During the month of July, the Last Word On Sports NFL department will determine which three players deserve to be considered the faces of each franchise. For this series, we will only consider active players. In this edition, the Denver Broncos are the focus.

Faces of the Denver Broncos

Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning’s postseason record may be less than stellar (11-13 overall and 1-2 in Super Bowls), but he is still one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL. He struggled a bit down the stretch in 2014 (largely due to an ailing hip), but make no mistake, he is still one of the better quarterbacks in the league and he is the face of the Broncos and clearly one of the faces of the entire league. Even at less than 100% last season, he threw for 4,727 yards with 39 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, while leading Denver to a 12-4 record and a playoff berth.

Throughout his career Manning is 179-77 in the regular season, while throwing 530 touchdowns and only 234 interceptions, and he has been named MVP five times. Manning had the top-selling jersey in five states last season, which just proves that he is still one of the most popular players in the NFL.

Demaryius Thomas

Demaryius Thomas is in the middle of contract negotiations with the Broncos. In March, Denver placed their $12.82 million franchise tag on the talented wide receiver. The Broncos and Thomas have until 2 P.M. on July 15 to agree to a long-term deal. More than likely the two sides will come to terms on a deal that both the Broncos and Thomas are happy with.

Even if Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson’s contract is an outlier ($16.2 million per season and $48.75 million guaranteed), Thomas does deserve to be compensated as one of the highest paid wide receivers in the NFL. In 2014 the former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket ranked second in both receptions (111) and yards (1,619) and tenth in receiving touchdowns (11). With tight end Julius Thomas now suiting up for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Peyton Manning will be looking for number 88 early and often in 2015.

Von Miller

There are multiple players who could have been named as the third face of the Broncos franchise, including wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and linebacker DeMarcus Ware. But I ultimately believe another linebacker, Von Miller, is deserving of this third spot.

The Broncos selected Miller with the second overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, and in 2014 the former Texas A&M Aggie ranked sixth in sacks after taking down opposing quarterbacks 14 times. Miller accomplished that while coming off an ACL injury in 2013, and the importance of the disruption Miller causes cannot be understated. The NFL is becoming a passing league more and more, and linebackers and defensive ends who can get after quarterbacks are extremely valuable. Number 58 is an enormous part of the Broncos’s defense, which ranked third in 2014, allowing 305.2 yards per game. It’s possible Miller could have an even better 2015 season after his productive 2014 campaign.

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