The Denver Broncos were expected to be a big reason that the AFC West would be a “Group of Death,” with the possibility that all four teams might vie for seeding in the playoffs. Instead, they were one of a few disappointments in the division, with the star quarterback that they traded for faltering before first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett was let go in favor of interim head coach Jerry Rosburg.

The owners of the Broncos, the Walton-Penner group, still think there’s something there in Russell Wilson, though they also don’t have much choice — the trade depleted them of draft capital. In that spirit, they traded for and signed head coach Sean Payton in order to generate the offensive firepower that the Broncos were expected to have.

Should that work out, we could see the AFC West become the division many expected it to be last year, though it’s likely that the Broncos would still struggle to make themselves division favorites.

Everything You Need To Know Ahead of the Denver Broncos’ 2023 NFL Season

Many teams had drama surrounding their quarterback situation or potential draft haul. The Broncos instead entertained observers with their attempts to acquire the rights to a new head coach from the New Orleans Saints.

Eventually, they and the Saints agreed on compensation for Payton, and with that news came the expectation that the offensive guru would be able to fix what was wrong with Wilson’s game last year.

Given that his performance improved after the Broncos made the change from Hackett to Rosburg, it’s entirely possible that Hackett was a much bigger problem than Wilson.

That kind of expectation might be why the Broncos don’t look all that different from a personnel perspective compared to last year.

• Players Signed/Claimed
  • QB Jarrett Stidham
  • QB Ben DiNucci
  • WR Marquez Callaway
  • WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey
  • RB Samaje Perine
  • RB Tony Jones
  • FB Michael Burton
  • TE Chris Manhertz
  • TE Tommy Hudson
  • OT Mike McGlinchey
  • OT Cam Fleming
  • OT Isaiah Prince
  • G Ben Powers
  • C Kyle Fuller
  • DT Zach Allen
  • DT Jordan Jackson
  • DT Tyler Lancaster
  • DT Haggai Ndubuisi
  • EDGE Frank Clark
  • CB Tremon Smith
  • P Riley Dixon
  • K Elliott Fry
• Players Traded For
  • TE Adam Trautman
• Players Drafted
  • WR Marvin Mims
  • LB Drew Sanders
  • CB Riley Moss
  • S JL Skinner
  • C Alex Forsyth

• Players Lost
  • QB Brett Rypien
  • WR Victor Bolden
  • WR Freddie Swain
  • RB Latavius Murray
  • RB Chase Edmonds
  • RB Mike Boone
  • RB Marlon Mack
  • RB Damarea Crockett
  • TE Andrew Beck
  • TE Eric Tomlinson
  • TE Eric Saubert
  • OT Casey Tucker
  • OT Calvin Anderson
  • OT Billy Turner
  • OT Tom Compton
  • OT Hunter Thedford
  • G Graham Glasgow
  • G Dalton Risner
  • EDGE Wyatt Ray
  • EDGE Jake Martin
  • DT Dre’Mont Jones
  • DT Jonathan Kongbo
  • DT Deshawn Williams
  • CB Ronald Darby
  • CB Lamar Jackson
  • CB Darius Phillips
  • K Brandon McManus
  • P Corliss Waitman
  • LS Jacob Bobenmoyer

Overall, the change at the top of the organization didn’t result in that much roster turnover compared to other teams. Some mainstays, like kicker Brandon McManus, were let go while Dre’Mont Jones was allowed to walk in free agency, but the core of the team remains the same, absent Bradley Chubb, who was traded midseason to the Miami Dolphins.

The offensive line could have used Dalton Risner, but adding Ben Powers to replace him and signing Mike McGlinchey can keep a relatively solid unit performing at a high level. In addition, the Broncos replaced Jones and Chubb on the defensive line with Frank Clark and Zach Allen, meaning they shouldn’t expect an extraordinary drop-off there as they switch systems on both sides of the ball.

The core of the Broncos remains the same, which means it’s on Wilson and Payton to turn things around offensively to make sure they can transform this franchise into a contender. On defense, they aren’t hanging their hats completely on Pat Surtain II, though he’ll be the primary reason they succeed if they do end up succeeding.

Denver Broncos Coaching Staff 2023

• Head Coach: Sean Payton
  • Assistant Head Coach: Mike Westhoff
  • Assistant to the Head Coach: Paul Kelly
• Offensive Coordinator: Joe Lombardi
  • Pass Game Coordinator: John Morton
  • Quarterbacks: Davis Webb
  • Wide Receivers: Keary Colbert
  • Tight Ends: Declan Doyle
  • Running Backs: Lou Ayeni
  • Offensive Line: Zach Strief
  • Assistant Offensive Line: Austin King
  • Offensive Quality Control: Zack Grossi
  • Offensive Quality Control: Logan Kilgore
  • Offensive Quality Control: Favian Upshaw
• Defensive Coordinator: Vance Joseph
  • Senior Defensive Assistant: Joe Vitt
  • Defensive Line: Marcus Dixon
  • Inside Linebackers: Greg Manusky
  • Outside Linebackers: Michael Wilhoite
  • Pass Rush: Jamar Cain
  • Defensive Backs: Christian Parker
  • Defensive Quality Control: Addison Lynch
  • Defensive Quality Control: Isaac Shewmaker
• Special Teams: Ben Kotwica
  • Assistant Special Teams: Chris Banjo
• Strength and Conditioning: Dan Dalrymple
  • Assistant Strength and Conditioning: Korey Jones
  • Assistant Strength and Conditioning: Shaun Snee

The Broncos went through a coaching overhaul, which is not unusual for any team who let go of their head coach. Instead of going through every change made on the coaching staff, it might be more revealing to discuss which coaches Payton decided to retain: defensive line coach Marcus Dixon, defensive backs coach Christian Parker, assistant strength coach Korey Jones, and offensive quality control coach Zack Grossi.

