Pro Football Hall of Fame voters have trimmed a list of 162 senior nominees for the 2026 class down to 52 candidates this week, and they eliminated all seven former Denver Broncos players during that process.
Broncos wide receiver Lionel Taylor, receiver/returner Rick Upchurch, linebacker/lineman Karl Mecklenburg, defensive back Goose Gonsoulin, safety Dennis Smith, cornerback Louis Wright and defensive lineman Neil Smith were previously nominated in the senior category, but they have not advanced in the voting process.
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Taylor, Upchurch, Mecklenburg, Gonsoulin, Smith and Wright are in the team’s Ring of Fame, and Smith won back-to-back Super Bowls with the club in the late 1990s. Denver great Randy Gradishar reached Canton as a senior candidate as part of the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
The Broncos still have 12 candidates in the modern-era category, but that list will be trimmed soon. Here’s a look at the team’s remaining (modern-era) candidates for the Hall of Fame.
Broncos Hall of Fame candidates
Former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, who won two Super Bowls in Denver, should be a strong candidate in the coach category, which is yet to be announced.
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The full 2026 Hall of Fame class will be announced before the Super Bowl in February.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Denver Broncos: Remaining candidates for Pro Football Hall of Fame