What to make off PFF’s bold predictions for the Denver Broncos
In August, PFF released their bold predictions for each NFL team in the 2022 season. What kind of predictions did they make for the Denver Broncos? The Broncos’ acquisition of Russell Wilson has turned them into a powerhouse in the NFL. They’ve received national media attention all offseason, and for good reason.
Obviously, Wilson isn’t the only player on the team. One of the many good things that can come from an elite quarterback being on the Broncos is more attention given to other players who have perhaps been underrated thus far. In August, PFF unveiled their bold predictions for each NFL team, and they made some interesting ones for the Broncos.
Denver Broncos’ bold predictions from Pro Football Focus
PFF Bold Prediction #1: It wasn’t all Pete Carroll in Seattle
Perhaps the biggest reason why Russell Wilson wanted out of Seattle was because of the old-school coaching mentality of his former head coach, Pete Carroll. Carroll is on record saying he does think teams should prioritize playing sound defense and having a strong running game.
With Russell Wilson’s abilities as a passer, that doesn’t make for a good marriage. PFF seems to think that we may be able to see a revitalized Russell Wilson– perhaps a player who takes advantage of being coached by an offensive-minded head coach and being surrounded by a ton of talented offensive skill players.
It’s a worthy and common bold prediction from PFF, and one that we should all hope comes true.
PFF Bold Prediction #2: KJ Hamler becomes an elite deep threat
This would be a massive boost to the Broncos’ offense and would help cover for the team missing Tim Patrick for the 2022 season with a torn ACL. PFF notes that Russell Wilson is indeed one of the best deep-threat passers in the league, and of course, as everyone knows, KJ Hamler is a speedster.
This is the ideal scenario for the two in 2022. They may not have elite chemistry from the get-go, but being able to connect on some deep passes would be phenomenal, and would add another wrinkle to the offense. Part of what makes Russell Wilson great is his ability to take advantage of his teammates’ skill sets. He formed an elite connection with Tyler Lockett, who was clearly a deep threat and constantly fed DK Metcalf the ball because of his possession ability.
Russell Wilson forming a nice connection with KJ Hamler in 2022 would make the Denver Broncos an incredibly scary team.
PFF Bold Prediction #3: Nik Bonitto finishes with the best PFF pass-rushing grade on the team
This is definitely a spicy take. The author, Sam Monson, does note that Bonitto is likely to have a limited role as a designated pass rusher, but also said that Bonitto was an insane pass rushing force in college:
"“Bonitto posted the best two-year PFF pass-rushing productivity in the draft class, ahead of Aidan Hutchinson.”"
Until Bonitto is able to become competent as a run defender, he’ll likely be used as a designated pass rusher, which is something that might work perfectly fine for the Denver Broncos. The team arguably does have three more talented pass rushers on the roster in Randy Gregory, Baron Browning, and Bradley Chubb, but both Chubb and Gregory have been inconsistent and come with injury concerns, and Baron Browning has hardly played EDGE at the NFL level.
Perhaps it is a valid prediction that Bonitto ends up being the highest-graded pass rusher on the Denver Broncos in 2022.