10 bold Denver Broncos predictions for the 2024 NFL offseason

The Denver Broncos are going into another extremely important offseason. Let's make 10 bold predictions for the 2024 NFL Offseason. The Denver Broncos made a good bit of progress this year. Yes, they finished with just eight wins, but their eight wins in 2023 were their most since 2016, and the Broncos did have a legitimate shot at the postseason.

I do think there was some objective success in Denver, and I'd assume that Sean Payton is looking to only go forward; I think the Broncos are going to be in a prime playoff position when Week 1 of the 2024 NFL Season kicks off. Even with their cap situation not currently looking the best and not having a ton of draft capital, the Broncos can make a ton of noise this offseason.

Let's make 10 bold predictions for the 2024 offseason for the Broncos.

10 bold Denver Broncos predictions for the 2024 NFL offseason
1. Team will not lose a notable assistant coach

I do not think the Denver Broncos are going to worry about losing an assistant coach this offseason. Denver was a competent team this year and do have an elite head coach, but I just don't think new regimes are going to jump at the opportunity to interview the Broncos' assistants.

The most likely assistant coach to leave would be Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph, but he has not been requested to interview for a head coaching job. Offensive Coordinator Joe Lombardi was fired from his last job, and does not call plays in Denver, and I don't think Special Teams coaches are in demand outside of the special teams coaching realm.

I strongly believe Denver will have a ton of coaching continuity going into 2024.

2. The Broncos will make a second-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft

The Broncos did not have a second-round pick going into the 2023 NFL Draft, but traded UP into the second round to select Marvin Mims Jr from Oklahoma. That worked out well for the team, as Mims quickly established himself as one of the best returners in football. Denver does not have a second-round pick in 2024 as of now.

However, I think they will again get themselves into round two. One way they could do this would be to get a second-round pick back in a trade. The Broncos could trade players like Garett Bolles, Justin Simmons, or Jerry Jeudy. However, none of them would likely fetch a second-rounder. But consider the possibility of the Broncos getting draft capital back for both Simmons and Jeudy and using that capital to get themselves into the second round.

I do think the second round is a sweet spot in the NFL Draft, as teams don't typically overdraft in this round, and there is still, usually, a ton of talent. I think when you start to creep toward the 100th overall pick and beyond, that's where the draft becomes a bit of a crapshoot, if you will. The second round would be a great place for Denver to be.

And I think they have realistic shot at picking in R2 during the 2024 NFL Draft.

3. The Broncos will not re-sign Josey Jewell, Mike Purcell, and Fabian Moreau

Three of the Denver Broncos most notable free agents in 2024 will NOT be re-signed by the team, in my opinion. Jewell signed a two-year extension... two years ago and is set to be a free agent. He's a decent inside linebacker, but I think Denver is very high on Drew Sanders and want to deploy him as the starter next to Alex Singleton in 2024 and beyond, maybe.

Mike Purcell is in his mid-30s and a fine rotational player, I guess. The Broncos had one of the worst rush defenses in the NFL this year, and Purcell played in 44% of the defensive snaps. I don't think he is someone who should be in Denver's plans in 2024.

Purcell managed just 25 total tackles, one tackle for loss, and five QB hits. The Broncos can find better production along the defensive line and could find it in a younger player. So I think the team says goodbye to Purcell at the end of the season. Fabian Moreau was a late addition to the Broncos and ended up playing a lot of football for them when Damarri Mathis got benched.

Moreau was fine at the start, but did seem to really get worked in coverage toward the end of the 2023 NFL Season. Moreau is also 30 years old in April, so again, like Purcell, I think the Broncos can find better production in a younger player in free agency or even in the 2024 NFL Draft.

And in a more aerial perspective, the Broncos just need to get younger. Jewell, Purcell, and Moreau are not young.

4. The Broncos WILL re-sign Wil Lutz, Michael Burton, and PJ Locke III

I think these are going to be three priority re-signings for the Denver Broncos. Wil Lutz came over in a trade and kicked for Sean Payton for years in New Orleans. Lutz went 30/34 on his field goals this year for a strong 88.2%. Lutz was money in some clutch moments for Denver and kicking across the NFL continues to be sub-par, so locking up one of the better kickers in the NFL is a must.

Michael Burton plays fullback, so many might not know much about him, but Burton is one of the best FBs in the game:

He also used to play for the Chiefs, so that's another reason why the Broncos should re-sign him, just in case KC wanted to bring him back. Michael Burton is a huge piece to the team's running game and is probably more important to the offense than you might think.

I also think the Broncos will re-sign PJ Locke III, who was very good this year. Locke definitely had the most productive year of his career in 2023. He racked up 53 total tackles, one interception, five passes defended, and three sacks. He was all over the field in Vance Joseph's defense and 27 years old in February. I think the Broncos need to turn the page with Justin Simmons, and long-time safety Kareem Jackson is no longer with the team.

PJ Locke isn't going to cost a ton to retain, and I think pairing him with another veteran FA addition or someone in the 2024 NFL Draft would be a fine solution. Or, maybe Caden Sterns and JL Skinner can show up in 2024?

5. The Denver Broncos will CUT Jarrett Stidham

I think Jarrett Stidham is fine as a backup. He's nothing special, but he did fit Payton's offense better than Russell Wilson did. However, there are going to be many better options at QB for the Broncos than Stidham. I think what you could expect this QB room to look like in 2024 is a rookie draft pick paired with a bridge QB.

Right now, Stidham is probably the leader in the clubhouse to have that bridge QB role, but I think Denver can easily find an upgrade. QBs like Jacoby Brissett, Ryan Tannehill, Kirk Cousins, Gardner Minshew, and Jimmy Garoppolo, if cut by the Raiders, would all be significant upgrades over Stidham.

