There have been a lot of players through the years that have had one incredible season in Denver Broncos orange and blue. We rank the top five.
The Denver Broncos have had some really fascinating players pass through town with only one great season to their names.
Some of these players had success before or after they played for the Broncos, while others really just had one great ride in orange and blue, and that was it.
Let’s take a quick trip down memory lane with some of the best one-year wonders in Denver Broncos history, at least over the last few decades.
Denver Broncos one-year wonder no. 5: Shaun Phillips, EDGE (2013)
Key stats
- 36 total tackles
- 10 sacks
- 10 tackles for loss
- 2 forced fumbles
- 5 passes defended
- 1 interception
A longtime member of the San Diego Chargers, Shaun Phillips joined the orange and blue as a pretty under-the-radar free agent during the 2013 NFL Draft.
His presence on the roster was certainly a necessity given the fact that Elvis Dumervil’s contract wasn’t faxed to the NFL in time that offseason and Von Miller had to serve a six-game suspension to open the year.
Phillips added another pair of sacks in the 2013 postseason as the Broncos put together some gutty defensive performances (given all their injuries on that side of the ball) leading up to the disappointing Super Bowl loss against the Seahawks.
Before that disappointing loss, though, Phillips was a key piece of a patchwork defensive unit that had some stretches of really impressive play, specifically against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the playoffs.
For Phillips, it was a bit poetic as the Broncos bounced his former team out of the playoffs in the second round and Phillips sacked Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers twice in that contest.
After his tremendous 2013 season in Denver, Phillips only played one more year in the NFL.
Denver Broncos one-year wonder no. 4: Reuben Droughns, RB (2004)
During the Mike Shanahan era, the Denver Broncos were seemingly able to crank out a different 1,000-yard rusher every season.
There’s plenty of proof of that, too.
From 2003-2006, the Broncos had four different 1,000-yard rushers:
- Clinton Portis, 2003
- Reuben Droughns, 2004
- Mike Anderson, 2005
- Tatum Bell, 2006
As a matter of fact, they nearly had two 1,000-yard rushers in the 2005 season, one of the best years the Denver Broncos have had as a franchise without winning the Super Bowl.
But the focus of this particular segment is Reuben Droughns, who wasn’t a “nobody” by any means.
He was the 81st overall pick of the 2000 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions but didn’t play until the 2001 season.
The Lions let him go after 2001 and the Broncos scooped him up in 2002 and he rode the bench for a couple of seasons before getting his shot in 2004.
It’s not often you see a running back have a breakout season as a fifth-year pro. It’s even less frequent that you see someone who was supposed to be a fullback have that kind of breakout season.
Droughns’ key stats from 2004:
- 1,240 yards
- 4.5 yards per carry
- 6 rushing touchdowns
- 32 receptions
- 2 receiving touchdowns
- 344 kickoff return yards
Droughns was extremely impressive in the 2004 season, but the Denver Broncos knew they could crank out 1,000-yard backs with no problem, so he wasn’t guaranteed the starting job in 2005.
He asked for and was granted a trade to the Cleveland Browns which brought a couple of needed defensive linemen to the Denver Broncos, including Ebenezer Ekuban.
There’s a name for you.
Droughns was actually really good for a bit with the Browns and wound up winning a Super Bowl as a reserve with the New York Giants a few years later.
Denver Broncos one-year wonder no. 3: Javon Walker, WR (2006)
Javon Walker is one of the best one-year wonders in Denver Broncos history.
The Broncos were coming off of one of the most frustrating defeats of the post-John Elway era.
In the same playoffs, they became the first team to ever beat Tom Brady in a playoff game and they also lost on their home field to young Ben Roethlisberger, who would go on to win his first Super Bowl as an NFL quarterback.
The sour taste left in the Broncos’ mouths following that horrendous loss at home despite being the all-around better team led to a number of major moves in the 2006 offseason, including an incredible draft class.
- QB Jay Cutler
- TE Tony Scheffler
- WR Brandon Marshall
- DE Elvis Dumervil
- OG Chris Kuper
That was one of the best draft classes in Denver Broncos history in terms of how well those guys all did throughout the course of their careers, but one aspect of that class that is consistently forgotten about is the trade the team made to acquire wide receiver Javon Walker.
