Full steam ahead, we’re doing the Top 5 running backs in Denver Broncos history in this post. There is a near universal number one and then plenty of disagreement from there. I’ll start with mine and then share each of our Mile High Report staff’s takes on this topic.
The obvious number one for me is going to Hall of Famer Terrell Davis. The man who brought Broncos’ fans the first title to the Mile High City. Who doesn’t love TD? After that, we go to the only other Hall of Fame running back in team
history in the late, great Floyd Little, who was likely the main reason Denver even has a football team called the Broncos today. From there, its mostly modern era Mike Shanahan studs and another Super Bowl champion.
- Terrell Davis
- Floyd Little
- Clinton Portis
- CJ Anderson
- Mike Anderson
Here’s where the rest of the staff went on their top five.
Scotty Payne: TD is obvious and Portis was amazing for two seasons and landed Champ Bailey, Floyd Little is in the Hall of Fame so he makes the list, Mike Anderson was a personal favorite of mine, and CJ Anderson was a big part of that SB 50 team.
- Terrell Davis
- Clinton Portis
- Floyd Little
- Mike Anderson
- CJ Anderson
Chris Hart: Terrell Davis and Floyd Little are easily the top two running backs in Broncos’ history. Davis is an all-time great and one could argue Little helped save the franchise and keep them in the Mile High City. Winder was a key cog in Denver’s rushing attack in the 1980s alongside Elway. Portis, although his time in Denver was short, had two memorable seasons with the Broncos. A curveball here at the fifth slot is Moreno. Injuries derailed his career, but he was a promising player who added versatility as a runner and receiver in his five years with the team.
- Terrell Davis
- Floyd Little
- Sammy Winder
- Clinton Portis
- Knowshon Moreno
Ian St. Clair: Davis is the best post-season running back in NFL history. Little was Elway before Elway for the Broncos. How can you not love the Mississippi Mud Walk? Portis destroyed the Chiefs (FUKC). But Armstrong is one of the players in franchise history often overlooked. He’s fourth in Broncos history in rushing yardage, and similar to Little, did so for a portion of time when the offense and team wasn’t very good.
- Terrell Davis
- Floyd Little
- Sammy Winder
- Clinton Portis
- Otis Armstrong
Ross Allen: Much like the quarterbacks, the top two guys on this list are incredibly easy to choose. Davis’ playoff performances are unmatched and Little’s impact on the history of the organization is incredible. I think there was a few different names that could be chosen as the fifth-best, but what CJ Anderson did during that Super Bowl 50 campaign was vital to that lackluster offense and things would’ve been a lot different that year if it wasn’t for his 1,000-yard season.
- Terrell Davis
- Floyd Little
- Clinton Portis
- Sammy Winder
- CJ Anderson
Sadaraine: As a Bronco fan, I can’t take anyone seriously who doesn’t put Little at #1. You don’t have a team in Denver if he wasn’t here, and he did a lot more than just run the ball. TD is the greatest back of the modern era. Portis was one of the most potent backs I’ve seen play.
- Floyd LIttle
- Terrell Davis
- Clinton Portis
- Otis Armstrong
- Mike Anderson
Laurie Lattimore-Volkmann: I really wanted to put Clinton Portis on the list, but I didn’t want to take CJ Anderson off because he was a huge part of the Broncos’ Super Bowl season in 2015. And Mike Anderson probably gets overlooked among Denver’s great running backs because the OROY in 2000 had the unfortunate circumstance of playing in Denver during the interim between Elway and Manning, with no championships to go with his immense talent. Fun fact: Anderson returned to the starting running back role at age 32, rushing for 1,014 yards and 12 touchdowns, setting an NFL record for the longest stretch between a player’s first and second 1,000-yard seasons.
- Floyd Little
- Terrell Davis
- Otis Armstrong
- Mike Anderson
- CJ Anderson
Adam Malnati: Little and Davis are interchangeable on this list. Portis is a close 6th place, but his 5-TD performance against the Chiefs isn’t quite enough to take over Anderson and his overtime TD run in the snow to beat the Patriots. Olandis Gary could be somewhere in here as well.
- Floyd Little
- Terrell Davis
- Otis Armstrong
- Mike Anderson
- CJ Anderson
Wow, quite a variance of opinion compared to the quarterback rankings. That shows the Broncos have quite a few great running backs in its long history.
Who gets into your top five running backs of all-time?
