Denver Broncos: Looking back at the deal that almost was with Tim Brown

Elway to Brown would have been great

Though the Broncos were able to air it out and rank fourth in passing in 1993, that was almost entirely Elway. He did get a big help from his tight end, Sharpe, who led the team with 81 receptions.

The most receptions any receiver had that season was 44 by Russell. Aside from him, Elway was throwing the ball to Johnson, Marshall and receivers such as Cedric Tillman and Tony Kimbrough.

The Broncos did use three late-round picks on receivers in the draft that year but none of them panned out. Elway needed some help and Brown would have been a great addition.

To take Brown from the Raiders and have him form a Hall-of-Fame connection with Elway could have been perfect. But what else would that have meant?

Would the team have signed Ed McCaffrey as a free agent just two years later? Would Brown’s position on the team have blocked undrafted free agent Rod Smith from blossoming? All things happen for a reason, but those are legitimate questions.

In the end, things worked out long term for Elway and the Broncos. When the Raiders matched the offer sheet, the Broncos settled for taking a wide receiver from a different division rival, signing San Diego Chargers wide receiver Anthony Miller to an offer sheet.

Unlike the Raiders, the Chargers chose not to match and Miller came to Denver. Though he wasn’t Brown, Miller was an effective receiver for the Broncos for two seasons.

McCaffrey came aboard as a free agent in 1995 and Smith was introduced to fans that same season. The Broncos had what they needed and the deal that almost was with Brown became an afterthought.