On Saturday night, fans of the Denver Broncos were treated to a special ceremony at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Champ Bailey, one of the best defensive players in team history, was enshrined as part of the class of 2019. You can watch Bailey’s full speech here.
In addition, Pat Bowlen, the team’s beloved owner known fondly as “Mr. B,” took his place among the greats.
Naturally, that gets fans talking about who should be next to go into the hallowed hall. Next season, as part of a special “centennial season” and celebrating its 100th anniversary, the league has announced that the number of inductees will be increased.
That could help some of these players whose careers ended many moons ago have a shot to get what they rightfully deserve. Please note that this list won’t include Peyton Manning as we all know he’s going in. It also won’t include current players such as Von Miller, another player who is a lock to get there.
1. Steve Atwater
If you polled a group of Broncos fans and asked them which Broncos player who is not already in the Hall of Fame should be inducted next, the most popular answer would likely be Atwater.
The hard-hitting safety was a leader on defense for his entire career. Though many point to the hit he put on Christian Okoye during a game on Monday Night Football as the most memorable moment of his career, he made many plays that stood out and helped the team win.
The former first-round pick was selected to eight Pro Bowls, was a two-time selection to the All-Pro Team and was also chosen to be part of the NFL’s All-Decade Team in the 1990s.
The team has never had a safety like Atwater since, one who could cover the defensive backfield or come up and make bone-rattling hits at the line of scrimmage. He’s widely considered one of the best all-around safeties to ever play in the league and his spot in the Hall of Fame should not be in question.
2. Louis Wright
Without any doubt one of the best cornerbacks in team history, Wright is so easily overlooked that it’s almost comical.
Voters may look at the fact that he only had 26 career interceptions, but those same voters likely need to watch some of his game film to appreciate how good he truly was.
At 6-2, Wright was a tall and long corner, much like the type teams covet in today’s game. He would take the opposition’s top receiver and regularly make them a non-factor, usually because the opposing quarterback almost ignored that side of the field.
But he wasn’t just great in pass coverage. Like Bailey, Wright was an excellent tackler. His fundamentals were always on point and things like that get lost in the shuffle compared to the gaudy statistics other players post.
But here’s a fact to consider. Take a look at the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1970s. The cornerbacks on that team are Wright, Willie Brown, Jimmy Johnson and Roger Wehrli. The only one of them not in the Hall of Fame is Wright.
3. Rod Smith
One of the greatest undrafted players in NFL history, Smith holds most of the team’s receiving records. He finished his career with 849 receptions for 11,389 yards and 68 touchdowns. Those are all at the top of the Broncos’ record books.
Smith also helped the team win two Super Bowls while always remaining a total professional on and off the field. Not bad for a guy out of Missouri Southern State who most thought would probably never be much more than a body on the practice squad.
4. Randy Gradishar
If only one player from this list can get in, it should probably be Gradishar. The fact that he’s not already there is all but criminal.
The leader of one of the NFL’s most historically great defenses, the Orange Crush, Gradishar was one of the best linebackers in the NFL and at the time he played, few were better.
Also a star at Ohio State, Gradishar is already part of the College Football Hall of Fame. Now, it’s time for him to get what he absolutely deserves.
There wasn’t anything Gradishar couldn’t do on the field. A tremendous tackler and a superb athlete, he was also terrific in pass coverage. Evidence of that is the fact that he had 20 career interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns.
He was selected to seven Pro Bowls and was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1978. He has to be in and if his name isn’t one of the 20 that goes into the Hall in 2020, it will be a complete outrage.
