In the twenty first of Thin Air’s series on considerations for the Broncos Ring of Fame is Greg Kragen (1985-1993).
Loading ...Bob piggybacks after the previous listing of Rubin Carter as underrated by following up with his successor at nose tackle:
Remember our Rubin Carter discussion? As great as Carter was during his time with the Broncos, somebody came along and claimed the starting job from Carter as his career was winding down. That would be none other than Kragen, who did pretty well for himself, too.
Like Carter, Kragen didn’t put up eye-popping numbers, because his role was like Carter’s: Stop the run and draw attention from offensive linemen so other guys could get to the quarterback. Kragen, though, wasn’t bad at getting to the QB, with 22.5 sacks in his nine seasons with the Broncos and a Pro Bowl berth in 1989.
What is also notable about Kragen is that he contributed while serving under both Joe Collier and Wade Phillips at defensive coordinator. That serves to prove that Kragen had some versatility as an enduring quality.