It is entirely possible that those coaches impressed enough people in the building or in the re-interview process enough that they could be coaches to watch going forward. Other than that, there are two clear themes that have emerged: former players who have worked with Payton and veteran coaches who are legends in their field, like Mike Westhoff (given the title of assistant head coach but is also listed as a special teams coach) and Greg Manusky.

There also are fewer positional assistants and no special projects coaches, like there were with Hackett. Instead, there are more senior assistants and quality control coaches, who often have informal duties as assistant position coaches.

Payton has also surrounded himself with familiar names, like Joe Vitt, John Morton, and Joe Lombardi, who have all worked with him as coaches in the past. It’s an interesting mix of coaches — outside experts, familiar faces, players he’s coached, players he’s been recommended, and a few legacies from previous years.

Predicting the Denver Broncos Depth Chart

• QB: Russell Wilson, Jarrett Stidham, Jarrett Guarantano
• WR: Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims Jr., Tim Patrick, KJ Hamler, Marquez Callaway
• RB: Javonte Williams, Samaje Perine, Tyler Badie
• FB: Michael Burton
• TE: Greg Dulcich, Adam Trautman, Albert Okwuegbunam
• LT: Garett Bolles, Cam Fleming
• LG: Ben Powers, Alex Forsyth
• C: Lloyd Cushenberry III, Kyle Fuller
• RG: Quinn Meinerz, Luke Wattenberg
• RT: Mike McGlinchey, Isaiah Prince
• EDGE: Randy Gregory, Baron Browning
• DT: Zach Allen, Jonathan Harris, PJ Mustipher, Eyioma Uwazurike, Tyler Lancaster
• NT: Mike Purcell, D.J. Jones
• EDGE: Frank Clark, Nik Bonitto
• LB: Josey Jewell, Justin Strnad
• LB: Drew Sanders, Alex Singleton
• RCB: Riley Moss, Damarri Mathis
• LCB: Pat Surtain II, Delonte Hood
• NCB: K’Waun Williams, Essang Bassey
• SS: Kareem Jackson, JL Skinner, Caden Sterns
• FS: Justin Simmons, P.J. Locke

2022 Results and Standings

The Broncos finished last in the AFC West, putting together only five wins to 12 losses. Under Rosburg, they went 1-1, with their loss coming in a close game against the Kansas City Chiefs — a 27-24 contest where Wilson nearly led a last-minute comeback against Patrick Mahomes’ squad.

That’s not a large enough sample size to argue that Rosburg genuinely turned the team around, but Wilson’s late-season improvement does point to a potential return to Pro Bowl form for 2023.

They ranked 32nd in points scored and 27th in expected points generated per play. Defensively, they ranked 14th in points allowed and ninth in expected points given up per play.

In the final four weeks of the season, they ranked 21st in EPA per play on offense and 29th in EPA per play on defense — perhaps because they traded Chubb. The late-season results weren’t universally positive, but there might be something there to salvage.

They did benefit from San Francisco’s rough start with an 11-10 win over them in Week 3, but their best win likely came in Week 18 — a 31-28 nail-biter, rescued in part by a fourth-quarter substitution of Chase Daniel for Justin Herbert.

Maybe the best argument for the revival of the Broncos is the fact that they tied the Giants and Raiders for most close games in 2022. Unlike the Giants, they had a losing record in those games. That could turn around next year.

2023 Power Rankings and Season Outlook

The Broncos rank 24th in Pro Football Network’s Power Rankings for the 2023 season. There’s some uncertainty baked into that ranking, with the understanding that Payton is a gifted coach but with some reservations about the idea that Wilson is a lock to improve substantially under the new regime.

On top of that, there are concerns that the defense may not hold up without defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero at the helm.

It’s safe to write off a team with a schedule as difficult as Denver’s, especially because defensive-forward teams are difficult to sustain from year to year, especially when they lose their coordinator. Surtain will do quite a bit to make sure it’s competitive, but it’s always a bit of a gamble.

The offense is stocked to the brim with receiver talent — enough so that many speculated that they would trade one of their talented young receivers away for draft compensation.

Instead, they added to that receiver room with a second-round pick. At the same time, they don’t have an elite receiver, so it’s tough to believe that they have someone who can truly carry the offense.

The Broncos really need the Payton/Wilson relationship to work out if they’re going to have a respectable offense simply because they don’t have elite talent elsewhere to pull the offense along. With that in mind, it’s difficult to push one’s chips into the Broncos for the 2023 season. But the potential is there.