With the Broncos making a second straight playoff appearance, Sean Payton has truly revived the Denver Broncos franchise. Denver sits on the bye week this week, but will soon embark on their most important week of football in almost ten years. The Broncos were embarrassed in the playoffs by the Bills last year as an underdog seventh seed, but their expectations could not be more different this year.
With the top overall seed in the conference comes high expectations, and they could not be higher in Denver. The Broncos are the favorite in the AFC to bring home this year's Lamar Hunt trophy, and another first-round exit would do considerable damage to the Broncos and their plans for next year. If they can go on a run, however, a few Broncos could find their status in franchise history change.
Not many of the current Broncos have a notable legacy in Denver, largely because the Broncos haven't won anything of significance in ten years. Much of this Broncos team is homegrown, and Denver just ended their longest playoff drought in recent times last year. All of this can change with three strong wins in a row, and it would change the franchise forever. Three Broncos, in particular, can alter the trajectories of their legacies in Denver with a strong playoff push.
These three Broncos can cement their legacies in Denver with a strong playoff run
3. Garett Bolles
Bolles is the longest tenured Denver Bronco, a true team captain, the rare offensive lineman worth a jersey purchase, but has yet to truly win in Denver. He infamously criticized the organization for only losing during his time, but his development into one of the top-three tackles in football is a catalyst behind the Broncos' revival. An extended run could see him win a Super Bowl ring and cement himself as an all-time great Denver Bronco.
2. Nik Bonitto
When the Broncos traded Von Miller, the best pass rusher in franchise history, they received a second-round selection that they then used on Nik Bonitto, their new franchise edge rusher. Denver paid him handsomely this summer, and it is time for the Oklahoma product to channel his inner Miller and help lead Denver deep into the playoffs. If he does, he joins the pantheon of Denver defenders, which is already a fairly elite group.
1. Courtland Sutton
Courtland Sutton will statistically go down as one of the five best wide receivers in Broncos history, but questions around the quality of his teams through the years. Over the past two years, Sutton has become the top receiver on a repeat playoff team and is one of the top receivers in the game. Even as the drops can plague him and he is prone to having a few quiet games in a row, a loud January can cement him near Demaryius Thomas, his first professional mentor, in Broncos history.