John Lynch was the best player to wear No. 47 for the Denver Broncos.
Lynch spent the first 11 years of his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning Super Bowl XXXVII and earning four All-Pro nods with the Bucs. He joined the Broncos ahead of the 2004 season and he went on to reach the Pro Bowl in all four years he played in Denver.
Lynch hung up his cleats following the 2008 preseason and he retired with 1,059 tackles, 68 pass breakups, 26 interceptions, 13 sacks, nine forced fumbles and nine Pro Bowl selections on his resume.
The hard-hitting safety was added to the Bucs’ Ring of Honor and the Broncos’ Ring of Fame in 2016. Five years later, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
9️⃣x Pro Bowler
3️⃣x All-Pro#BroncosROF S John Lynch is knocking on the door to Canton. pic.twitter.com/HBPqDRh4Ez— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) January 6, 2021
Gerald Willhite is also deserving of a shout-out. Willhite played running back for the Broncos from 1982-1988. He helped the team reach two Super Bowls in the late 1980s, rushing for 1,688 yards and 17 touchdowns while adding 1,767 receiving yards and five touchdown catches in 78 games (21 starts).
Linebacker Josey Jewell also recently played six seasons in Denver, recording 453 tackles and nine sacks. Jewell and Willhite were never recognized with All-Pro or Pro Bowl honors, so we’re giving the best-ever title to Lynch, a deserving Hall of Famer.
[vertical-gallery id=620142]
Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts