The Denver Broncos went from one of the least desirable teams in the NFL to one of the most desirable. Their 2022 offseason, highlighted by trading for Russell Wilson, could go down as one of the best offseasons in NFL history. Now that it’s mostly over, the team will embark on their first season in a new era.
In the new era comes new owners, a GM who has been on the job for just two years, a new coaching staff, and a shiny, new quarterback.
While some may temper expectations for the team in 2022 because of how much change they underwent, I believe that there are several reasons why the Broncos can indeed win the division in 2022.
Five reasons why Denver Broncos can win the AFC West in 2022
1. They’ve got the most successful quarterback in the AFC
Russell Wilson has the most substantive and successful career of any quarterback in the AFC. Sure, he’s played longer than most, but his sustained success and leadership will carry over to the team in many ways.
Wilson has been in the league for 10 seasons. This is his 11th, and he’s won at least 10 games in the regular season a whopping eight times. He’s also won 9 playoff games and a Super Bowl. The insane amount of success he’s had in 10 careers is already a Hall of Fame resume.
The experience that Wilson will bring to the offense and the locker room overall will be incredibly valuable. He’s been caught in tight divisional races, and he’s also led teams to division titles that weren’t particularly close.
He’s also outright missed the playoffs; he’s got bounced out of every round in the playoffs, has suffered insane heartbreak, and has enjoyed insane success.
All of this will help guide the Denver Broncos and Russell Wilson to the AFC West crown in 2022.
Five reasons why Denver Broncos can win the AFC West in 2022
2. Broncos have the easiest schedule in the AFC West
The Broncos actually got a very good schedule for 2022.
The biggest advantage, I think, is the fact that is the easiest in the division.
The Kansas City Chiefs have the hardest schedule in the NFL, the Las Vegas Raiders have the third hardest, and the Los Angeles Chargers have the 13th hardest. The Broncos have the 16th hardest, so it’s right in the middle.
Having this advantage is excellent. The Broncos were fourth in the division in 2021, so they do have a fourth-place schedule.
I think many of us get caught up in the week-to-week happenings of the team, so we forget lowkey things like the strength of schedule rankings.
The Chiefs will face the toughest slate of opponents in the NFL in 2022. The Broncos are considerably farther down on that list, so being led by Russell Wilson should allow the team should greatly take advantage of this.
Five reasons why Denver Broncos can win the AFC West in 2022
3. The Broncos have excellent depth
The Denver Broncos are a deep team.
When it gets to be November and December, teams who have a strong and deep roster are at a much bigger advantage. Fortunately, George Paton and John Elway have and had built this roster to withstand the deep season runs.
They are deep at several positions, including along the offensive line, in the secondary, at running back, and at wide receiver. Sure, the Denver Broncos likely don’t have the best and deepest roster in the NFL, but I would, without a doubt, say that they have the deepest roster in the division.
All of the Chiefs, Chargers, and Raiders have glaring weaknesses on their teams, and I don’t see a glaring weakness for the Denver Broncos.
The Chiefs may have players with higher ceilings than the Broncos. As could the rest of the team’s rivals, but the Broncos are filled with a ton of rock-solid players, and I think a team like the Chiefs are simply top-heavy.
We should see the Broncos’ depth prove itself to be valuable late in the season.
Five reasons why Denver Broncos can win the AFC West in 2022
4. Broncos have talent at key positions in today’s NFL
In today’s NFL, you need to have excellent talent at certain positions to all but guarantee success. To win, teams need talented a talented quarterback. They also need a shutdown cornerback, good edge rushers, and weapons.
Well, the Broncos have all of that.
Patrick Surtain II is set to explode in year two, and he was already one of the tops in the league in 2021. The team added talent to their edge group in Randy Gregory, Nik Bonitto, and Baron Browning. They have adequate weapons with Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Javonte Williams, and others.
They are good where it matters the most, and I think some of the other teams in the AFC West can’t say the same thing.
The Chiefs don’t have their shutdown corner. They have worse weapons than the Broncos and have a huge hole at edge rusher.
The Raiders don’t have a high-end cornerback and have a middle-of-the-pack signal caller.
The Chargers seem to check every box, but so do the Denver Broncos.
Five reasons why Denver Broncos can win the AFC West in 2022
5. Matthew Stafford and Tom Brady
I think the most proof that I can point to that guarantees the Denver Broncos success in 2022 is Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford
In Tom Brady’s first season in Tampa Bay, he led his team to an 11-5 record and a Super Bowl title. In his second season, he led his team to a 13-4 record and a division title.
In Matthew Stafford’s first season in Los Angeles, he led his team to a division title and a Super Bowl title.
Russell Wilson was the biggest quarterback who was on the move this season. In both cases, Brady and Stafford were playing in very tough divisions. In 2022, Russell Wilson will be playing in a tough division.
3 takeaways from Broncos initial wave of five roster cuts
The Denver Broncos made their initial wave of five roster cuts from 90 to 85 players. What surprises did we see among the cuts?
So tell me, why can’t Russell Wilson enjoy the success that Brady and Stafford had? It happened in back-to-back seasons, so why can’t it happen for a third?