Smith played three Super Bowls among his 12 career playoff games. 

6. Floyd Little, RB (Round 1, Pick 6 in 1967) - Little’s induction class into the Hall of Fame included the game’s all-time leading rusher (Emmitt Smith) and receiver (Jerry Rice), but the five-time Pro Bowler and 1969 All-Pro is not out of place. Although he never appeared in a playoff game, Little ranks second in Broncos history with 6,323 yards and 43 touchdowns. He led the league with 1,133 yards in 1971 (his only 1,000-yard season) and also topped the NFL with 12 touchdowns in 1973. Little also was a three-time All-American at Syracuse (1964-66). 

5. Steve Atwater, S (Round 1, Pick 20 in 1989) - Denver found one of the hardest-hitting players of his era late in the first round. Atwater ranks third in team history with 1,125 tackles and added 24 interceptions, all while making receivers pay for entering the middle of the field at Mile High Stadium.  The eight-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro was part of three Super Bowl teams, a blowout loss to the 49ers as a rookie, and back-to-back wins in the late 1990s. He will be a part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2020 class.

4. Von Miller, LB (Round 1, Pick 2 in 2011) - The two-time All-American at Texas A&M is Denver’s all-time leader with 106 sacks in nine seasons. He started his career with 11½ sacks, earning a Pro Bowl nod and Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. Miller’s career has included eight Pro Bowls, three All-Pro selections and seven seasons with 10 or more sacks, with a high of 18½ in 2012. He missed Super Bowl XLVIII due to a torn ACL, and in 2013, he was suspended six games for a drug violation. In 2015, he registered six tackles, 2½ sacks, and two forced fumbles to win MVP honors in a Super Bowl 50 win over the Panthers. 

3. Karl Mecklenberg, LB (Round 12, Pick 310 in 1983) - The diamond in the rough became a star on Denver’s three Super Bowl teams in the late 1980s. Mecklenberg ranks second in team history with 1,118 tackles, including six seasons with 100 or more, and his 79 sacks are third, with a high of 13 in 1985. “The Snow Goose” was a six-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro who suffered at least a dozen concussions during his career and was a part of litigation against the NFL for CTE issues. 

2. Shannon Sharpe, TE (Round 7, Pick 192 in 1990) - The Hall of Famer was a staple of two Broncos championship teams in the late 1990s. He ranks second on Denver’s all-time list with 675 receptions, and third with 8,439 yards and 55 touchdowns. He is a seven-time Pro Bowler and a four-time All-Pro who had three 1,000-yard seasons. Sharpe won another title with the Ravens before rejoining the Broncos for his final two years. After spending several years as a studio analyst with CBS, Sharpe now appears on an FS1 sports debate show with Skip Bayless. 

1. Terrell Davis, RB (Round 6, Pick 196 in 1995) - If not for Tom Brady, Davis might be the most successful sixth-round pick in recent history. The Georgia graduate was selected to three straight Pro Bowls and All-Pro teams from 1996-98. His rushing total climbed in four straight years, starting with 1,117 as a rookie to 1,538 to 1,750 in 1997. The following year, Davis filled up his trophy case, earning MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors after rushing for a league-high 2,008 and 21 touchdowns. The rushing totale made Davis one of only seven players in NFL history to hit the 2,000-yard mark in a season. “T. D.” was also a huge part of two championship teams. He earned MVP honors after rushing for 157 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-24 win over the Packers in Super Bowl XXXII, and posted a 102-yard performance the following year against the Falcons. However, after that title, the injuries started to build. In three straight years, Davis tore his ACL and MCL, had a stress reaction injury in his lower leg and arthroscopic surgery on both knees. He retired during the 2002 preseason and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017. 

WORST

10. Tim Tebow, QB (Round 1, Pick 25 in 2010) – Tebow is an example of someone who was great in college but could not adjust to the professional game. He was the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner and was a finalist each of the next two years. The Broncos saw enough of the two-time All-American and Maxwell Award winner (as college football’s best all-around player) to trade up for a second selection in the first round. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. said Tebow was a second- or third-round talent and not a potential “quarterback of the future” and, unfortunately for Denver, Kiper turned out to be right in his assessment. Despite quite a bit of press after he found success replacing the injured Kyle Orton, Tebow completed less than 50 percent of his passes. In a 2011 playoff game against the Steelers, he ran for a score and threw for two, including an 80-yard winning strike to Demaryius Thomas in overtime, but general manager and executive vice president John Elway was not impressed. Although he said he would want a guy like Tebow (a devout Christian who volunteered for several organizations) to “marry his daughter,” Elway did not want him to lead his football team. Denver signed Peyton Manning and Tebow was soon out of football. He now works as a college football analyst with ESPN and is pursuing a baseball career in the New York Mets organization. Tebow didn’t marry Elway’s daughter, but in January, he tied the knot with Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, the 2017 Miss Universe from South Africa. 

9. George Foster, T (Round 1, Pick 20 in 2003) – Foster helped Georgia win 13 games during his senior season, and helped pave the way for some good rushers in Denver. While the Broncos ran for 2,539 yards in 2005, Foster totaled 17 penalties in three full seasons before being traded to the Lions for cornerback Dre Bly. He spent two years with Detroit and failed tryouts with the Browns, Saints, and Colts before retiring in 2012. 

