The Denver Broncos have been an interesting team over the course of the last 25 years.
As the year 2000 rolled in, fans were still getting used to the idea of No. 7, John Elway, no longer being under center. But some of his successors, such as Jake Plummer and Jay Cutler, kept the team competitive under the watch of Mike Shanahan.
Once the team decided to end the Shanahan era and hire Josh McDaniels as head coach, things took a turn for the worse. The signing of Peyton Manning in 2012 revived the franchise as it made two trips to the Super Bowl, winning one of them. But all-time lows were experienced following the retirement of “The Sheriff”.
The Broncos found Bo Nix in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft and he helped lead the team to the playoffs for the first time since 2015, pointing the arrow of the franchise up again.
Aaron Schatz and Seth Walder of ESPN decided to take a deep dive into the last 25 years of the NFL, coming up with the best 53-man roster that they could while also hiring a coaching staff. The Broncos were recognized with four former players and a great coach.
Denver Broncos on ESPN’s NFL All Quarter Century Team
Peyton Manning, QB
Though most of his time in the 2000s was spent with the team that drafted him, the Indianapolis Colts, Manning’s four seasons in Denver (2012-15) were some of the best the NFL has ever seen. That includes the 2013 season, where he set records for passing yards in a season (5,477) and passing touchdowns in a season (55) that still stand today.
He took the Broncos to Super Bowls 48 and 50 and despite getting blown out by the Seattle Seahawks in the first of those, the team bounced back to knock off the highly-favored 15-1 Carolina Panthers in the latter.
DeMarcus Ware, Edge rusher
Like Manning, Ware spent most of his time with another team but in his three seasons with the Broncos, he was a key piece in the team creating a defense good enough to win it all.
“There are so many great edge rushers to choose from, but they generally come in two categories: great career totals or great peaks with a high ratio of sacks to games played. Ware had the best balance between the two. He had the third-most sacks out of all players since 2000, while his 0.78 sacks per game rank fourth among edge rushers”, wrote Schatz.
Champ Bailey, CB
One of the best cornerbacks to ever play the game, Champ Bailey was simply the prototype of what you want from a cornerback. He was able to shut down the best wide receivers in the league and he could step in and make tackles as well. He was a complete football player.
“Bailey amassed more approximate value (149), per Pro Football Reference, since 2000 than any other cornerback by a healthy margin (Patrick Peterson was second at 131). His number of interceptions from 2000 rank third most in this span. Bailey qualifies for this team on both peak and longevity; he is tied with Ray Lewis for the most Pro Bowl nods (12) on this roster”, wrote Walder.
Brian Dawkins, Safety
Brian Dawkins played just three seasons with the Broncos, but he wasn’t a shell of the player he was when he was in Philadelphia. The Broncos still got a hard-hitting difference maker at the safety position who imposed his will every time he stepped onto the field.
“Dawkins delivered some huge hits during his 12 seasons this quarter century, as evidenced by the fact that he forced the second-most fumbles among DBs in our span and finished with the third-most sacks. When Dawkins was on the Eagles from 2000 to ’08, Philadelphia ranked third in EPA allowed per dropback on defense”, wrote Walder.
Wade Phillips, Defensive Coordinator
One of the best defensive coaches in the history of the NFL, the Broncos don’t win Super Bowl 50 without the job he did for that defensive unit.
“Phillips not only has a record of coordinating strong defenses at multiple stops, he also has a great record of improving those defenses. He took the Falcons’ defense from 24th in DVOA in 2001 to 10th in 2002. He took the Chargers’ defense from 28th in 2003 to ninth in 2004. He took the Texans’ defense — with some help from rookie J.J. Watt, of course — from 30th in 2010 to eighth in 2011. Then he took the Broncos to No. 1 in defensive DVOA in both 2015 and 2016, with a Super Bowl championship”, wrote Walder.
A strong argument can be made that Von Miller should have made the team and most Broncos fans will gladly argue that. In fact, he probably should have made it over his former teammate, Ware.
Either way, the Broncos were greatly represented on this team and there is plenty for the fans to be proud of in those results.
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