Former Broncos safety and special teams ace David Bruton has retired from the NFL.
Bruton, 30, was drafted by the Broncos in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL draft. He was a rotational safety on the field and a community leader off the field.
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After winning Super Bowl 50 with the Broncos in 2015, Bruton signed with the Redskins last offseason, hoping to receive more playing time on defense. Bruton started Washington’s first four games of the season but was released after suffering the sixth concussion of his career.
Bruton has been studying at the University of Colorado-Denver and plans to attend a physical therapy school down the road.
“At the end of the day, it came down to health and being able to still get up and play with the kiddos or take the dog on the run or go do hobbies,” Bruton said. “I just lost passion to continue playing. I felt like it was the best route for me to hang it up and pursue a different route.”
Career highlights for Bruton include when he played through a broken leg against the Steelers in 2015 and when he called his own number for a fake punt on 4th-and-7 from Denver’s own 36 in 2014. He got a first down.
Those two plays appropriately sum up Bruton’s career. He was a tough safety that stepped up on defense when the Broncos needed him and starred on special teams during his first seven years in the NFL.
Bruton retires with 190 career tackles, five forced fumbles, three interceptions and two sacks. He recorded 28 tackles and one sack in the final four games of his career.
