The Denver Broncos have concluded another disappointing season, their seventh straight in which they will not participate in the postseason.
But this season was more than just disappointing, it was catastrophic in many ways. That is all due to the expectations that were placed on the team, one that almost everyone saw as a contender.
Broncos Country certainly thought they had a contender the moment the team traded for Russell Wilson. The quarterback problem had been solved! No more Drew Lock, no more anemic offense.
Wrong. In fact, the quarterback position was as bad as it has ever been for the Broncos.
As soon as the team parted ways with first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett, one thing became crystal clear. Coaching matters. Under interim head coach Jerry Rosburg, the team looked completely different and was much more competitive.
That should build encouragement heading into the 2023 season as the team currently conducts a search for a new head coach.
Even though the Broncos finished the season at 5-12, I am going to choose some award winners for the team, just as I did in 2021 and in 2020.
Denver Broncos 2022 award winners
Offensive player of the year: Jerry Jeudy
Once again, the Broncos were mostly offensive on the offensive side of the ball, averaging a league-worst 16.9 points per game. So as you can imagine, there are not a lot of options here.
But even in a bad offense, Jerry Jeudy managed to have the best season of his career and he really turned it on toward the end of the year.
Jeudy finished the season with 67 receptions for 972 yards and six touchdowns. He had a three-touchdown performance in Week 14 against the Kansas City Chiefs. But it was the way he seemed to click with Wilson in the final month of the season that really speaks volumes.
Jeudy had 37 of his 67 total receptions on the year during the last month of the season. Wilson seemed to be looking his way more often all the time, throwing him the deep ball and trusting him to make plays.
Jeudy will be counted on heavily in year four of his career next season with the Broncos.