All is not lost for the Denver Broncos — in fact, a turnaround may be just around the corner — but it just might require a little patience.
The Broncos were named to a group of AFC teams labeled “headed for a championship” by The Athletic's Randy Mueller on June 13 after going 8-9 and finishing second in the AFC West in coach Sean Payton's first season in 2023.
Mueller selected six AFC teams that are showing signs of improvement but are just outside the top contenders, led by the two-time Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
“I believe the defense will have made great strides by the end of 2023,” Mueller wrote. “After the kind of turmoil this team has faced over the past two years, sometimes teams are better off minimizing change, so I expect this team to improve a game or two in 2024.”
Payton's first season defined by QB controversy
Payton's first season was marked by a rocky relationship with quarterback Russell Wilson, who the Broncos signed to a five-year, $245 million contract extension just a year before trading a first- and second-round draft pick to the New Orleans Saints for the rights to Payton.
Things got messy, to say the least, and Payton ended up benching Wilson and then waiving him, taking an astronomical $85 million in dead money in 2024 and 2025.
There are currently three Payton-approved quarterbacks on the roster in rookie Bo Nix, Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham, who started the final two games of 2023 in place of Russell Wilson.
“The Broncos were 8-9 in 2023 and felt like they were further from where their head coach wanted them to be than any other team in the league, with a QB Sean Payton clearly didn't want, a defense that allowed 70 points a game and a front-office relationship that was as awkward as an arranged marriage,” Mueller wrote. “…Denver's quarterbacks have all been selected directly by QB whisperers. Rookie Bo Nix could be the Week 1 starter, but Payton has made it clear the position is being contested between Nix, newly acquired Zach Wilson and holdover Jarrett Stidham.”
The Broncos need their receivers and running backs to step up.
It can't all be the quarterback's fault: No Denver running back or wide receiver has had more than 1,000 yards rushing or receiving in a season since 2019.
The Broncos are currently embroiled in a contract dispute with their best wide receiver, Courtland Sutton, that could drag into training camp, and an unproven group of running backs led by Javonte Williams will essentially have to enter the season by committee.
The receiver corps will get help from free agent Josh Reynolds, who was a mainstay with the Detroit Lions in 2023, on a bargain two-year, $9 million contract.
“I'm really happy with the addition of Josh Reynolds for just $9 million over two years,” Mueller wrote. “If (and I know it's a big if) receiver Tim Patrick can overcome his unfortunate injury history, this offense will be better than it was a year ago.”
