Best Broncos to Ever Wear the Jersey Number: 80-89

USA Today recently presented its list of the best NFL players to wear a particular jersey number, a list that included four former Denver Broncos players: John Elway, Peyton Manning, Terrell Davis, and Gary Zimmerman.

As we approach the 2023 NFL season, let's have some fun and look at who were the best Broncos to ever wear each jersey number, from 0 to 99.

I used Pro Football Reference's Approximate Value to determine most of the selections. In a few cases, I selected more than one player, whether they were tied in PFR AV or there is more than one player who holds significance to the team's history.

In the ninth installment, which covers 80 to 89, we have a lot of wide receivers, including a couple who rank among the all-time greats in Broncos history.

No. 80: Rod Smith | WR

It's only fitting that we start with the man who is arguably the best wide receiver to play for the Broncos. To think it all started with a man who went undrafted and spent most of his rookie season on the practice squad.

But Smith would go on to claim a starting job in 1997 and became an integral part of a Broncos franchise that won back-to-back Super Bowls. He finished with 11,389 receiving yards on 849 receptions with 68 touchdowns and was named to three Pro Bowls.

Smith still ranks as the Broncos' all-time receiving leader and was inducted into the team's Ring of Fame. He has a case for the Pro Football Hall of Fame but is part of a long list of receivers who have made a lasting impression on the NFL.

No. 81: Steve Watson | WR

One of the players on this list wore No. 81 for a season, but he later switched numbers. Tim Patrick currently wears this number, but the clear choice for the best to wear 81 was a key part of the Broncos in the 1980s.

Watson, who went undrafted, started just one game in his first two seasons, 1979 and 1980. But in 1981, he broke out with 1,244 yards receiving and 13 touchdowns, getting his first Pro Bowl bid.

He remained with the Broncos until 1987, and in his nine seasons, he caught 353 passes for 6,112 yards with 36 touchdowns. Watson surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in 1981, 1983, and 1984.

No. 82: Vance Johnson | WR

Here's another case in which one player was the clear choice for the best to wear this number. In this case, it's a receiver who emerged just as John Elway hit his stride at quarterback.

Johnson, a second-round pick in 1985, became the most consistent receiver the Broncos had in the 1980s. In 128 games (83 in which he started), Johnson caught 415 receptions for 5,695 yards and 37 touchdowns.

Johnson's best season was 1989, in which he had 1,095 yards receiving and seven touchdowns. He stayed with the Broncos until 1993, then joined the Chargers but never took a snap for them before coming back to Denver in 1995 for his final season.

No. 83: Anthony Miller | WR

Some fans will remember that Wes Welker wore 83, while those who look at the Broncos' earliest years might remember Ray Jacobs. But the best Bronco to wear this number spent most of his career with a division rival.

Miller was a first-round pick by the Chargers in 1988 and broke out in 1989 with 1,252 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns. He went to four Pro Bowls in six seasons with the Chargers.

The Broncos signed Miller as a restricted free agent in 1994, with the Chargers declining to match the offer. Miller caught 175 passes for 2,921 yards and 22 touchdowns — good numbers but perhaps not quite the level some fans expected. He played for the Cowboys in 1997 before retiring.

No. 84: Shannon Sharpe | TE

We earlier mentioned a player who wore 81, then switched numbers. That player was Sharpe, and he would go on to become the best Broncos player to ever wear 84 and become one of the Broncos' all-time greats.

Sharpe was a seventh-round pick in 1990 who played wide receiver at first, then switched to tight end. He broke out in 1992 with 53 receptions for 640 yards and two touchdowns, getting his first Pro Bowl bid in the process.

Sharpe went on to tally 675 receptions for 8,439 yards and 55 touchdowns in two separate stints with the Broncos, a total of 12 seasons. He also spent two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and would go on to be inducted into the Broncos Ring of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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No. 85: Ashley Lelie | WR

There have been a lot of players to wear 85 for the Broncos, but most of them didn't last long or make much of an impact. The nod for the best Bronco to wear 85 goes to a former first-round pick.

Lelie, the No. 19 overall selection of the 2002 NFL draft, caught 35 passes as a rookie and 37 in his second season. He broke out in 2004 with 54 catches for 1,084 yards receiving and seven touchdowns.

Lelie, though, didn't play as well as expected in 2005 and was traded to the Atlanta Falcons in 2006. Lelie then had stints with the three additional teams but was out of the NFL by 2009.

No. 86: Arthur Marshal | WR

Byron Chamberlain and Butch Johnson are players who had brief stints with the Broncos and did some good things. The one who edged them out in PFR AV was Marshall, an undrafted player.

Marshall signed with the Broncos in 1992 and caught 26 passes for 493 yards with one touchdown as a rookie. In 1993, he caught 28 passes for 360 yards and two touchdowns, plus he returned punts, his longest going for 47 yards. Marshall even had a couple of touchdown passes.

He was traded to the Giants in 1994 after the Broncos added Miller and Mike Pritchard. Marshall spent three seasons with the Giants before his carer ended.

No. 87: Ed McCaffrey | WR

We do need to give a nod to two Broncos legends, wide receiver Lionel Taylor and pass rusher Rich "Tombstone" Jackson, both players who made an impact on the franchise's earlier years.

But it's McCaffrey who edges them out as the best Bronco to wear 87. A third-round pick by the New York Giants in 1991, McCaffrey didn't make much of an impact. He signed with the San Francisco 49ers in 1994 and, again, didn't do much.

However, he followed Mike Shanahan to the Broncos in 1995 and eventually formed a strong receiving duo with Rod Smith. In nine seasons with the Broncos, McCaffrey caught 563 passes for 6,200 yards and 46 touchdowns.

No. 88: Demaryius Thomas | WR

Wide receiver Al Denson made his mark in the franchise's earlier years, and tight end Riley Odoms may be the most overlooked player when it comes to the Broncos Ring of Fame.

But Thomas got the nod as the best to wear 88. A first-round pick in 2010, Thomas overcame injuries early in his career and made an impact in 2012 when Peyton Manning took over as Broncos quarterback.

Thomas would go on to surpass 1,000 yards receiving in five straight seasons from 2012 to 2016, getting Pro Bowl nods in four of them. He tallied 665 catches for 9,055 yards and 60 touchdowns in 8.5 seasons for the Broncos before he was traded to the Houston Texans midway through the 2018 season.

Thomas later signed with the New York Jets in 2019, then announced his retirement in 2020. Sadly, the Broncos' all-time great passed away on December 9, 2021, after a seizure.

No. 89: Dwayne Carswell | TE

Finally, we have a tight end who served mostly as a blocker, but he was a good one and a key reason why the Broncos had a quality running game.

Carswell, who went undrafted, joined the Broncos in 1994 and was active for just nine games. He would go on to play in 163 games (82 as a starter) for 12 seasons.

He didn't have much in the way of statistics, with 192 receptions for 1,707 yards and 15 touchdowns, but Carswell was an excellent blocker and even got a Pro Bowl nod in 2001. He even made the switch to offensive guard in 2005, his final season with the team, but was often utilized as an eligible receiver.

Carswell was involved in a five-vehicle crash on October 27, 2005, which ended his season prematurely. He received the Ed Block Courage Award for his recovery from the crash.

Our next installment will cover numbers 80 to 89. In the meantime, be sure to check out 0-9, 10-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and 70-79.

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