Walker was previously with the Green Bay Packers where he was a first-round pick and Pro Bowl receiver. The Broncos only gave up a second-round pick to get him and then signed him to a new deal.
Walker quickly became the top receiver on the team with 69 receptions for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns.
He even added 123 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown that year.
It looked like the Broncos had a long-term superstar on their hands.
After the 2006 regular season finale, Walker was in a vehicle with Darrent Williams in downtown Denver that was attacked by gunfire, and Williams was tragically and fatally wounded.
The trauma of that event undoubtedly weighed incredibly heavy on Walker, who only played eight more games for the Broncos.
He signed another big-money deal with the Raiders in 2008 but only played 11 games for them.
Denver Broncos one-year wonder no. 2: Tim Tebow, QB (2011)
In terms of the overall team success, there’s not a better “one-year wonder” in Denver Broncos history than the Tim Tebow-led 2011 season.
At least, there’s not a better script for Hollywood.
The Broncos were looking like a complete dud at the beginning of the 2011 season. Coming off of a year in which they had just fired Josh McDaniels and picked second overall in the 2011 NFL Draft, things needed to change in Denver in 2011 and the only spark the team had offensively was a mostly unknown Tim Tebow.
Tebow had shown some late-game heroics in his rookie season in 2010, but he wasn’t named the starter for John Fox’s team in 2011 and rode the bench the first five games of the season.
When he finally got inserted into the lineup, the Denver Broncos started winning a lot of games in miraculous fashion.
The fourth quarter of games started to become known as “Tebow Time” and despite the best efforts of the teams the Broncos played, no one could really stop Tebow Time.
Tim Tebow key stats as Broncos starter in 2011 (including playoffs)
- 14 passing touchdowns
- 2,181 passing yards
- 723 rushing yards
- 7 rushing touchdowns
Was Tim Tebow a perfect passer? Absolutely not. In fact, he has one of the worst completion rates in league history.
Still, there was something about that 2011 season with Tebow as the quarterback that helped everything come together for a number of the greatest moments in franchise history.
The defense did its part. Kicker Matt Prater was clutch. The running game was outstanding and led by veteran Willis McGahee.
Broncos receivers came up clutch throughout the season.
It was a team effort, no doubt, but Tebow was the catalyst for it all, if only for a year.
Denver Broncos one-year wonder no. 1: Brandon Lloyd, WR (2010)
As great as Tebow Time was in 2011, there’s not a better one-year wonder in Denver Broncos history than Brandon Lloyd in 2010.
The team didn’t have much success (they finished second-worst in the league record-wise and were caught cheating in London), but Lloyd was incredible.
Unfortunately, Lloyd was a decade ahead of his time. Although there has long been a place for big-time playmakers at receiver in the NFL, Llloyd would have been a highly coveted player in today’s game and he would have thrived with the league as it is today.
You have to tip your cap to Josh McDaniels and Brian Xanders for picking up Lloyd in 2009 when they did, and for giving him an actual shot in 2010.
Brandon Lloyd 2010 stats
- 77 receptions
- 1,448 yards
- 11 touchdowns
- 2nd-team All-Pro
- Pro Bowl honors
These Brandon Lloyd catches are RIDICULOUS. @mrblloyd (via @nflthrowback) pic.twitter.com/GEfCdZ4Mcc
— NFL (@NFL) August 14, 2020
His 2010 season with the Denver Broncos was the only season in which Lloyd eclipsed 1,000 yards as a receiver.
Shocker.
It was the only year in his NFL career in which he caught more than six touchdowns.
He went on to have some success in 2011 and 2012 with the Broncos, Rams, and Patriots, but Lloyd’s 2010 season was absolutely magical and one of a kind.
He made acrobatic catches every single week. He made plays near the sideline that left your jaw on the floor.
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Brandon Lloyd’s 2010 season was one of the most underrated for a receiver in the last 20 years, in my opinion. The Broncos stunk, but Lloyd made them watchable week in and week out.