,ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — As the Pro Football Hall of Fame revealed its list of 129 Modern-Era nominees for the Class of 2023, 11 former Broncos made the first cut.
Three Broncos Ring of Famers — Rod Smith, Tom Nalen and Jason Elam — are joined by Wes Welker, Mark Schlereth, Neil Smith, DeMarcus Ware, Al Wilson and Dre’ Bly, Simeon Rice and Seth Joyner.
A three-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion, Rod Smith is Denver’s all-time leading receiver with 849 career receptions for 11,389 yards and 68 touchdowns. Nalen, a five-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All Pro at center, started 194 career games from 1994 to 2007, which is second only to John Elway. Elam is the franchise’s all-time leading scorer and a three-time Pro Bowler.
Two of their teammates from the back-to-back championship teams are also on the list in Schlereth and Neil Smith. Including his six seasons in Washington, Schlereth was a two-time Pro Bowler and won three Super Bowls. Neil Smith, who spent nine seasons in Kansas City before joining the Broncos for three years, is a member of the Hall of Fame’s All-1990s Team and made six Pro Bowls.
A Super Bowl 50 champion, Ware was a finalist for the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022 as a first-year candidate. He ranks ninth on the all-time sack leaderboard since the stat officially started being tracked in 1982.
Wilson played for the Broncos for eight seasons and earned five Pro Bowl selections and one first-team All-Pro nod.
Bly, Welker and Joyner and Rice were each with the Broncos for two seasons or less, arriving in Denver after more prolific stints elsewhere. Bly won a Super Bowl with the Rams and made two Pro Bowls as a member of the Lions before starting all 32 games for the Broncos from 2007-08. Welker was a five-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro for the Patriots. Rice was a three-time Pro Bowler, one-time first-team All-Pro and a Super Bowl champion during the 10 seasons he spent in Arizona and Tampa before coming to Denver….
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