8. Freeman White, TE (Round 2, Pick 11 in 1966) – Instead of playing with the Broncos, who drafted him early in the second round, White instead chose the Giants, who selected him at 132 overall in the ninth round. The former All-American at Nebraska played four seasons in the NFL, catching just 29 passes (all in 1969, his final year in the league). White spent a year in Canada with the Ottawa Rough Riders before ending his playing career. He was defensive coordinator of the Raiders in 1996 and ’97.

7. Bob Gaiters, RB (Round 1, Pick 4 in 1961) – Like White, Gaiters chose the Giants (second round, pick 17) over the Broncos. He backed up Alex Webster as a rookie before moving on to San Francisco and Denver over the next two years. Gaiters played one year in Canada with Hamilton, then spent three seasons bouncing around the Continental Football League before retiring after the 1967 season. 

6. Gerald Willhite, RB (Round 1, Pick 21 in 1982) – Willhite is another player who was promising in college, but had his pro career shortened by injuries. At San Jose State in 1981, he became just the second player in NCAA history to record 1,000 rushing yards and 50 receptions. With the Broncos, Willhite served as the backup to Sammy Winder when he wasn’t injured. His career included at least eight concussions, and he endured four surgeries on his right knee and also broke his leg in a game against the Vikings. The concussions have led to memory loss, headaches, body pains, and even dissociative identity (multiple personalities) disorder.

5. Tommy Maddox, QB (Round 1, Pick 25 in 1992) – Even after leading the Broncos to three Super Bowl appearances, John Elway was still questioned as a leader, so Denver drafted Maddox, who had played just two years at UCLA. Maddox started four games as a rookie after Elway injured his shoulder. He showed some flashes, but went 0-4 and threw nine interceptions. Maddox played for the Rams and Giants as a kick holder before finally getting his shot to start with the Steelers. He replaced Kordell Stewart and earned Comeback Player of the Year honors after throwing 20 touchdown passes and leading the team to the Divisional round in 2002. Maddox also backed up Ben Roethlisberger in the Super Bowl XL win over the Seahawks during his final NFL season in 2005. He also played with the Arena Football League’s New Jersey Red Dogs in 2000 and earned the MVP award with the original XFL as a member of the Los Angeles Xtreme the following year. 

4. Jarvis Moss, DE (Round 1, Pick 17 in 2007) – Moss was named an All-American at Florida in 2006 after a stellar season that included two blocked kicks that preserved a win against South Carolina. He was also a member of Florida’s National Championship team the following year before Denver made a trade with Jacksonville to move up to 17 and take Moss. The defensive end broke his shin as a rookie but failed to adjust being moved to linebacker, and he was not an impact player even when he was in the lineup. He was released during the 2010 season and signed with the Raiders. In six NFL seasons, Moss totaled 48 tackles and six sacks. 

3. Marcus Nash, WR (Round 1, Pick 30 in 1998) – Nash seemed to find success at every level except the NFL. He was an All-American in both high school and college, but totaled just four receptions for 76 yards in two seasons in the NFL. Nash was very fortunate that his two campaigns were with Super Bowl-winning clubs (the Broncos won in 1998 and he was with the Ravens when they were champions the following year). However, he found his greatest success in the Arena Football League, where he spent six seasons. Nash was named Offensive Player of the year in 2004 after amassing 1,771 yards and 46 touchdowns with the Las Vegas Gladiators. Four years later, he suffered a career-ending neck injury during a playoff game as a member of the Dallas Desperadoes. 

2. Paxton Lynch, QB (Round 1, Pick 26 in 2016) – Lynch was responsible for the two highest single-season touchdown totals (passing and rushing combined) in Memphis history, but he just could not get adjusted to the NFL. He went 1-1 as a starter in place of the injured Trevor Siemien in 2016, and lost both his starts the following year. Lynch was demoted to third-string behind the newly acquired Case Keenum and rookie Chad Kelly in 2018. When the Broncos signed Kevin Hogan, Lynch was released. He was signed by the Steelers to back up Devlin “Duck” Hodges when Mason Rudolph suffered an injury last season. 

1. Maurice Clarett, RB (Round 3, Pick 101 in 2005) – Sometimes you don’t have to be a high draft pick to be considered a bust. Clarett was a high school All-American and earned Ohio’s Mr. Football Award in 2001. From there, he went to Ohio State, where he ran for 18 touchdowns and helped the Buckeyes win the National Championship as a freshman. However, he faced off-the-field issues, including drugs, alcohol and an academic scandal in which he was accused of receiving preferential treatment and not showing up for class. Clarett also challenged the NFL rule requiring a three-year wait to enter the Draft after graduating high school. He won the initial ruling, but it was overturned by the Second Circuit of the U. S. Court of Appeals (with future Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor writing the court’s ruling opinion). The ruling forced him to sit out a year before he was eligible to be drafted. Clarett eventually signed an incentive-laden contract with the Broncos, but failed to impress in training camp and was cut without ever appearing in a game. From there, things only got worse. He was arrested, and spent more than four years in jail due to armed robbery and an illegal u-turn incident that included leading police on a car chase, getting tased and maced and having alcohol and weapons in his car. Clarett has since changed his life around. He opened up The Red Zone, an agency that helps people with mental health and addiction issues find work, enhance their grades and improve their lives.

Next: Atlanta Falcons

Statistics courtesy of https://www.pro-football-reference.com/.

-By: Kevin Rakas

Writer