Ranking the 5 best quarterbacks ever drafted by the Broncos

Gary Kubiak was not selected until the eighth round of the 1983 draft, the same year the Broncos traded for that draft’s No. 1 overall choice, John Elway. Kubiak spent his entire playing career with the Broncos and he was the backup to Elway that entire time.

But he was a great backup, helping Elway with film study and developing a relationship with No. 7 that would last decades. It would also lead to how the team’s front office would be shaped in the future.

Kubiak could also be counted upon to come in and perform in Elway’s absence and though he was not asked to do that often, he was ready when his number was called.

But the reason Kubiak is at No. 3 on this list has much more to do with what he did for the Broncos off the field than he ever did on the field. However, that would have never happened if he wasn’t drafted by the team.

Kubiak spent several years on the staff of Mike Shanahan, becoming one of the best offensive playcallers in the league and being part of back-to-back Super Bowl champions. Years later after the team moved on from Fox, they came looking for Kubiak to be the next head coach.

Though he was only in that role for two years, he did win a Super Bowl and is one of only two coaches in team history that has ever done that.

Though Kubiak was a career backup, his name is one of the more important in Broncos history.