The Denver Broncos‘ 2023 offseason is already well underway with their coaching search. What other moves do they need to make to get to the SB in 2023? The Super Bowl is definitely a lofty goal after how bad of a team Denver was in 2022, but we’ve seen some pretty insane turnarounds in the NFL before.
There are a few moves that the team can make that will put them in the driver’s seat to get to the Super Bowl next February. One thing that perhaps isn’t ideal is the Broncos being in the AFC. The conference is loaded with talented young quarterbacks and excellent coaches.
If Denver does plan on making the Super Bowl in 2023, they’ll likely have to go through Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, and Patrick Mahomes.
To do so, they should consider making these three moves:
Three moves that will take the Broncos to Super Bowl in 2023
3. Hiring Jim Harbaugh or Sean Payton
The most important aspect of a successful team in the NFL is the head coach. Teams don’t win Super Bowls with anything less than an above-average coach. For Denver, they need to hope that they can land one of Jim Harbaugh, who has been to the Super Bowl as an NFL head coach, and Sean Payton, that has won a Super Bowl as an NFL head coach.
These types of coaches are not readily available every year and seeing as both seem to have a bit of interest in Denver, it’s imperative that the team lands one of them. I think the best option is Harbaugh.
In this case, the team will not have to part with draft capital to acquire the coach and I do believe he’s a slightly better head coach than Sean Payton. Harbaugh has been a head coach four separate times and has a winning record at each stop.
Three moves that will take Broncos to Super Bowl in 2023
2. Fixing the offensive line
The offensive line was easily the worst unit for the team this year. It didn’t help that someone unqualified like Butch Barry was the unit’s coach. Between a rash of injuries, including Garett Bolles and Quinn Meinerz, the group simply could not consistently keep Russell Wilson upright.
To be fair, though, Wilson does take a ton of sacks given his style of play, so that definitely made the struggles more pronounced.
However, if we look at the players overall, the Broncos just don’t have a ton of talent in this group outside of Garett Bolles and Quinn Meinerz. I’d expect at least three new starters along this unit before the 2023 season begins.
There are some interesting names the team can target in free agency, but also getting Mike Munchak back in the building will help cover up any weak spots. Wilson will turn 35 during the 2023 season so it’s imperative that the unit is able to keep him as clean as possible.
Hiring Jim Harbaugh also helps with this, as he’s known to build solid teams in the trenches.
Three moves that will take Broncos to Super Bowl in 2023
1. George Paton becoming more aggressive
George Paton is a great talent evaluator, and he’s been able to get some solid players on the team in free agency, but a few aspects of his roster building hurt the Broncos severely.
When Tim Patrick went down before the season began, Paton didn’t do anything. He simply hoped that the undrafted wide receivers and other receivers way down on the depth chart could step up.
That didn’t work.
When Garett Bolles when down earlier this year, why didn’t George Paton bring in a free agent left tackle, perhaps someone like Eric Fisher? Denver was still very much alive being it was early in the season.
When Bradley Chubb hurt himself last year against the Jaguars, Paton’s corresponding move was to sign Aaron Patrick off of the Jags practice squad. To me, none of those moves indicate that Paton is doing enough as a GM to consistently field the best team each and every week.
If the Broncos can get a big-name coach in the building, I’d love to see Paton become more proactive and perhaps more aggressively reactive when changes happen to the roster.
If Courtland Sutton were to miss a few weeks, go out and sign a free agent receiver who may be able to offer more than Brandon Johnson.
If Russell Wilson needs to miss a game, hopefully, Paton was aggressive enough in getting a quality backup quarterback in the building.
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Small moves like that really help round out the roster in its totality and allow the team to remain competitive during the year.