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Wes Welker breaks Rod Smith's record, becoming first undrafted NFL player to catch 850 passes

Justin Edmonds

The Denver Broncos' legacy as a team proud of its undrafted free agents in the NFL was bolstered Sunday as another one of its players broke an undrafted NFL record.

Wide receiver Wes Welker caught his 850th career pass against the Arizona Cardinals, surpassing Broncso Ring of Famer Rod Smith as the undrafted receiver with the most receptions in NFL history who held the record for more than five years with 849.

Welker's catch came on 3rd down as time expired in the second half.

Asked about potentially breaking the record earlier this week (Welker was at 847 career catches heading into the game), Welker paid tribute to Smith.

"Just really being in the same sentence as Rod Smith is something that I never dreamed of," Welker said. "So I'm definitely honored just to be mentioned in the same breath as him."

The Broncos entered halftime up 21-13 against the Cardinals.