To usher in the turn of the century, the Denver Broncos finished off back-to-back championships and fielded one of the greatest teams of all time. Since then, the last 25 years have featured two Super Bowl berths, a World Championship, and some low points.
Over those seasons, there have been some all-time great players. I've compiled an All-Century Broncos Team, featuring a full 53-man roster that represents the best players the franchise has fielded since 2000.
Quarterback: Peyton Manning
Manning had four incredible seasons with the club : two Super Bowl appearances, one championship, and the greatest offense in history. In 2013, he had one of the greatest quarterback seasons of all time, won an MVP award, and still holds the record for the most passing yards and touchdowns in a single season.
In those four seasons, Manning became the second-best quarterback in all major statistics in franchise history.
Backup: Jake Plummer
Plummer had the best seasons of his career under Mike Shanahan and helped the Broncos reach the AFC Championship game in 2005.
Running Backs: Mike Anderson & Clinton Portis
Andersons spent five seasons with the team and had two 1,000-yard rushing campaigns. His best was as a rookie when he set the single-game rushing record and totaled 1,487 yards on the season. He ranks in the top five in rushing yards and touchdowns for the franchise.
Portis was with the team for only two seasons, but they were brilliant. Those two campaigns are in the top five for best single-season rushing performances for the club and landed him eighth in rushing yards and sixth in rushing touchdowns in team annals. Portis’ 106.9 yards per game is the best mark in team history.
Backups: C.J. Anderson & Knowshon Moreno
The Broncos were known for their elite defense in 2015, but may not have won it all without Anderson rushing in the postseason. He scored the only offensive touchdown in Super Bowl 50 and contributed 100 yards from scrimmage for an offense that had 141 yards total. Moreno ranks sixth in team history for rushing yards and contributed 10 touchdowns to the greatest offense in history.
Wide Receivers: Rod Smith & Demaryius Thomas
Smith is the greatest receiver in team history, and from 2000 to 2001, he was arguably the best receiver in the NFL. He had five 1,000-yard receiving seasons in the 2000s and two All-Pro selections. He holds the team record for most receptions in a single season and ranks second in receiving yards (2001, 2000).
Thomas is in second place for career receiving stats for the franchise. He had five straight 1,000-yard seasons and was a key contributor for the greatest offense of all time. His 1,619 yards in 2014 is the club's single-season record.
Backups: Brandon Marshall, Emmanuel Sanders, Courtland Sutton, & Ed McCaffery
From 2007 to 2009, it can be argued that Marshall was the league’s best receiver when he averaged 102 receptions, 1,236 yards, and eight touchdowns. Sanders was a key contributor to the Super Bowl 50 championship season and ranks No. 10 in receiving yards for the franchise.
Sutton has quietly had a good career in Denver. He ranks No. 11 in yards and touchdowns and No. 8 in receptions. McCaffery totaled 195 receptions and 2,509 yards receiving in the 2000s despite missing all but one game in 2001 to a devastating broken leg. McCaffrey gets the nod over Eric Decker because he was a fan favorite and had no quarterback to speak of, while Decker was a product of Manning’s prowess.
Tight Ends: Shannon Sharpe
Sharpe is one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history and revolutionized the position, but that occurred in the 1990s. However, his two seasons with Denver in the 2000s were better on average than any tight end this quarter century.
Backups: Julius Thomas & Tony Scheffler
Thomas had two solid seasons with Manning as the signal-caller. He was part of the greatest offense of all time and caught 24 touchdowns in two seasons.
Although he never had a great season, Scheffler had the most receptions and yards of any Broncos’ tight end this century over the course of four decent seasons. He is a case of what might have been if not for the Josh McDaniels debacle.
Left Tackle: Ryan Clady
Clady was in the running for the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, which is quite impressive for an offensive lineman, and was a three-time All-Pro. He was on a Hall-of Fame trajectory until injuries derailed his career. With that said, he is arguably the second-best offensive tackle in team history, behind Hall-of-Famer Gary Zimmerman.
