Category: Broncos Buzz

View the Broncos’ (official and unofficial) all-time leaders in sacks

Von Miller ranks No. 1 on the Broncos’ all-time sack list, followed by Simon Fletcher and Karl Mecklenburg. 

Von Miller ranks No. 1 on the Broncos’ all-time sack list, followed by Simon Fletcher and Karl Mecklenburg.

The NFL did not begin officially tracking stats until 1982, so several players who played before that date are much lower on the team’s official all-time sack list than they should be.

Unofficially, Rulon Jones totaled 73.5 sacks in his career. Officially, he recorded 52.2 sacks that were tracked by the NFL. His official rank is only one spot lower than his official rank on Denver’s all-time list, but other players have more significant discrepancies.

Barney Chavous, for example, officially ranks 10th with 23 sacks. But if you include his pre-1982 totals, his 75 sacks would rank fourth.

We have listed the official top 10 leaders in sacks below, followed by six more players who would rank within the top 15 if pre-1982 sacks were official. All sack totals prior to 1982 were provided courtesy of pro-football-reference.com. Now, let’s get to the list!

Louis Wright was the best player to wear No. 20 for the Broncos

A five-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler, Louis Wright was named to the NFL’s 1970s All-Decade Team, and he deserves a Hall of Fame nod.

Louis Wright was one of the best cornerbacks in Denver Broncos history, and he was the best player to ever wear No. 20 for the franchise.

Brian Dawkins deserves as a shoutout as one of the best safeties in league history. Dawkins was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018, but he spent the majority of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles before playing his final three seasons with the Broncos.

Wright, on the other hand, spent his entire career (1975-1986) in Denver, and he also deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame. Wright totaled 26 interceptions during his 12-year career and he was selected to five Pro Bowls and he earned five All-Pro nods.

He is already a member of the Broncos Ring of Fame and the team’s 50th Anniversary Team, but Wright deserves more recognition.

Wright is one of four cornerbacks who made the NFL’s 1970s All-Decade Team — the other three are already in the Hall of Fame. Wright is long overdue to join them in Canton.

Shout out to Louis Wright, the best No. 20 in Broncos history.

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Read Colorado governor’s “Randy Gradishar Day” proclamation

The state of Colorado celebrated the first-ever Randy Gradishar Day on Friday, May 3rd.

Earlier this week, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis announced that Friday, May 3rd (5/3) would be designated “Randy Gradishar Day,” in honor of the former Denver linebacker’s induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August.

Polis, along with Mayor Mike Johnston, Denver Broncos Cheerleaders, and The Stampede, held a special presentation in Gradishar’s honor on the steps of the Colorado capital building Friday. Polis read a proclamation about Gradishar’s football accomplishments, as well as his extraordinary work in the Denver community and among the military and veteran presence as a whole.

Gradishar will be the 16th member of the Broncos inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Click here to read a transcript of Polis’ proclamation.

 

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Eddie Royal was the best player to wear No. 19 for the Broncos

Eddie Royal totaled 4,668 all-purpose yards and scored 12 touchdowns in four seasons with the Broncos.

Former wide receiver and returner Eddie Royal was the best player to ever wear No. 19 for the Denver Broncos, despite playing just four years with the club.

Believe it or not, Royal actually wore No. 19 longer than any other player in franchise history. Former kicker Fred Steinfort wore it for three seasons (1979-1981) and wide receiver Fred Brown wore it for two years (2019-2020). Every other player in franchise history besides Royal (up until 2023) wore the number for just one season with the Broncos. (Marvin Mims currently wears No. 19 and he is entering his second season.)

Royal was picked by the Broncos in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft out of Virginia Tech. He made an immediate impact, totaling 91 receptions for 980 yards and five touchdowns while also totaling 740 return yards as a rookie.

Denver switched coaches after Royal’s first season and the switch from Mike Shanahan to Josh McDaniels hurt the receiver’s production. He ended up totaling 206 receptions for 2,107 yards and nine touchdowns in four years with the team.

Royal’s 967 return yards rank sixth in franchise history and his 1,375 kickoff return yards rank ninth. His three returns for touchdowns are tied for third in franchise history. Had he spent his entire career with the Broncos, Royal could have ranked even higher.

Shout out to Eddie Royal, Denver’s best player to ever wear No. 19.

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Denver Broncos’ top-10 all-time leaders in interceptions

Steve Foley ranks No. 1 on the Broncos’ all-time interceptions list with 44. Justin Simmons (30) ranks seventh.

Unless he one day returns to the team, former Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons will end up locked in at seventh place on the team’s all-time interceptions list. Simmons has recorded double-digit interceptions in each of his first eight seasons in the NFL.

Simmons would have needed four interceptions in 2024 to move into sixth place and five interceptions to pass Champ Bailey to rank fourth. He was ten interceptions away from tying Bill Thompson’s third-place total (40 INTs). Steve Foley (44) ranks No. 1 in franchise history, followed by Goose Gonsoulin (43).

At his current pace of 0.25 interceptions per game, Simmons could have passed Foley to rank No. 1 on the team’s all-time list within 60 games. That would have been three and a half seasons from now midway through the 2027 campaign. If he played that long, Simmons would be 34 years old and in his 12th season.

Hall of Fame safety John Lynch was 37 years old when he retired, so playing until 34 certainly seems to be within reach for Simmons if he stays healthy, but the safety no longer players in Denver.

Here’s a quick list of the top ten players on the Broncos’ all-time interceptions list.

Peyton Manning was the best player to wear No. 18 for the Broncos

Peyton Manning went 45-12 in four seasons with the Broncos, winning four division titles and reaching two Super Bowls.

As we continue our series looking at the best player to wear each jersey number for the Denver Broncos, we have reached No. 18, which is an obvious choice.

Peyton Manning was the greatest player to ever wear No. 18 for the Broncos, and arguably the best player in NFL history to wear that number.

After spending the first 14 years of his career with the Indianapolis Colts, Manning signed with Denver in 2012. He then played the final four years of his career with the Broncos, going 45-12 from 2012-2015.

Denver won the AFC West in all four years with Manning and the team reached two Super Bowls. Manning retired after defeating the Carolina Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season.

A five-time NFL MVP, 14-time Pro Bowler, 10-time All-Pro and two-time Super Bowl champion, Manning was one of the best players in NFL history, regardless of number.

We also have to give a special shout out to the original No. 18, the late Frank Tripucka, the first QB in franchise history. The Broncos had retired Tripucka’s number, and he gave Manning permission to wear No. 18 in 2012. Tripucka and Manning remain the only players to have ever worn that number in a Denver uniform, and its unlikely to come out of retirement again.

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Broncos Wire podcast: QB competition, trades and UDFA sleepers

On the latest Broncos Wire podcast, Ryan O’Leary and Jon Heath discuss Bo Nix and the QB battle, trades, sleeper UDFAs and the new uniforms!

What a whirlwind of an offseason it’s been for the Denver Broncos!

One week after the 2024 NFL draft, I joined host Ryan O’Leary on the Broncos Wire podcast to discuss Denver’s quarterback situation, recent (and upcoming?) trades, sleeper UDFAs, the new uniforms and much more.

You can listen to episode No. 109 below:

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Check out our notes from this week’s podcast below. 

Broncos draft QB Bo Nix 
  • Denver used the 12th overall pick in the first round to select Oregon quarterback Bo Nix. Good move?
Broncos trade for QB Zach Wilson 
  • Denver sent a 6th-round pick to the Jets in exchange for a 7th-round pick and QB Zach Wilson. Broncos and New York will split his salary (about $2.72 million each).
  • It’s a lottery ticket for Denver. Wilson probably isn’t going to become a great QB, but it’s a low-risk move and you never know. Worth a shot.
  • Broncos now have Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson at QB. Quite a summer competition. Will they carry 3 QBs? If not, who gets cut?
Broncos trade for DE John Franklin-Myers
  • Denver sent a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Jets for DE John Franklin-Myers. After paying Haason Reddick, New York couldn’t afford to keep Franklin-Myers, so the Broncos got a huge discount.
  • He had 50-straight starts for the Jets, totaling 14.5 sacks. I think of him as Denver’s new Dre’Mont Jones.
  • Broncos now have an excellent front-three rotation of Zach Allen, Franklin Myers, D.J. Jones and Malcolm Roach.
Broncos aren’t trading Courtland Sutton (right now) 
  • The WR room is very crowded, so we’ll see if a trade might happen later.
  • WRs: Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims, Tim Patric, Josh Reynold, Troy Franklin, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Jalen Virgil, Brandon Johnson, Devaughn Vele
Other notable draft picks 
  • Round 3: OLB Jonah Elliss, Utah (12 sacks last year; Dad played for DEN)
  • Round 4: WR Troy Franklin, Oregon (steal, Nix’s favorite WR; 14 TDs in ’23)
  • Round 5: CB Kris Abram-Draine, Missouri (good depth, versatile)
  • Round 5: RB Audric Estimé, Notre Dame (4.71, but bruiser, vision, smart) (es-ta-may)
2 notable undrafted free agent signings 
  • RB Blake Watson, Memphis (UDFA RB1)
  • OT Frank Crum, Wyoming (UDFA OT1)
  • RBs: Williams, Samaje, Jaleel McLaughlin, Audric Estimé, Blake Watson
Broncos got new uniforms 

