Horse Tracks: Which jersey number should the Broncos retire, if any?

The last true jersey the Denver Broncos retired was in 1999 with the retirement of John Elway. Has there been a player deserving of that award since? I think so.

We’ve beaten the quarterback discussion to death this week, so I decided to look for a different topic to discuss this fine Saturday morning. The Denver Broncos have retired just three jersey numbers in its 60+ year history. The last true retirement was in 1999 when John Elway hang ‘em up, but technically #18 was borrowed and re-retired for Peyton Manning in 2015.

• #18 – Frank Tripucka / Peyton Manning
• #44 – Floyd Little
• #7 – John Elway

The Broncos have plenty of players in their Ring of Fame, but the jersey retirement is a rare generational event. No one could argue the three players there. Tripucka was the founding quarterback and helped establish the franchise in Denver, Floyd Little and John Elway need no introduction and Manning cherried-on-top Tripucka’s jersey for the franchise.

Looking at the players who have donned the orange and blue since, I can think of only two who could qualify for the generational greatness necessary for a jersey retirement: Champ Bailey and Von Miller.

If I had to choose between the two, I would likely go with the man who brought the third title to the Mile High City. Von Miller and that defenses run through the 2015 season and, especially, the playoffs is one that will go down as one of the greatest runs in defensive history. Taking down potential Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger, the greatest quarterback of all-time in Tom Brady, and then the league MVP and best offense in football in Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers.

Miller’s playoff run rivals the playoff run that Terrell Davis had in two seasons. It’s a bummer that Miller couldn’t finish his career here, but like Shannon Sharpe and Steve Atwater it doesn’t really matter where they go — they are Denver Broncos greats.

The other option is neither Champ nor Von are deserving of that honor. What do you think?

Horse Tracks

Bargain Options for the 10 Teams in the Worst Salary-Cap Shape
The 2024 NFL Scouting Combine may be the next big event on the league calendar, but soon that calendar will officially turn to 2024—and that means free…

Broncos could franchise tag Lloyd Cushenberry, or go shopping for a new center
The Broncos will likely tag Lloyd Cushenberry, but we explore other options at center if they don’t.

4 free-agent tight ends Broncos could sign in 2024
Greg Dulcich’s nagging hamstring injuries have greatly hurt the Denver Broncos tight end room. The team should look to free agency to add some juice to this room.