We are wrapping up the defense today with the top five safeties in Denver Broncos history. The list is long when it comes to great safety play, so there should be plenty of discussion on this one.
My favorite defensive player of all-time is none other than Steve Atwater. Any time I would pick up street ball in the neighborhood, I would pretend to be Atwater. He was a monster on the field all throughout the 1990s. I picked the best safety from each decade from the 60s to the 90s before going with a Super Bowl 50 champ from the No Fly Zone.
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There are only two players from those early 1960s Broncos teams that I believe deserve Hall of Fame consideration. Lionel Taylor being the obvious and clear Hall of Fame talent who dominated his entire career despite being often double and triple-covered. The other is Goose Gonsoulin who always seemed to be in the right place and the right time any time the ball came his way. The team lost a lot of games every year, so the recognition will never come from outside of Denver.
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Austin “Goose” Gonsoulin
Here’s where our Mile High Report staff landed on the top five for safeties:
Scotty Payne: Steve Atwater is obvious, Justin Simmons was great on some bad teams, Lynch and Dawkins finished their HOF careers with the Broncos and TJ Ward was the enforcer in the middle of the No Fly Zone/SB 50 winning team.
Chris Hart: This list was tough to rank as well. It’s filled with top-tier playmakers from various eras and quite a handful of them before my “time” as a Broncos fan began. The longevity of the players mentioned above as well as their production are just incredible. Most every one, outside of Gousoulin, was a decade long contributor to the Broncos, each leaving an inedible impact in franchise history for their efforts.
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Joe Mahoney: This was really tough, because INTs used to flow to DBs like water in the 60s, 70s and 80s. So you have to go by things like tackles, forced fumbles and post-season awards. All on the list have plenty with the exception of Foley who never made the Pro Bowl (back when it meant something), but he was a key part of the Bronco defense that bridged the Orange Crush and the Elway eras. The rest of the list shouldn’t need much justification. Atwater is in the HoF. Smith and Goose should be. Simmons was the heart of the defense during most of the dark decade after SB50.
Sadaraine: Steve Atwater is the GOAT. Dennis Smith is barely a step back from him. Goose Gonsoulin had 43 interceptions in just 6 years, long before the passing game had evolved to any great level. Steve Foley and Tyrone Braxton were both huge players in Super Bowl eras for the Broncos.
Ross Allen: I have the same names on my list as Scotty does, just with some minor changes in positioning. The best safeties the Broncos have had all come in the more modern era of the league, besides Atwater, who is the hardest hitting defensive back the league has ever seen, sorry Kam Chancellor.
Ian St. Clair: As with cornerbacks, the Broncos have had some of the best safeties in NFL history. Atwater got his due in the HOF, so should Smith. Thompson was part of the Orange Crush and third in Broncos history for interceptions. Foley is the franchise leader in interceptions, and Gonsoulin was the trend setter at the position. Gonsoulin is also second in franchise history for interceptions.
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I noticed a lot of recent-bias and that makes sense. Safety play has been strong throughout team history. How would you rank Broncos safeties all-time? Share in the comments below.