What’s next? 

  • Rookie minicamp in May, then OTAs
  • NFL schedule coming May 9?
  • Mandatory minicamp in mid-June
  • Training camp begins in late July
  • Preseason and roster cuts in August
Ryan and I will return with new episodes as news pops up this summer.
If you enjoy this podcast, you can check out previous episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or on your podcast service of choice. Please consider giving the podcast a positive rating and review!

You can listen to every past episode below or at this link.

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Broncos have 3 quarterbacks set to compete for starting job

“These guys are all going to compete,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of the battle between Bo Nix, Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham.

After trading for Zach Wilson and using a first-round pick to draft Bo Nix, the Denver Broncos have a crowded quarterback room.

Wilson and Nix will join veteran Jarrett Stidham, who replaced Russell Wilson for the final two games of the 2023 season, and Ben DiNucci, who spent last season on Denver’s practice squad.

Following the first round of the draft last week, Broncos coach Sean Payton was asked about drafting Nix right after acquiring Wilson in a trade.

“These guys are all going to compete,” Payton said on April 25. “We were really happy to bring Zach on board. … We really like his traits. Of course we have Jarrett Stidham here and Ben [DiNucci]. So Bill [Parcells] taught me a long time ago [to] just let them play. We have to maximize the reps that we have, and let them develop, and that stuff will sort itself out.”

Nix said he knows it’s going to be competition, and he’s eager to meet his new quarterback teammates.

“Obviously, they’ve had great careers this far,” Nix said last week. “They’re all different, but I feel like we’re kind of all made up the same —just ultimate competitors and excited to grow as players. I followed Jarrett at Auburn, and I didn’t get a chance to be his teammate, but [I] looked up to him on my way through.

“I’ve obviously watched a lot of Zach as he went through the process, and I’m really excited to get to know Ben. I can’t wait to be around those guys. I know we’re going to have a really good group. A group that’s going to push each other and make each other better and support one another, too.”

The competition will start to heat up when training camp begins in late July, followed by preseason games in August. Nix will be considered the early favorite given his first-round draft status, but he won’t be handed the job. It’s going to be an interesting summer in Denver.

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Broncos QB Bo Nix responds to pre-draft narrative about short throws

“Quite frankly, I completed a lot of long ones, too,” Broncos QB Bo Nix said. “… I don’t mind when people go back and watch the film.”

Oregon quarterback Bo Nix was criticized by some pundits leading up to the NFL draft for the number of short throws he made with the Ducks.

The Denver Broncos did not seem to be bothered by it, with coach Sean Payton struggling it off as a product of Oregon’s offense, not Nix’s ability as a passer. Payton picked Nix in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, and the QB seems to be a perfect fit for Denver’s offense.

During his introductory press conference last week, Nix was asked if he felt like he had to show off his deep throws during the pre-draft workouts to prove he wasn’t limited to short throws. The QB quickly shot that notion down.

“Quite frankly, I completed a lot of long ones, too,” Nix said last week. “I don’t mind when people go back and watch the film. They can see everything they need to watch. That’s here and gone. I’m excited to be here now and do whatever I need to do to win games, and that’s if I’m out there playing, if I’m supporting another quarterback. Whatever it is, [I will] do whatever the coaches ask of me and do it at a high level.

“I know if you do that, statistically speaking watching other guys in the league, if you do that, you get to play and stick around for a long time. So I’m excited, and I don’t think I have to show anything else because I’m at the perfect spot now. I just can’t wait to get to work with the team.”

Nix’s answer essentially was “go watch the film.” He has the arm strength required to play at an NFL level, and he has the mentality required for success as a pro. Now it’s up to Nix to prove himself on the field.

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