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3 Broncos who could go from nothing to something in Sean Payton’s offense

By Travis Wakeman

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 02: KJ Hamler #1 of the Denver Broncos makes a catch in the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on October 02, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 02: KJ Hamler #1 of the Denver Broncos makes a catch in the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on October 02, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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Now that the Denver Broncos have hired one of the best offensive minds the NFL has ever known to be the team’s new head coach, the possibilities for the team going forward are quite exciting.

With Sean Payton on board, it will be expected that Russell Wilson bounces back in a big way after a poor 2022 season. It will also be predicted that both Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy become one of the league’s best pass-catching duos.

But there are players all over the roster who can benefit from this move. Payton is one of those coaches who can get the best out of every player on his roster.

The offense in Denver has been down for several seasons. That was supposed to change with the additions of Wilson and Nathaniel Hackett, but it somehow went backward.

Payton will be tasked with turning that around and getting the Broncos to put more points on the scoreboard. In order to do that, he will need to do more than just put the star players in the best spot to succeed.

Here are some players who have yet to become a major piece of the Denver offense but who could certainly turn a huge corner in 2023.

Broncos tight end Albert Okwuegbunam could go from nothing to something

Denver Broncos, Albert Okwuegbunam
DENVER, COLORADO – SEPTEMBER 25: Albert Okwuegbunam #85 of the Denver Broncos warms up prior to the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Empower Field At Mile High on September 25, 2022, in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images) /

It was assumed that Albert Okwuegbunam would take off when Russell Wilson got to Denver, but all he did was find Nathaniel Hackett’s doghouse. For whatever reason, Hackett just didn’t see much in the third-year tight end.

Coming off a promising 33-catch season in 2021, it was reasonable to think that Okwuegbunam would expand upon that number in a big way after the team dealt Noah Fant to the Seattle Seahawks.

Instead, Hackett opted to have basically any other tight end on the roster on the field over Albert O.

But once Hackett was fired, interim coach Jerry Rosburg actually had Okweugbunam active and on the field and he made a few plays in the team’s last two games.

It seems that the team did make a great selection when they took UCLA tight end Greg Dulcich in last year’s draft as he was one of the few bright spots on offense this season, but there is still room for Okwuegbunam to make an impact on this team in what will be the final year of his rookie contract.

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