The best first seasons in Broncos history: No 4 – Alfred Williams

Jul 15, 2022, 1:51 PM

Senior Broncos Writer

EDITOR’S NOTE: With Russell Wilson joining the Broncos, Andrew Mason takes a look back at the best individual first seasons in Broncos history.

In 1996, most NFL teams were still figuring out the nuances of the free-agency and salary-cap reality. It was the fourth offseason of the new era that began in 1993. Denver’s returns in those three seasons were decidedly mixed; from 1993-95, the Broncos were precisely .500 in regular-season play.

This middling form came despite being one of the league’s most active teams on the open market in the early years of free agency.

A year earlier, Mike Shanahan signed 15 unrestricted free agents in his first offseason running Denver’s football operations. Just three of them would still be on the team when it won Super Bowl XXXII on Jan. 25, 1998.

In total, the Broncos signed 25 unrestricted free agents between 1993 and 1995. The pace didn’t slow down much in 1996; that year, Shanahan signed seven free agents.

But free agency was not unlike the draft in that you only need one or two big hits to make the endeavor worthwhile. And when the Broncos took the field for their first Super Bowl win — a 31-24 triumph over Green Bay — they did so with a starting 22 that included 11 free-agent pickups.

From the 1993 class came guard Brian Habib. The 1994 crop yielded cornerback Ray Crockett. Shanahan’s 1995 class produced guard Mark Schlereth, wide receiver Ed McCaffrey and street free-agent pickup Maa Tanuvasa.

The 1996 class focused on defense. And the signature pieces were ex-San Francisco and Philadelphia linebacker Bill Romanowski and former Bengals and 49ers defensive end Alfred Williams.

Denver needed a primary pass rusher in the wake of Simon Fletcher’s retirement. The Broncos had two options at the time: Williams, a former CU standout, and 11-year veteran Leslie O’Neal.

Historically, O’Neal was far more productive. In 10 previous seasons — all with the Chargers — he had seven years with double-digit sacks, including at least 12 in every season from 1992-95. O’Neal averaged 13.5 sacks per 16 games. He was also a six-time Pro Bowler who still appeared to have plenty of juice left in the tank.

Williams, meanwhile, had just 4.5 sacks in a rotational role the previous year with San Francisco. He had just one double-digit sack season in his career to that point, and a career rate of 6 sacks per 16 games.

But Williams was 27 years of age at the time; O’Neal 31. And he desperately desired to be a Bronco. When he signed, Williams already had a home in the Denver suburb of Louisville.

“I wanted to be here,” he said upon signing. “That’s what it boiled down to. I’m thrilled to be here now. It’s been a long time the making.”

“Alfred hasn’t done it,” Shanahan told reporters at the time the Broncos signed Williams. “But I think he has a big future in front of him. We’ll see if we were right.”

It didn’t take long for the Broncos to be proven correct. By midseason, he ranked second in the AFC in sacks. At one point in 1996, Williams had at least a half-sack in eight consecutive games.

By the end of the year, Williams had become the only first-year Bronco to that point in the team’s history to be a Pro Bowler and a first-team All-Pro in his first season with the club. Only three have done it since.

Williams didn’t match his prodigious 1996 form in subsequent years. Injuries eventually caught up with him. But he remained a vital part of coordinator Greg Robinson’s defense. The big plays of that unit proved to be an ideal complement to the multi-faceted, pick-your-poison offensive attack guided by Shanahan and offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak.

“I’m here to stay,” Williams said when he joined the Broncos. I’ll retire here, and my kids will grow up here.”

He was right, and Williams has been a part of the Denver-area sports scene ever since.

As for O’Neal? He ended up playing four more seasons, just as Williams did before retiring. He logged a respectable 27 sacks in those years, spent with the St. Louis Rams and Kansas City Chiefs.

But he never hit the heights that Williams reached in that splendid 1996 season. Furthermore, in Broncos history, few players ever dazzled in their first year as he did.

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THE BEST FIRST SEASONS IN BRONCOS HISTORY: