Five players who deserve to be in the Broncos Ring of Fame
May 20, 2019, 2:03 PM | Updated: May 21, 2019, 7:26 am
In one of the biggest slam dunks in the history of the honor, the Broncos announced on Monday that former cornerback Champ Bailey had been elected into the team’s Ring of Fame. Given that Bailey is set to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August, joining the greatest players in the history of the league in Canton, it stood to reason that he’d also become a member of Denver’s elite.
“It comes as no surprise that Champ has been voted into the Broncos’ Ring of Fame in his first year of eligibility,” Broncos president and CEO Joe Ellis said in a statement issued by the team. “Not only did he make so many incredible plays as a Bronco, but the consistency and leadership he brought to this organization for 10 seasons as a perennial All-Pro was second-to-none.”
It will make for a jam-packed 2019 for Bailey. He’ll be enshrined into two exclusive clubs within 10 weeks, as he’ll go into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 3 and the Ring of Fame on October 13 when the Broncos host the Titans.
“To see the way Champ’s career has been appreciated over the last four months — first by the Pro Football Hall of Fame and now as our newest Ring of Famer — is very special for us,” Ellis added. “We congratulate Champ on this well-deserved honor and look forward to celebrating everything he’s meant to the Broncos in October.”
Bailey will become the first player inducted into Denver’s ROF in two years, as Robert “Red” Miller was honored in 2017. And he’ll be the first player to go in since 2016, when the trio of Jason Elam, Simon Fletcher and John Lynch got their names permanently added to the facade at Broncos Stadium.
That gap suggests that there aren’t a lot of former Broncos worthy of being added to the Ring of Fame. The team had to wait three years for Bailey to become eligible in order to have a new addition. Based on that track record, there might not be another name announced until Peyton Manning will be another slam-dunk vote prior to the 2021 season.
However, there are a few former Broncos who deserve to be added. And if this year was all about giving Bailey his own stage, and two years from now it will be Manning’s moment, these five players have a chance of being a part of the 2020 class.
1. Trevor Pryce (1997-2005) – The defensive tackle spent nine seasons in Denver, racking up the fourth-most sacks in franchise history (64). Pryce was selected to four Pro Bowls during his tenure with the Broncos, earned first-team All-Pro honors in 1999 and a part of back-to-back Super Bowl championship teams (1997, ’98).
2. Ed McCaffrey (1995-2003) – McCaffrey sits fifth in franchise history for receiving yards (6,200), fifth in receptions (462) and fourth in touchdown catches (46). On all three lists, the only players ahead of him are either already in the Ring of Fame (Shannon Sharpe, Rod Smith, Lionel Taylor) or will be someday (Demaryius Thomas).
3. Al Wilson (1999-2006) – During his eight seasons with the Broncos, this linebacker earned five Pro Bowl selections and was first-team All-NFL in 2005 when he led a defense that helped Denver reach the AFC Championship Game. Wilson is ninth on the team’s all-time list for solo tackles (555) and is second in assists (159).
4. Lyle Alzado (1971-78) – Alzado played in an era before defensive stats (tackles and sacks) were officially kept and he ended his career with the hated Raiders, which hurt his candidacy. But during his time in Denver, he helped transform the franchise as a part of the Orange Crush defense. During the Broncos 1977 Super Bowl season, Alzado was the AFC’s Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-Pro.
5. Jake Plummer (2003-06) – During his four years in Denver, Plummer played more games (59) and threw for more yards (11,631) than current Ring of Fame quarterbacks Charley Johnson and Frank Tripucka. He also led the Broncos to the 2005 AFC title game, making him arguably the third-best quarterback in the history of the franchise.
