Denver’s to-do list would be longer without Ware

Von Miller doesn’t have enough time to spell out all the things DeMarcus Ware has done for him. “I could sit here all day and write a book about the moments that DeMarcus has impacted my life,” said the MVP of Super Bowl 50.

When Ware arrived in Denver in 2014 as one of the key pickups of John Elway’s defensive shopping spree, he became the backbone of the Broncos’ defense and the mentor Miller needed.

Miller was only two months removed from knee surgery and five months removed from a drug-policy suspension. The Broncos’ star in the making had gone off course and the signing of Ware, Elway told me in August, was in part to help Miller. The plan worked. “I’ve been in the league six years and three of those years have been with DeMarcus,” Miller said. “If you look at my years with DeMarcus and you look at the type of player that I was and the type of person that I am now during DeMarcus’ tenure is entirely different. If you know about Denver and the Denver Broncos, you would know exactly the type of impact that he’s had in my life and in my career.”

It’s possible that Ware took his final snap for the Broncos at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium on Christmas night as their playoff hopes vanished. It’s possible that he also took the final snap of his 12-year career.

Ware had surgery Friday to repair a ruptured disc in his back. It’s the latest on a long list of significant injuries for the 34year-old. He missed five games last season because of the injury, then dealt with a bacterial infection in his back during training camp, then missed five more games this season because of a fractured forearm.

When this season officially ends, so, too, will his three-year contract with the Broncos.

Ware has said on Twitter that “fuel is still in the tank,” repeating what he said after Super Bowl 50 when he was asked then about his future. And those who know him best believe he wants to return for season No. 13.

“I think he does,” said Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. “He’s still physically a presence. All that you have to do is look at him, so hopefully he can come back from that.”

Ware’s success and longevity (a Hall of Fame career, if you ask Phillips), his teachings (Miller and Shane Ray will tell you), his voice and earned respect made him the leader of the Broncos. And it’s a role he embraced.

“He’s amazing. He really is,” coach Gary Kubiak said of Ware. “Everybody looks up to him and, of course, his career speaks for itself. He’s such a class act for kids to see every day. I know Von has reached an MVP level and has made a lot of Pro Bowls, but Von still watches DeMarcus handle himself every day. That’s just the utmost respect for (No.) 94 and what he means to the football team and people around him.”

But if Ware doesn’t return to Denver — as a salary cap or personnel decision, or both — one thing is certain: The Broncos will have lost an irreplaceable leader only a year after losing their biggest leader, Peyton Manning.

For a team coming off a trying season with a pair of young quarterbacks and imbalance between its offense and defense, that stable locker-room presence and leader by example is vital.

Ware made Elway’s hope a reality. But if Ware’s time in Denver has officially ended, the Broncos will be searching for more than a revamped offensive line and offensive consistency during the offseason.

They will be on the hunt for their next leader.