4. Bill Romanowski (LB), 1996
Bill Romanowski may have been a divisive player, but you couldn’t argue about his impact on the Broncos’ defense. The Broncos were trying to outscore every opponent in the mid-90’s on the arm of John Elway, when “Romo” came to town.
Romanowski had spent time in San Francisco and Philadelphia, but in Denver he really made his mark. Some thought he was dirty…and sometimes he was, but he constantly made big plays at key times.
Romanowski brought the Denver defense a grit that had been lacking since the 1970’s. During his time in Denver, he had 339 tackles, 11 interceptions and 23 sacks. He was an integral part of the 1997-1998 Super Bowl teams. His big hit on Atlanta Falcons quarterback Chris Chandler, on the opening drive of Super Bowl XXXIII, set the tone for what would be a Broncos’ blow out.
