NFL History: 25 greatest quarterback-tight end duos of all time

The 25th greatest quarterback-tight end duo in NFL history: Craig Morton & Riley Odoms

The Denver Broncos have had a couple of quality quarterback-tight end duos in the history of their franchise. The first pair was Craig Morton and Riley Odoms, who played together from 1977-1982.

Odoms, an immensely talented tight end out of the University of Houston was drafted by Denver fifth overall in the 1972 draft. Taking a tight end that early was rare, it had only ever been done once before when Mike Ditka was drafted fifth overall. That was the highest a tight end had been selected up until this past 2021 Draft when the Atlanta Falcons selected Kyle Pitts fourth.

The Broncos took Odoms that early because they knew he was a gem. In three of his first four years he was selected to the Pro bowl, and he maintained good production with different quarterbacks over the first half of his career.

In 1977, Denver found his other half when they traded for 34-year-old quarterback Craig Morton. Morton, coming off a poor stint with the New York Giants, turned his career around with the help of Odoms. In their first year together, they went 12-2, leading the Broncos to a Super Bowl appearance.

Over the next six years, Morton and Odoms played in 67 games together connecting 195 times for 2755 yards and 20 touchdowns.