Denver Broncos top five free agent signings in team history
2. DeMarcus Ware, EDGE (2014)
The Denver Broncos' 2014 NFL Free Agency class was legendary. The best in NFL history, if you ask me.
That class included the aforementioned Aqib Talib, wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, safety TJ Ward, and, of course, DeMarcus Ware. When the Dallas Cowboys cut Ware, he immediately became the top focus of the Denver Broncos who were after a number of other prominent free agents that offseason like Jared Allen, Michael Johnson, and Everson Griffen.
It's a good thing Ware's reputation preceded him.
The Broncos were obviously coming off of the embarrassing Super Bowl loss to the Seahawks, but worse than that (in some ways) was the apparent downslide of Von Miller. Miller was the NFL defensive rookie of the year in 2011. He was arguably the league's best defensive player in 2012. Then he was popped for a six-game suspension in 2013 for violating the league's substance abuse policy.
After he came back from suspension, Miller did not look like himself -- quite literally. He came back much bigger than anyone was used to seeing him, and he wasn't nearly as effective with his added bulk. he then tore his ACL near the end of the 2013 season, so the Broncos didn't even have their best defensive player for their playoff run that year. What could have been...
As much as the Broncos needed a stud like Ware on the opposite side of Miller, Miller also couldn't have asked for a better mentor to come into his life at the absolute perfect time. Ware took Miller under his wing, and the two became a dominant force off the edge.
In the 2015 playoffs, Ware and Miller combined for 8.5 sacks and 18 QB hits in three games. It was remarkable to see. Not only were Miller and Ware getting hits and sacks, they were applying constant pressure every single snap. Their 2015 playoff run will forever be remembered as one of the greatest by a duo of pass rushers that you'll ever see.
Ware played three seasons in Denver, but undoubtedly made his mark as one of the best free agent signings in team history.