Plus, the Denver Broncos would have a better chance to win games with the formerly mentioned QBs under center. Jimmy Garoppolo might actually be the best option for the team. He's been a backup before to a young QB. He's also played very efficient football during his career and has also started in a Super Bowl.

He probably presents the highest upside if Sean Payton would still want to win games while trying to develop a rookie passer, and Garoppolo seems beloved by his teammates. I think the team ends up cutting Jarrett Stidham in 2024. Doing so would save them $5 million on their 2024 cap number. I think that would be significant savings given he is a QB2 player.

6. The Denver Broncos will extend Garett Bolles and Courtland Sutton

According to Over The Cap's numbers, extending Garett Bolles and Courtland Sutton would save the Broncos a total of $21,132,000 in 2024. That would nearly erase their cap overage that they currently have. And while both Bolles and Sutton are not in their mid-20s anymore, both have earned extensions.

Bolles was again one of the better left tackles in the NFL and was much closer to his All-Pro 2020 form than his "Garett Holds" form back at the beginning of his career. And Sutton was a total highlight reel in 2023, making insane circus catches and being one of the best redzone threats in the NFL. While I'm sure both players are getting tired of losing in Denver, money talks.

And I think if Payton puts down strong enough offers in front of each, they would sign it. And frankly, both players should demand more money, as they earned it. Now, I could see a scenario where Payton trades both of them. Denver could embrace a youth movement in 2024 and get rid of some of their aging players, but depending on how quickly Payton wants to turn this roster into a winning one, he may prefer to extend them and make each Broncos for life.

7. The Denver Broncos make a huge defensive free agency signing

George Paton spoke to the Denver media recently and did say that they weren't going to be in the first wave of free agency this year, but I am respectfully disagreeing with him. Paton does not have the final roster authority; that belongs to Sean Payton.

Secondly, the Broncos have a first-wave free agency need along the defensive front. My astute analysis is that the run defense and pass rush stunk it up in 2023. Both units were among the worst in football, and simply put, the Broncos just do not have much talent along the front seven. Well, this free agent class on defense is too good for Denver not to dip into.

Guys like Danielle Hunter, Brian Burns, Josh Allen, Leonard Williams, and Chris Jones are all free agents. While Josh Allen might just get franchise tagged, I think someone like Danielle Hunter makes a boatload of sense for the Broncos. Hunter was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2015, and George Paton was in their front office.

Hunter has also played along the defensive line and as a stand-up pass rusher. Brian Burns would be a great signing as well, but I think the Carolina Panthers put the franchise tag on him. Either way, I think the Broncos will have the financial capacity to make one splash signing in free agency, and it'll be on defense.

8. The Denver Broncos draft Bo Nix in 2024

I am not a draft guru. However, there are certain voices in the NFL landscape that I trust, and when I read what they have to say, I keep thinking that Bo Nix would be a perfect fit for the Denver Broncos in 2024. He's won a ton of games at the college level, he's thrown for a ton of yards and has been a starter in college for years.

He's a fine athlete and does well what Sean Payton's offense calls for. Frankly, I think he could be a homerun in Denver. Bo Nix played his college ball at Oregon and Auburn and will surely be no less than a second-round pick in 2024. Well, I think the Broncos are going to make him a first-round pick when they select in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Denver might be able to get away with trading down and still landing Nix. They could stand pat with their 12th overall selection and still get him, in all likelihood. However they do it, Bo Nix is going to be wearing the orange and blue in 2024, and I think he will be paired with a bridge QB not named Jarrett Stidham...

9. The Denver Broncos sign Jimmy Garoppolo

I think the Las Vegas Raiders are prepared to cut Jimmy Garoppolo in 2024. The regime that signed him in 2023 is no longer there, and there is no way the new regime would keep him on his current contract. Garoppolo is the best a team could get for a backup QB. He's won a ton of games in the NFL, most of them with Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers.

He's also played in playoff games and has appeared in a Super Bowl. Garoppolo is an accurate passer who fits what Sean Payton wants to do on offense, so I think he would run the offense more efficiently than Russell Wilson did. Garoppolo gets the ball out quickly and knows where his best players are at all times.

Jimmy G also seems to be very liked by his teammates, and I think he'd be the perfect bridge QB for a rookie, and that rookie would be Bo Nix in my opinion. The one weird benefit of having Garoppolo is his injury concerns. Garoppolo does not always stay healthy, and I think that could end up giving the hypothetical rookie QB an early shot.

An injury might force Garoppolo out of the lineup at some point during the year, and that could pave the way for the rookie to get his first action, and you never know, maybe said rookie ends up being really good. Just look at what happened with the Los Angeles Chargers back in 2020. They were starting Tyrod Taylor, but a freak injury from a member of their staff forced Herbert into the lineup a lot quicker than I'm sure they wanted.

Well, Herbert ended up being very good and clearly did not need to sit behind Tyrod Taylor, so in a way, Taylor's injury benefitted the franchise. I think the same could happen with Jimmy Garoppolo.

10. The Denver Broncos cut Russell Wilson

This one should not be a surprise, but it still would be a bold move to cut Russell Wilson. Wilson definitely played better than he did last year, but it simply was not good enough. Wilson was responsible for 29 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

The Broncos, however, were not as good on offense as Wilson's stats seem to indicate. A lot of what Wilson did ended up being empty calories, and the second and third quarters were especially brutal for the offense. The games usually ended with Russell Wilson leading some sort of crazy comeback drive.

But the offense we saw was not sustainable, and that's why he got benched for Jarrett Stidham. Cutting Russell Wilson would end up forcing the Broncos to eat a mountain of dead cap. It would be an unprecedented amount, but I think Wilson's benching following the Denver Broncos' loss to the New England Patriots signaled the end of his time in Denver.