10 Underrated Denver Broncos Forgotten over the Past 10 Years

There have been a lot of star players that have played for the Denver Broncos over the past 10 years.

Names such as Clinton Portis, John Lynch, Champ Bailey and Al Wilson were known names on the national radar. Guys such as Tom Nalen and Rod Smith were also big names and are some of the most popular Broncos of all time.

There have also been players who've logged short stints with the Broncos but were somewhat household names at the time they spent in Denver. Javon Walker in 2006. Brian Dawkins at the present moment.

However, there have been players that have played in the orange and blue and fit into neither of these categories. These players were never on the national radar, will never be mistaken as being in the same local legend category as a Nalen or a Rod Smith, and never even had the short-term glory that a Javon Walker had.

These guys were starters for periods of time, and just about all of these guys will ring a bell in your head once you hear their names. They're pretty recognizable names by any Broncos fan, but you probably haven't thought of these guys in a while. Still, these are guys who made things happen. Directly contributed to victories that otherwise would have been losses. Just plain made a big impact under the radar.

Here are 10 underrated Broncos forgotten over the past 10 years.

TE Jeb Putzier

Ah, Jeb Putzier. Putzier was a sixth-round draft choice of the Broncos in 2002 out of Boise State. He made very little impact in his first two years with Denver, playing in seven games and starting in one of them to record a total of four receptions for 34 yards.

It wasn't until 2004 that Putzier made an impact for the Broncos. Jeb was involved in a three tight end race for the starting job in the preseason alongside OJ Santiago and Byron Chamberlain. Putzier was expected to be the third string tight end behind Santiago, who had started on Atlanta's Super Bowl 33 team, and behind Chamberlain, who had been a part of Denver's two Super Bowl championship teams of the 90's.

Instead, to the surprise of many Bronco fans, Putzier became Denver's starting tight end in 2004.

He contributed to the best season of Jake Plummer's career by posting 36 receptions for 572 yards and two touchdowns.

In 2005, he was a coveted free agent because he was seen as a breakout tight end. The Jets gave him an offer sheet worth $12.5 million, which the Broncos matched. Putzier would go on to play one more season, before being released in 2006.

He would be brought back late in the 2008 season by Mike Shanahan for a couple of games, before going on to play for the Omaha Nighthawks of the UFL.

CB Lenny Walls

Lenny Walls was a cornerback that was mainly known for one thing: his physical stature.

At 6-4, Walls was the tallest cornerback in the NFL. He was taller than the majority of receivers that he covered, which is a rarity in football.

Walls played for the Broncos from 2002-2005. In 2002, he was mainly a special teams contributor, before becoming a starting cornerback in 2003 due to Shanahan moving incumbent starter Deltha O'Neal to wide receiver.

With the acquistion of Champ Bailey in 2004, Walls was moved to nickel and dime packages, where he would continue to play in until suffering a season-ending injury in 2005 that would end his Broncos career.

Walls was a solid corner. His biggest weakness was the lack of playmaking ability that he had. He had one interception in his six-year NFL career.

CB Kelly Herndon

I had just mentioned Walls, so it's only proper that I mention the cornerback that started alongside him in 2003. That would be Kelly Herndon.

Herndon was another solid corner during Denver's playoff run of the mid-00's. He made his debut for the Broncos in 2002 as a special teams performer. After the departure of Denard Walker and the conversion of Deltha O'Neal from CB to WR, it opened up a competition for the two cornerback spots in 2003.

Herndon was a part of a rebuilding of the defense by Larry Coyer. After two mediocre seasons with Ray Rhodes as the defensive coordinator that saw the Broncos rank 15th and 21st in defense, the Broncos turned the corner with Coyer.

The Broncos ranked 9th in points allowed in both 2003 and 2004.

The defense really didn't have any big names outside of Al Wilson and Champ Bailey, but no-names such as Herndon and Walls contributed to Denver's solid defensive effort in their Wild Card Playoff runs.

G Ben Hamilton

This is the most recognizable name on the list.

Hamilton played for the Broncos from 2001-2009 before leaving as a free agent to play for the Seahawks. As part of a line that featured the likes of Matt Lepsis, Tom Nalen and Dan Neil, Hamilton was often overshadowed.

He was a part of an offensive line that ranked second in rushing yards and fourth in sacks allowed from 2002-2007.

