Over the next few weeks, I’m going to run through the greatest Denver Broncos players of all-time by position. Naturally, I should start with the easiest Top 2 then we can all argue about the other three on this list.
Yes, I will already have Bo Nix in the top three after just two seasons. The reason is pretty simple: there haven’t been that many great quarterbacks in Broncos’ history. The only two that maybe deserve to be on this list is Craig Morton and Tim Tebow. And those two would make the list for
entirely different reasons. Instead, I went with Kubiak because he was instrumental in all three of the Super Bowl championships that we’ve enjoyed. Plummer then makes the cut above the rest as he is likely the best in actual quarterbacking skill compared to the rest of the options available.
- John Elway
- Peyton Manning
- Bo Nix
- Gary Kubiak
- Jake Plummer
I also pinged the rest of the Mile High Report staff for their opinions on the matter. Here is where they stand:
Scotty Payne: Probably the easiest list to do. Elway and Manning don’t need any explaining, Bo Nix is the present and the future, Jake Plummer was fun, and Tebow had a magical season, won a playoff game, and helped the Broncos land Manning.
- John Elway
- Peyton Manning
- Bo Nix
- Jake Plummer
- Tim Tebow
Chris Hart: John Elway and Peyton Manning are head and shoulders above the rest of the list for obvious reasons. Hall of Fame players who helped deliver the franchise’s three Super Bowl victories. Prior to the arrival of Elway, Craig Morton was the Broncos’ all-time passing leader in his six seasons with Denver compiling a 41-23 record. Jake Plummer, despite eventually being replaced by Jay Cutler in 2006, had an underrated 39-15 record as a starter. Entering his third season, Bo Nix is the future of the franchise and seems destined to climb up the Broncos’ all-time passing record marks in short order.
- John Elway
- Peyton Manning
- Craig Morton
- Jake Plummer
- Bo Nix
Ian St. Clair: The first two are obvious. They’re two of the best QBs to ever play in the NFL. Nix passes the eye test and just out-dueled Josh Allen for an incredible playoff OT win. Morton was integral to the Broncos having its best season in franchise history at the time in 1977. While Plummer brought stability and leadership to the QB position. He also helped lead the Broncos to a playoff win over Tom Brady.
- John Elway
- Peyton Manning
- Bo Nix
- Craig Morton
- Jake Plummer
Ross Allen: It’s almost odd to me that a team with such a long and storied history and winning record doesn’t have a long list of talented quarterbacks. The first two are easy picks, but then the last three can be a little harder to determine. Bo Nix has all of the ability to be the third-best. Morton’s impact on the earlier years of this franchise is undeniable. And Tebow might be a stretch to some, but that 2011 season was electric and he did help lead Denver to a playoff win over the 12-4 Steelers, the defending AFC champs.
- John Elway
- Peyton Manning
- Bo Nix
- Craig Morton
- Tim Tebow
Sadaraine: This list fairly easily writes itself. I’ll have Morton higher on my list because I appreciate the history of the franchise before I was a fan more than most fans. And yes, Bo Nix belongs on this list. He’s going to be a Bronco for a very long time and has a decent chance to move up the list over the course of his career.
- John Elway
- Peyton Manning
- Craig Morton
- Jake Plummer
- Bo Nix
Laurie Lattimore-Volkmann: I was surprised at how hard it was to figure out No. 3-5! As much as I loved the Tebow season, he really does not belong on the top 5 all time. And even though Craig Morton doesn’t have the flashy career of the others, it was a completely different era and he was hugely important to this franchise for decades to come for helping lead the Broncos to their first Super Bowl.
- John Elway
- Peyton Manning
- Craig Morton
- Bo Nix
- Jake Plummer
Adam Malnati: The list has been explained well by everyone else, so I won’t do that here. Instead, I’ll point out the lack of Jay Cutler from this list at all, while the guy he replaced seems to be on most top-5’s. Cutler is the biggest “what might have been” and was a million times better than Tim Tebow. He can’t be on this list though, and I think it has more to do with Pat Bowlen’s Alzheimer’s than his ability. Life is pretty funny.
- John Elway
- Peyton Manning
- Bo Nix
- Craig Morton
- Jake Plummer
The 1-2 consensus is universal, but there is a lot of disagreement after that. After adding everyone’s vote here, I looked at Plummer’s career in Denver was just over three and a half seasons. It was shorter than Manning’s, but it seemed like he was a Bronco for a long time.
Anyway, where would you rank the Top 5? It gets a lot harder after the first two.
