5 Broncos Who Should Be Inducted Into the Ring of Fame Next

This week, the Denver Broncos announced they will be inducting Demaryius Thomas into the team's Ring of Fame during the Week 7 home game against the New York Giants. Thomas will be the 38th member of the ring and the 33rd player to receive the honor.

Who could be the next player to join Thomas in the franchise's most exclusive club? Here are five likely candidates.

Note: The Denver Broncos require Ring of Fame inductees to have played at least four years with the team, and must be at least five years removed from retirement.

Honorable Mentions

Von Miller, Chris Harris Jr., and even Justin Simmons all deserve consideration for the Ring of Fame eventually, with Miller being a lock to get in, but for now, all three are ineligible for enshrinement.

That said, Harris Jr. will be eligible in just a few seasons and could get in before some of the challengers listed below.

5. Aqib Talib, CB

Aqib Talib is just barely eligible for enshrinement, with his Broncos tenure starting in 2014 and running into 2017, but he still boasts a strong case.

During his time in Denver, Talib was one of the NFL's elite cornerbacks, earning four consecutive Pro Bowl nods and one first-team All-Pro bid. He was also one of the star players and emotional leaders for the No Fly Zone -- one of the most iconic units in franchise history.

Plus, even though his tenure was short, John Lynch has already set the precedent for a player like Talib to be enshrined, and Talib's Broncos career was more prolific.

4. Ryan Clady, T

Similar to Talib, Ryan Clady is a more modern case who benefits from a dominant peak, but had a shorter stint in Denver.

Clady played only seven seasons for the Broncos, appearing in 16 games every year except for 2013, when he played in just two before suffering a season-ending Lisfranc injury. In five of those six healthy seasons, Clady was either an All-Pro, a Pro Bowler, or both.

Along with his two first-team All-Pro nods, Clady's most remarkable career accomplishment might be the fact that he finished third in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting, despite playing tackle. In the 16 years since, an offensive tackle has received votes just three times, and only one other time has a tackle finished inside the top three (Michael Oher, 2009).

Plus, had Clady been injured for any other season but Denver's historic 2013 campaign, he might already have his name immortalized in the stadium.

3. Trevor Pryce, DT

Trevor Pryce is one of the most underrated players in the history of the Denver Broncos franchise, so it would be nice to reward him with some well-deserved recognition by enshrining him in the Ring of Fame.

Pryce's Broncos sack count of 64.0 ranks seventh overall in franchise history, and first among all interior defensive linemen. He nearly doubled Derek Wolfe's career production in Denver, despite playing just 13 more games for the franchise. In terms of accolades, Pryce punched his ticket to four consecutive Pro Bowls, was a two-time All-Pro, and even finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2003.

Ultimately, it seems Pryce is simply the victim of playing in a less storied chapter of Broncos history. Had he produced at this level throughout the 1990s, he likely would already have gotten his moment in the sun.

2. Ed McCaffrey, WR

It's honestly shocking to learn that Ed McCaffrey hasn't been selected for the Denver Broncos' Ring of Fame already, considering he is one of the most iconic stars in the franchise's history and that his prime overlapped with the team's greatest glory years.

McCaffrey ranks fifth on the Broncos' career receiving yards leaderboard and fourth in career receiving touchdowns with the team. Notably, with Demaryius Thomas' induction this year, McCaffrey is now the only one of the franchise's top-seven touchdown catchers to not be part of the Ring of Fame.

Plus, McCaffrey's total production numbers aren't reflective of the player he was, because his career was tragically cut short due to injury. On a per-game basis, McCaffrey's impact was greater than some figures who have already been awarded the honor.

1. Al Wilson, LB

Speaking of outstanding players who suffered tragic endings to their careers, Al Wilson is well overdue for a Ring of Fame ceremony.

Pro Football Reference has a catch-all metric called 'Approximate Value' (AV) used to estimate different players' added value, regardless of the position they play. It's a formula that favors a lengthy tenure, but if you look at how much AV was created on a per-game basis, Wilson ranks directly behind Steve Atwater and Karl Mecklenburg.

Even total AV makes a strong case for Wilson. Since 1985, among defenders who have yet to be included in the Broncos' Ring of Fame, only Von Miller has added more AV than Wilson, and the only reason he hasn't been enshrined yet is because he isn't eligible.

Old school stats love Wilson too. He ranks ninth in solo tackles, fourth in tackles for loss, and the fourth-most interceptions among non-defensive backs.

Like Trevor Pryce, Wilson was an all-time talent who appears to be overlooked because he played in an oft-forgotten chapter of Broncos history.