Backup: Garett Bolles
Bolles has been a steady left tackle since his struggles with penalties early in his career. He became the starter on day one and has won a second-team All-Pro award.
Right Tackle: Matt Lepsis
Lepsis played both right and left tackle but started more games on the right side. He is the second-best offensive tackle on this list. He was one of the regulars during a great run of the Mike Shanahan rushing attacks.
Backup: Orlando Franklin
Franklin started as a rookie and missed only one start in 47 games before the coaches decided to move him to guard.
Guards: Dan Neil & Louis Vasquez
Like Lepsis, Neil was a regular starter during those no-name rushers who always seemed to get 1,000 yards in Shanahan's zone blocking scheme. He had 73 starts in the early 2000s.
Vasquez was the first Broncos guard to win a first-team All-Pro in the Super Bowl era and was a key blocker during the Super Bowl 50 season.
Backups: Quinn Meinerz & Ben Hamilton
Meinerz is the second Broncos guard in the Super Bowl era to receive a first-team All-Pro award. His future looks very bright. Hamilton was an athletic lineman who fit well in the zone blocking scheme. He started 104 games with the club.
Center: Tom Nalen
Nalen is the greatest center to ever don the Orange and Blue. He is one of only two starting centers in NFL history to pave the way for 10 1,000-yard rushers and one 2,000-yard rusher.
Six of those 1,000-yard seasons happened from 2000 to 2006. Once Nalen was lost to injury and subsequent retirement, the Broncos' rushing game prowess disappeared.
Backup: Matt Paradis
After Nalen retired, the Broncos struggled to find a competent center, until Paradis was drafted. Paradis had a good four-year run with the Broncos and was the starting center in Super Bowl 50.
Defensive Line: Trevor Pryce, Derek Wolfe, & Malik Jackson
Pryce is arguably the best interior pass rusher in Broncos history. He had 64 sacks in his Broncos career, with most of them coming after the turn of the century. In 2000, Pryce had 12 sacks on the season. Unfortunately, he left via free agency and had a solid career with the Baltimore Ravens.
Wolfe was a day-one starter after being drafted in the second round and started 108 games for the team. His ability to stuff the run and get solid pass rush on the interior was a valuable piece in the historic 2015 defense.
It took him a while to develop, but once Jackson took over as the starter in 2015, he and Wolfe were solid bookends on the defensive line. Jackson scored a touchdown by recovering a fumble in Super Bowl 50.
Backups: Terrance Knighton, Gerard Warren, & Zach Allen
Knighton was a solid run stuffer and surprisingly athletic. Was a member of the defense in Super Bowl 48.
Warren was a bust in Cleveland but effectively held down the middle for two seasons with the Broncos. He was a key player in one of the better defenses in team history in 2005.
Allen is likely a surprise to make this list but his 2024 campaign was incredible. He was relentless and his incredible stamina allowed him to wreak havoc and play a high number of snaps.
Outside Linebackers: Von Miller & Elvis Dumervil
Miller is the greatest edge rusher in franchise history and arguably top five in NFL history. He was the reason the Broncos won Super Bowl 50, earning MVP honors. His 110.5 sacks and 25 forced fumbles are both tops for the club, and he holds four of the Broncos’ top-10 single-season sack totals, including the best at 18.5.
If not for a fax machine, Dumervil would have likely ended his career as second only to Miller in sacks. Dumervil holds the No. 2 single-season sack total at 17 and had 63.5 for his Broncos career. Dumervil is a three-time Pro Bowler and received a first-team All-Pro award.
Backups: DeMarcus Ware & Nik Bonitto
Ware is only listed as a back up because of his short time with the team. He is one of the best edge rushers in history, but injuries often sidelined him with the Broncos. However, he helped the team win Super Bowl 50 and changed the trajectory of Miller’s career with his leadership.
It may be odd that Bonitto makes the list, having only three seasons under his belt, but he has similar career sack numbers as two other candidates (Bradley Chubb and Jonathon Cooper). Furthermore, Bonitto's single-season sack total of 13.5 in 2024 is the third-best since the turn of the century and tied for sixth-best in Broncos history.
Linebackers: Al Wilson & Danny Trevathan
Wilson was a five-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro. He is one of the best inside linebackers in team history and tallied over 100 tackles three times during his eight-year career. Unfortunately, injuries cut his time in the NFL short.
Trevathan is a player who is often forgotten about because of all the talent on the 2015 defense, but he was a key player who could play the run and pass. He tallied 22 tackles and two fumble recoveries during the postseason run to the Super Bowl 50 victory.
Backups: D.J. Williams & Ian Gold
Williams was a tackling machine for the Broncos, racking up 826. He ranks in the top 10 for the franchise in solo tackles.
Gold was a super athletic, undersized linebacker. He could play both the run and pass and made impact plays (three interceptions, nine forced fumbles, 17 sacks, and a touchdown).
Cornerbacks: Champ Bailey, Patrick Surtain II, & Chris Harris, Jr.
Bailey is arguably the greatest cornerback of all time. In 2006, he had the best season by a cornerback of all time, and 2005/2006 may be the best two consecutive seasons ever. Entered the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.
Surtain has only been in the NFL for four seasons but has already become the second Broncos player to ever win the Defensive Player of the Year. He also has two All-Pro awards and is currently the best cornerback in the league.
Harris changed how the NFL viewed the slot corner role, was key in the No Fly Zone, and was instrumental in the Super Bowl 50 season. He was a three-time All-Pro.
Backups: Aqib Talib, Darrent Williams, & Deltha O’Neal
In only four seasons in Denver, Talib has more interceptions returned for touchdowns than anyone in club history. He was a key player in the No Fly Zone.
Williams' life was tragically cut short, but in his two seasons with the club, he registered six interceptions and returned two for touchdowns. He was a fan favorite who was on his way to stardom before his life was tragically cut short.
O’Neal is considered a bust, but it's difficult to argue that his 15 interceptions and 39 passes defensed in only four seasons were bust material.
Safeties: John Lynch & Darian Stewart
Lynch wasn't as good as he was in Tampa Bay, but he still was great enough to land in the Broncos’ Ring of Fame. He went to four straight Pro Bowls and set the tone for the defense.
Stewart was the best safety of the duo in the No Fly Zone. A hard hitter and opportunistic, as his nine interceptions in four seasons would attest. He tallied three solo tackles, defended two passes, and forced a fumble in Super Bowl 50 to help complete the defensive dominance in that game.
Backups: Justin Simmons & T.J. Ward
Simmons was a very good player on some very bad teams. He was adept at intercepting the quarterback (especially Pat Mahomes) and is ranked No. 7 in career totals for the franchise.
Ward, alongside Stewart, formed the solid duo of safeties during the No Fly Zone era. A hard hitter who could defend the opposing team's tight end. His interception in the third quarter and fumble recovery in the fourth quarter all but assured the win for the Broncos in Super Bowl 50.
Kicker: Brandon McManus
The second leading scorer in Broncos history. His leg was the reason for the postseason success during the Super Bowl 50 championship. He was a perfect 10-for-10 on field goals, 3-for-3 on extra point attempts, and accounted for 50% of the points scored.
Punter: Britton Colquitt
The Broncos have gone through several punters in the last 25 seasons but Colquitt was the longest tenured. He ranks No. 3 all-time in punting for the franchise.
Returner: Eddie Royal
Even though O’Neal has slightly more total combined return yards, Royal gets the nod here because he did more with fewer opportunities. Royal averaged 11.9 yards on punt returns and 24.1 yards on kick returns while adding three touchdowns.
Long Snapper: Mike Leach
Leach was a favorite long snapper of Shanahan and manned those duties for seven seasons. It would have been longer if not for McDaniels tearing the team apart.
