The Denver Broncos Sean Peyton era unofficially starts now, not last year.  With Russell Wilson leaving to go to the Pittsburgh Steelers after a tumultuous time in Denver and with his salary still being paid by the Broncos’ brass.  It’s now Sean Payton’s way or the highway.  The question for this team is if the highway might be better than whatever this group might do in 2024.  The highway generally starts with smooth driving. On May 10th, Bo Nix was the first quarterback of the six drafted in the first round to sign a four-year contract with a fifth-year option. The possibilities with him are undoubtedly exciting as the organization shifts its focus to something fresh and new at the most crucial position in football. Defensively, letting go of Justin Simmons exposes some holes, as there are a lot of new faces in the secondary if this group can get consistent. This team could be a fun Lamborghini versus an old car with broken tires. Even if their National TV schedule is quite slim, drama could ensue quickly as the rookie QB struggles to find his footing and that could be must-see TV in 2024

This team has changed a lot from last year. Patrick Surtain is now the true veteran in the defensive locker room, and offensively, the veteran is OT Garrett Bolles. The rookie out of Oregon, Bo Nix, is in a great position to succeed under Sean Payton, the quarterback whisperer. Payton finally got his guy, now can you trust the Oregon man to produce? The pressure will also be heavily on Payton, whereas the Russell Wilson era was as much on him as it was on Wilson. The sideline anger was palpable throughout Russell Wilson’s time in the Mile-High City as Wilson chose to improvise rather stick to the system. It began with a historic 70-to-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins and while that was the low point, it didn’t get any prettier as the season dragged on. With four losses in their last six contests, after a 26-to-23 defeat to the New England Patriots in Week 16, Denver decided to pull the plug on the Russell Wilson experience with alleged concern over an injury clause in his contract. It became abundantly clear that no one knew what was happening inside the building or on the field. The new ownership that has only been with the team for a few years will not accept this as a long-term solution. The Denver Broncos are supposed to be the capstone of success, especially historically in this division. That success must be renewed if this ownership group has confidence in Sean Payton moving forward. It’s hard to imagine anything worse than Russell Wilson being a Bronco in Denver, but Sean Payton being on a short leash this season could make it even worse.

Writer’s Season Win Prediction: 6-11

The apparent strength of this team is the offensive line. The aforementioned Garrett Bolles finds himself next to a group of veterans, including Mike McGlinchey and Quinn Meinerz. That’s not bad for a young quarterback if you ask me. Even with the loss of Lloyd Cushenberry to the Tennessee Titans, this offensive success might just rest on this offensive line being consistent and giving the young quarterback time in the pocket.  Wilson took over 100 sacks in the last two seasons and that couldn’t have sat well with the coaching staff of the protection unit.  Bo Nix will ultimately need to establish trust with this group in order to gel as a unit.

This team will have the benefit of experienced coaches, as Sean Payton values guys with years of understanding of NFL schemes and playbooks. Defensively, Vance Joseph leads this group with 19 years of experience.  Even though his first time with Denver as head coach from 2017-2018 was not very fruitful, and last year’s loss early in the season to the Miami Dolphins drew some criticism, rightfully so. Payton certainly trusts his experience.. Offensively, Joe Lombardi has been a stalworth and consistent presence in this league for a long time. His first season will be an interesting one, though, as the Chargers offense that he held last year struggled. Lombardi and Nix will definitely have to be on the same page early in the season if it will breed any success. On the less experienced part of this staff is Davis Webb, who’s going into a second season as quarterbacks coach, but his time on the field is nothing to slouch at.  His career, most notably with the Giants, will provide viable on-field understanding for Nix to break out in his rookie year.

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