Best Broncos to Ever Wear the Jersey Number: 20-29
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 this installment, which covers numbers 20 through 29, you will see a lot of familiar names, including multiple Ring-of-Famers and a couple of Hall-of-Famers.
No. 20: Louis Wright | CB
By far the best Broncos player to wear this uniform number, Wright was not only legendary but one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL during the 1970s.
The Broncos' 1975 first-round pick, Wright played 166 games in 12 seasons. He had 26 interceptions, one that he returned for a touchdown. He was a two-time first-team All-Pro selection and was named to five Pro Bowls.
Wright is a member of the Broncos Ring of Fame and one of two Orange Crush members (along with Randy Gradishar) who has long awaited his time to make it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Wright remains the only player on the NFL 1970s All-Decade team not to be in the Hall of Fame.
No. 21: Aqib Talib | CB
Ring-of-Famer Gene Mingo, who played for the team from 1960 to 1964, certainly deserves a No. 21 nod here, but the best Broncos player to wear the number was a member of the Super Bowl 50 winning team.
Talib played in the NFL for 11 seasons, was drafted 11th overall in 2008 by Tampa Bay, then was traded to New England in 2012. He signed with the Broncos as a free agent in 2014 and spent four seasons with the team before he was traded to the L.A. Rams in 2018.
During his time with the Broncos, Talib had 11 interceptions and returned six for touchdowns — quite the accomplishment in just four seasons. He was named to the Pro Bowl all four years with the Broncos.
No. 22 (Tie): CJ Anderson | RB
Two players rank among the best to wear 22, one on offense and one on defense. The offensive player went undrafted and emerged as a key member of the Super Bowl 50 winning team.
Anderson joined the Broncos in 2013 and was quiet in his rookie season, but he emerged in 2014, rushing for 849 yards with eight touchdowns, and was named to the Pro Bowl. He remained a key part of the Broncos backfield for the next three seasons.
Anderson rushed for 1,000 yards in 2017, his final season with the team, but was released in 2018 and then played for three teams after that. In his five years with Denver, he rushed for 3,497 yards with 22 touchdowns.
No. 22 (Tie): Kareem Jackson | S
And the best Broncos defensive player to wear 22 is still with the team. Jackson originally signed a three-year contract in 2019, was released in 2021, but has come back to sign one-year deals ever since.
In the four seasons he's played with the Broncos, Jackson has broken up 19 passes and interception four. He also has four fumble recoveries and 342 tackles.
Before joining the Broncos, Jackson spent nine seasons in Houston and played cornerback. He's switched to safety since coming to Denver and will soon start his 14th season in the NFL.
No. 23: Goose Gonsoulin | S
While running back Sammy Winder had a fine career with the Broncos. we are going old school with the best Broncos player to wear 23 — and that player happens to be in the Ring of Fame.
Gonsoulin was originally drafted by the Dallas Texans in the American Football League and by the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL. However, he wound up with the Broncos when all was said and done, and spent seven seasons with the team, making an impact.
Gonsoulin had 43 interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns. He was named to the AFL Pro Bowl five times and to the AFL All-Pro team twice. He is one of the best Broncos to play in the inaugural season of the franchise.
No. 24: Champ Bailey | CB
This should come as no surprise. Bailey was acquired in a trade with Washington that involved a player we'll mention later, then went on to become one of the greatest Broncos ever.
Bailey was drafted by Washington in the first round of the 1999 draft, played with that team for five seasons, and was named to four Pro Bowls. When the Broncos traded for him, Bailey's excellence continued. He had 34 interceptions in 10 seasons, leading the NFL with 10 in 2006, and was named to eight more Pro Bowls, plus three All-Pro first-team honors.
The legendary cornerback went on to be named to the Broncos Ring of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Bailey is certainly the best cornerback to ever play for the Broncos.
No. 25 (Tie): Haven Moses | WR
Once again, we have two players who share this distinction, one on offense and one on defense. The one on offense was a key player on the first Broncos team to reach the Super Bowl.
A first-round pick by the Buffalo Bills in 1968, the Broncos acquired Moses in a midseason trade in 1972. He spent the next nine full seasons with the Broncos and became their top wide receiver.
Moses caught 28 passes for 518 yards with eight touchdowns in his first season with the team, earning a Pro Bowl berth. He would remain with the Broncos through 1981 before retirement, finishing with 302 receptions for 5,450 yards and 44 touchdowns in his years with the team.
No. 25 (Tie): Chris Harris | CB
And the defensive player who gets a nod comes from more recent times — an undrafted player who went on to become a strong candidate for the Broncos Ring of Fame.
Harris started just four games as a rookie but gained the attention of the coaching staff. His role increased in 2012, eventually becoming a starter, and he would be a key part of the Broncos' defense through 2019.
In his nine years with the team, Harris had 20 interceptions, with four returned for touchdowns, and broke up 86 passes. He was part of the Broncos Super Bowl 50 winning team. Harris played three more years after leaving the Broncos, two with the Los Angeles Chargers and one with the New Orleans Saints.
No. 26: Clinton Portis | RB
Darian Stewart, Calvin Jones, Eric Brown, and Bobby Humphrey are among the notable names to have worn this number, but the best Bronco to sport it has ties to a player mentioned earlier.
Portis was Denver's second-round pick in the 2002 NFL draft. He didn't take long to make an impact, rushing for 1,508 yards and 15 touchdowns as a rookie. In his second season with the team, he rushed for 1,591 yards with 14 touchdowns and was named to the Pro Bowl.
But when Portis wanted a new contract, the Broncos traded him to Washington, acquiring Bailey in the process. Though Portis was only with the team for two seasons, he made quite an impact on the franchise.
No. 27: Steve Atwater | S
Here's another selection that should come as no surprise. The Broncos' first-round pick in 1989 made an immediate impact on the team.
Atwater, who was named to eight Pro Bowls and had two first-team All-Pro honors, gained a reputation as one of the hardest-hitting safeties in the NFL. Few will forget him knocking down Christian Okoye, aka 'The Nigerian Nightmare,' with a simple shoulder tackle.
Atwater made his presence in other ways, too, with 24 interceptions in 10 seasons and five forced fumbles. He also had five sacks, and many will remember his strip-sack of Brett Favre in Super Bowl XXXII. Atwater has rightfully taken his place in the Ring of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
No. 28: Kenoy Kennedy | S
While the best player to wear 28 didn't have the storied career like other players we have mentioned, Kennedy was a quality contributor for his five seasons with the team.
A second-round pick in 2000, Kennedy played 13 games as a rookie, then was named a starting safety in 2001. He went on to start 59 games in the next four seasons.
For his time with the Broncos, Kennedy had 10 interceptions, one pick-six, and seven forced fumbles. He went on to play three seasons for the Detroit Lions before his career ended.
No. 29: Bernard Jackson | S
Bradley Roby, a member of the Super Bowl 50 winning team, got consideration, but the nod went to a safety who played for the Broncos when they reached the Super Bowl for the first time.
Jackson started his career with the Cincinnati Bengals, who drafted him in the fourth round in 1972. He spent the next five years in Cincinnati before they traded him to the Broncos in 1977.
Jackson had seven interceptions in his first two seasons with the Broncos, but he missed the 1979 and part of the 1980 season with injuries. He played four games in 1980 and had one interception, but the Broncos released him, and he finished the season with the Chargers.
In our next installment, we'll look at uniform numbers 30 to 39, but in the meantime, be sure to check out our 0 through 9 installment, as well as 10-19.
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