Even though the Denver Broncos are in a very good position, there are still players on the team who could end up disappointing in 2022.
We’ve been talking about virtually nothing but positive things for the Denver Broncos as the offseason slowly progresses. The six years of irrelevancy have been erased, and the Broncos are set to be a very good team.
However, just because Denver has a strong roster and elite quarterback, doesn’t mean they can’t endure some rough patches.
Specifically, I want to look at a few players who could end up being massive disappointments in 2022.
As I browse through the roster, I think there are several players who could reasonably go either way. It’s an unfortunate thought, but something that every team has to go through.
What’s good about the Denver Broncos is that the most important pieces on their roster seem to be filled with good players who have been good and are somewhat established.
There’s also a group of players who can be very good but could also end up playing rather poorly.
I think this is a valid thing to talk about, as there’s an entirely new coaching staff and new offensive and defensive systems being implemented.
There’s also the chance that young players that Broncos Country might be counting on for 2022 don’t exactly play the way we all think they can play.
With all of this being considered, let’s take a look at three players who could end up being massive disappointments in 2022.
Denver Broncos player that could disappoint no. 3: Randy Gregory
The first player that comes to mind is Randy Gregory, someone who has struggled to stay on the field for his entire career.
Gregory was drafted in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft out of Nebraska.
He’s an exceptional athlete who has shown spurts of being very good.
However, because of injuries and other off-field issues, Gregory has had his 2017 and 2019 seasons totally wiped out.
He’s also never played more than 14 games in a season and has never had a season with more than six sacks.
The Denver Broncos signed him to a five-year, $70 million contract. However, with the way his contract is structured, the Broncos could designate him as a post-June 1 trade as soon as next offseason and save a ton of money against the cap, or wait until the 2024 offseason, where they can outright release him for adequate cap savings.
It is practically a two-year deal, but that doesn’t mean that Gregory can’t disappoint in 2022.
His inconsistencies are worrisome, and his running mate on the other side, Bradley Chubb, has also struggled with inconsistencies of his own. Hopefully, Randy Gregory can stay on the field, but he hasn’t shown that he can consistently do that.
Albert Okwuegbunam is both a breakout candidate and someone who can be a letdown in 2022.
Albert O is going to be an interesting player to study. He was drafted in 2020 out of Missouri and was Drew Lock’s college teammate. He tore his ACL in his rookie season and managed to have a solid bounceback year in 2021.
In the NFL, tight ends usually take a few years to hit their stride. Year three is often a big year for these players, as their viability as a decent option at the position is revealed.
Albert Okwuegbunam has been written in articles and segments as an underrated breakout player, but I think there’s just a good of a chance that he’s a letdown as well.
Russell Wilson hasn’t exactly targeted his tight ends a ton during his time in Seattle, and Albert O was a very raw prospect coming out of college.
Drafted in the fourth round, he struggled and perhaps still struggles as a blocker and a route runner. He’s got exceptional speed and does fit the more modern-day mold of an NFL tight end.
However, the drafting of Greg Dulcich this year could also signal that Denver isn’t exactly sold on Okwuegbunam being the true TE1 for this offense.
I think he’ll end up having a very solid season, probably finishing with somewhere around 400-500 receiving yards and a handful of touchdowns, but there still is a chance that he’s a letdown, especially if Dulcich passes him in the depth chart.
The Denver Broncos’ offensive line is a unit that could end up letting the team down in 2022.
The Denver Broncos offensive line is by all accounts average. It’s a fine unit that won’t usually be the reason the team wins or loses games. I think Teddy Bridgewater holding into the ball for a long time in 2021 is a reason why the line looked worse than it actually was.
They’ve got a bunch of average players and Garett Bolles, who is an above-average left tackle.
George Paton also added a few players to this unit, including Tom Compton, Billy Turner, and Luke Wattenberg. There are a ton of names in this group, and I think there’s a chance that the coaching staff is simply unable to figure out which five mesh the best together.
There are an insane number of combinations that the Denver Broncos could employ along the offensive line.
The only position set in stone is left tackle, and even though Denver’s offensive line may end up being just fine, the uncertainty at this time is unreal.
Just on the three interior pieces, the all of the following players could have a chance to start
- Dalton Risner
- Lloyd Cushenberry
- Graham Glasgow
- Quinn Meinerz
- Netane Muti
- Tom Compton
- Billy Turner
- Luke Wattenberg
Eight players are essentially vying for three positions.
The top three players listed were the starters to begin the 2021 season, so they could be a safe bet to start in 2022, but Glasgow is coming off an injury, Risner’s last two seasons weren’t great, and Cushenberry hasn’t exactly been very good in his first two seasons.
Could the coaching staff defer to more veteran players on the interior like Billy Turner who can play guard and tackle, and Tom Compton, who can do the same?
What about Quinn Meinerz? Will he be able to hold down the right guard spot this offseason? And if he does, what happens with the other interior players who were competing for that spot?
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There are an insane amount of questions regarding the offensive line. It’s far from the worst situation in the NFL, but the amount of movement could end up having a negative impact on the unit as a whole this season.