DT is the latest Bronco who wasn’t appreciated during his playing days

This week, former Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas was on with Stokely and Zach, and he expressed a desire to come back to the Broncos. He would return as a veteran leader in the locker room and finish his career where it started.

Broncos Country appears to be warm to the idea of Thomas returning for a curtain call. This is odd, because a few years ago, you had to search high and low to find Broncos fans that would speak highly of Thomas.

He was actually booed at games. The constant gripe was that Thomas was always dropping passes despite continually having 1,000-yard receiving seasons.

It should not have taken Thomas leaving for fans to appreciate all he did for the Broncos.

Very few Broncos players have had as prolific and productive a career as Thomas. After being a first-round pick by Josh McDaniels, Thomas had a rather low-key rookie season. He was misused as a kick returner and battled injuries. Although, he shined bright in a Week 2 match-up against the Seahawks.

Following his rookie season, Thomas ruptured his Achilles tendon, but he managed to make it back in time for the start of his second season. As his sophomore campaign unfolded, each week we watched Thomas begin to live up to the status of first-round draft pick.

Thomas broke out to the world in the 2011 playoffs with maybe the most memorable play in Broncos history, the walk-off overtime touchdown catch and run from Tim Tebow. After that play, Thomas was elite.

From 2012-14 Thomas was so good with Peyton Manning as his quarterback that many people became accustomed to it. The Manning-led offense scored so regularly and freely that it was expected and each amazing big play got lost in the shuffle with all of the others.

Go back and watch highlights of Thomas during those years and you will see an unbelievably dominant wide receiver. Yes, Manning was what made that offense what it was. However, without Thomas as the No. 1 wideout, that team would not have reached the heights that it did.

Thomas was always improving. In 2012, in a home game against the Texans, he had a touchdown called back after he didn’t get both feet in bounds. Manning scolded him and I don’t remember Thomas ever failing to get both feet in bounds ever again.

He was outstanding in the 2013 AFC Championship Game. Thomas was the best player on the field that day.

One of the most forgotten plays from Super Bowl 50 was when Thomas was able to draw a pass interference call on Josh Norman in the back of the end zone. That penalty led to C.J. Anderson’s touchdown, which was the final dagger that ensured the Broncos victory that day.

After Manning retired, Thomas became the object of scorn. He played hurt for the entire 2016 season with an injured hip and still managed more than 1,000 yards. Yet he was called soft. He gained 1,000 yards catching passes from below average quarterbacks like Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch. Yet, dropped passes was all that was talked about.

Thomas made some mistakes early in his career, but he became amazing in the community. In 2015, a young boy named Drake Durkee was tragically taken from this world too early. Drake was an enormous fan of Demaryius Thomas. Upon finding out about the heartbreaking passing of this child, Thomas contacted the family and to this day works with them and their non-profit, The Drake Durkee Foundation.

Thomas has a football camp and named an award after Drake. During the 2015 Super Bowl season, Thomas wore a wristband with Drake’s name on it. Nothing Thomas ever did on the field could match the greatness he has displayed and the love he has shown to the Durkee family.

Thomas’ final years in Denver weren’t as exciting as his first five seasons, but it wasn’t just him. The whole team was hard to watch. Constant changing of quarterbacks and coaches is going to make it hard for any team, let alone a wide receiver to thrive.

Instead of becoming nostalgic over Thomas now, he should have been appreciated while he was here. The Broncos never had a wide receiver play like he did.

Rod Smith was amazing. Smith was consistent and there for the big play when the Broncos needed him. Brandon Marshall wasn’t here long enough to be the best. Thomas was a top-five wide receiver in the NFL from 2012-14 and some on days he was the best in the NFL

Debating Rod Smith or Demaryius Thomas as the Broncos greatest wide receiver is a useless argument. It requires trying to diminish the accomplishments of great players. It doesn’t matter who was better; the Broncos were fortunate to have both.

Broncos Country adores Jake Plummer these days. Very few former players are as popular as Plummer. That wasn’t the case in his playing days, however.

When Plummer was the Broncos starting quarterback, he was booed relentlessly and many called for him to be benched. The booing got to a point where Plummer famously gave the finger to the crowd.

Plummer led the Broncos to the playoffs in three straight playoff seasons, including an appearance in the AFC Championship Game. Once Plummer was no longer the Broncos quarterback, the team missed the playoffs for five straight seasons. It took the unlikeable duo of Jay Cutler and Kyle Orton to make many come to appreciate Plummer after the fact.

Many people are eager to show Von Miller the door because last season didn’t stack up to the rest of his career. Miller could bounce back or maybe he is declining. Who knows? Either way, Miller’s last season (or seasons) in Denver would probably be best spent admiring one of the best players in franchise history rather than ridiculing his play and effort.

Teams have to move on from great players for the franchise. That’s just the way it works. It’s part of sports.

Some players have given a lot to the franchise and have earned the right to have those contributions valued as their career concludes. Thomas didn’t deserve to be admonished while he was playing. It’s good to see he’s treated positively now, but it should have always been that way.

Appreciate the great players that make your team better while you can still watch them. They’re hard to replace.

Also, Peyton Manning still remembers you booing him.