Hamilton may have never been the All-Pro that Tom Nalen was. He may have never started or played for a Super Bowl team in Denver as Lepsis and Neil did, but he was always the most consistent lineman not named Tom Nalen that Denver had during his tenure with the Broncos.

LB Ian Gold

Gold was a solid weakside linebacker who played for Denver from 2000-2003, before returning to play from 2005-2007.

Gold was originally a safety before becoming a LB at Michigan. Gold was an extremely undersized LB at 6-0 and 223 pounds, but he had an affinity for being around the ball.

In 2002, he was one of Denver's leading tackles with 100 tackles on the season. He made the Pro Bowl in 2001 as a special teamer, before becoming Denver's starting weakside linebacker in 2002 and 2003.

Gold was always overshadowed by the leader of the defense in Al Wilson, and was overshadowed by the man who won Denver their first Super Bowl in John Mobley. During his time in Denver, he was easily one of the most underrated linebackers in the game.

RB Reuben Droughns

Seemingly every running back that ran behind Denver's offensive line during the Shanahan era ran for over 1,000 yards.

Whether it was Terrell Davis, Clinton Portis, Mike Anderson, Olandis Gary or.....Reuben Droughns.

Droughns may have been the biggest surprise of any Denver 1,000 yard rusher just because he had always been a fullback since his arrival in the NFL.

He had been a fullback for the Broncos since 2002, before Quentin Griffin's subpar play paved the way for Droughns to become Denver's starting running back. He went on to rush for 1,240 yards in 2004, helping lead Denver to a postseason berth.

What I liked about Droughns that is almost an absolute neccessity in every back that lacks speed, is that he was a downhill runner. He would always run over guys and fall forward. This is something that a guy like Knowshon Moreno lacks, because he's always hesitant to hit the hole. Moreno rarely falls forward for those extra couple of yards.

Droughns was a guy that always ran hard, and it was no surprise when he became Cleveland's first 1,000 yard rusher in 20 years when he was traded to the Browns in 2005.

RB Mike Bell

Speaking of forgotten running backs, remember Mike Bell?

A running back out of the University of Arizona who went unexpectedly undrafted after having a successful collegiate career, Denver signed him as an undrafted free agent where he became the second back in Denver's two-back "Bell Committee".

Alongside Tatum Bell, Mike Bell led the team in rushing touchdowns in 2006 with eight as he not only split carries with Tatum, but became Denver's go-to back in goal-line/short yardage situations. He also had 677 yards rushing for a 4.3 average.

Bell would go on to play one more year for Denver, where he would be phased out in favor of Travis Henry and Selvin Young.

SS Kenoy Kennedy

Kennedy was Denver's second-round draft choice in 2000. After a period of time where the Broncos went through players such as Izzell Reese and Billy Jenkins at safety, Kennedy would eventually become a starting safety in 2002.

Kenoy was Denver's starting SS for three seasons before departing as a free agent in 2005. What he's most famous for however, is the hit that he put on Chris Chambers on Sunday night football, which led to the ban of a player leading with his helmet.

Due to his hit on Chambers, Kenoy's career would be defined by his hard-hitting style of play. In 2004 alongside FS John Lynch, Kennedy and Lynch formed the league's hardest hitting duo at the safety position.

TE Dwayne Carswell

Affectionately referred to as "House" for his large stature at tight end, Carswell was one of the most beloved Broncos during his 12 seasons that spanned from 1994-2005.

Carswell weighed 290 pounds and was never much of a receiving threat, although he did garner a Pro Bowl selection in 2001.

Carswell was a special teams captain, started at tight end after Shannon Sharpe left for Baltimore, and in his final season that was cut short due to an automobile accident, converted to tackle so he could make the roster.

Carswell will never be inducted into the Broncos' Ring of Fame, he'll never have his jersey retired and he'll never be considered one of the best tight ends to ever play the game.

However, for those that followed the Broncos during Carswell's career, it's hard to dismiss his contributions to the team during the Shanahan era.

LB Keith Burns

Similar to Carswell, Burns' contributions to the Broncos in 11 seasons spent with the team cannot be measured by statistics.

Burns was Denver's best special teams player during his tenure here and was the special teams captain for many years. To demonstrate just how much of a special teams player he really was, in his 11 years with Denver, he started a total of three games at the LB position.

Burns contributed a forced fumble in the 1998 AFC Championship game that led to Denver's comeback in the second half versus the New York Jets, a game in which the offense struggled in the entire first half.

He now serves as an assistant coach for special teams for the Denver Broncos.