10 Denver Broncos awards and bold player predictions for 2024 season

It's that time of year.

Football is back and the Denver Broncos start their new and anticipated 2024 season in a few days at Seattle against the Seahawks. With the roster officially done and set in stone, it's time to predict several team awards for the Broncos this season.

Just like how I did last year, it'll be 10 awards that will be predicted. From the most prestigious award being the team MVP to some unique and cool awards like most exciting player, to most disappointing player, there will be no same player getting an award twice.

So without further ado, he are my predictions for the 2024 team awards for players and coaches.

Most Valuable Player (MVP)

The most valuable player for the Denver Broncos this season will be the best cornerback in the league, Pat Surtain II.

While this may be the most obvious pick, Surtain is set for a career year in his fourth year in the Mile High. The defense got some key additions in the offseason and can be a unit that is a pleasant surprise to the national media when it is all said and done.

Despite having a career low in allowed receiving yards (701) and interceptions (1), he was still the best corner in the league. Surtain did have a career high in PBU's with nine and 16 stops (tackles that constitute a "failure" for the offense).

His peers around the league all agree that he is the best corner in the league and with some new talented additions to the Broncos defense, it'll help Surtain more than what people think.

I believe he'll have a career-high in interceptions this upcoming season, followed by the richest contract for a corner in NFL history.

Most Exciting Player

There was a lot of different players I could have given this award to but I am still a strong believer that Marvin Mims Jr. will have an excellent year in year two in the NFL with Sean Payton.

Despite not having a strong showcase in the preseason and not a lot of buzz throughout training camp, I believe that Payton will showcase everything he has been hiding for Mims and utilize him in ways that we all think he can be successful.

This will be one of the top storylines going into week one in Seattle as to how will Mims be utilized after the lack of buzz we heard from him throughout training camp.

Mims will be a big part of the offense and a great weapon for quarterback Bo Nix. Payton has been keeping things under wraps with his playmaker and I think it's for good reason. All the new motions and utilizations of playmakers now in the NFL that Denver fans see other teams do will be what Mims does for this offense this year under Payton and crew.

Between his ability for yards after catch and taking the top off the defense, Mims will be the most exciting player for the Broncos, and wanting fans to see more of Mims with the ball in his hands.

Best Rookie Addition

The easiest award was the best rookie for the Broncos and that is the new sheriff in town.

QB1.

Bo Nix will change the landscape of the AFC and the AFC West with the impact he'll have in Denver during his rookie year.

Not to mention, Jonah Elliss was in real consideration to get this award but the significance of Nix and the performances he'll have this year will be tremendous for Denver. Elliss is still a rookie to look out for as he is an extremely talented edge rusher.

Nix has the opportunity to win Offensive Rookie of the Year over the likes of Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Marvin Harrison Jr, Malik Nabers, and more.

Nix will have a better year than what CJ Stroud had with the Texans last year in his rookie tenure. Stroud recorded 26 touchdown passes and five interceptions with over 4,500 passing yards. I'm confident that Nix will have similar numbers and a better completion percentage.

Instead of fans wanting their teams to have a rookie quarterback perform year one the way Stroud did in 2023, they'll be saying that they want another Nix type rookie performance after this year is done.

Bold take: Bo Nix will win OROTY over Caleb Williams.

Most Surprising Player 

A player that will surprise not only Denver fans, but the national media will be second-year corner Riley Moss. He'll have a great and healthy year after having a great training camp.

Moss has all the intangibles and makeup of being a great corner. He's very athletic (arguably one of the more athletic ones on the team) and has excellent size for the position. If he improves his man coverage skills and pairs that up with how well he plays in zone coverage, opposing teams will have a tough time completing passes against this Denver secondary.

Moss will be facing a lot of targets this year as teams will try to go away from Surtain, and rightfully so.

Not only will he be the most surprising player for the Broncos this year, but he'll solidify the fact that he is a cornerstone piece on this defense alongside the other young defensive studs Denver has.

Offensive Player of the Year

An unpopular pick yet a safe one with Quinn Meinerz being the best offensive player this year.

Meinerz will be the most consistent offensive player who will perform week in and week out. There will be no worry from the coaching staff or fans when watching Meinerz do his thing on gamedays.

According to PFF grades, he was the second-best guard (behind Kevin Dotson) in run blocking last year. Meinerz also finished with the second-highest offensive grade for the Broncos last year, behind the limited snaps Jaleel McLaughlin had.

Meinerz got paid accordingly this offseason for the dominance he has displayed since being drafted by Denver. One of, if not, the best guard in the NFL will be the offensive player of the year for Payton and the Broncos this season.

Defensive Player of the Year

Baron Browning is in for a huge year for the Broncos and I believe he stays healthy over the course of the season and is the defensive player of the year for Denver. While only playing a total of 445 snaps last year, he was the best defensive player (alongside Surtain) when healthy.

Browning is such a great talent that has not been noticed by the national media but, that will change this year. He'll establish himself as the best pass-rusher for the Broncos and record double-digit sacks for Joseph and this Denver defense.

Browning will have a career year in multiple areas and impact the game like how Von Miller did.

Yes, he has that much talent.

Staying healthy will be vital for everything to come together but with the new health program Payton has raved about, Browning will show why he is one of the top pass-rushers in the league.

Most Valuable Coach

While this may be an obvious pick to a lot of people, there were some coaches on the staff I was seriously considering for this award.

All in all, the job Payton will do with Nix his rookie year and lead Denver to a winning record since 2016 will make him the most valuable coach by far. Payton has implemented his program and culture in year two at the Mile High and there are some noticeable changes.

The roster is a lot younger and hungrier to compete. The level of competition in practice has risen from last year and the results have shown so far. The physicality is worth mentioning and will be the difference maker at the beginning of the season and how hot they start this year.

Payton is someone worth monitoring to win the NFL Coach of the Year when the season is over. Leading this team to the playoffs is worth the honor and recognition.

Best Assistant Coach 

After a historically bad start last year, Vance Joseph will look a lot better with the guys he has on defense this year, making him the best assistant coach for this season. He'll have the guys flying around early to start the season and avoid the disaster he ran into at the start of last season.

There have already been significant changes to that defense and the way he has engineered that defense in this training camp has been worth the watch.

The defensive line is stronger and deeper and the secondary is underrated.

Joseph will dial up a lot more blitzes this year and be more aggressive on defense, leading to more success this season.

Most Disappointing Player

The biggest weakness and question mark heading into the season is at center with Luke Wattenberg.

Despite having a surprising training camp and winning the position battle over Alex Forsyth, Wattenberg will ultimately be the most disappointing player this season for the Broncos. He has a huge task ahead in week one against Seattle and first-round pick Byron Murphy II from the University of Texas.

Ultimately, I believe he struggles so much to the point that we may see Forsyth take over the starting spot and not give it back.

Most Improved Player

The most improved player and comeback player of the year for the Broncos will be no other than tight end Greg Dulcich. This is the season where he showcases why Payton is so high on him and displays his abilities to Broncos Country.

Similar to Browning, all Dulcich needs to do is stay healthy and everything will fall into place for him. With Nix as his quarterback now, he can solidify his spot as the starting tight end for the Broncos for years to come.

Dulcich has unique abilities as a pass catcher and presents mismatch problems for the defense. It'll be fun to see Payton utilize him in the offense.

He was in consideration for most exciting player for the Broncos because he can be that fun for the fans at Mile High to see.

If Dulcich can improve his run blocking too, the sky is the limit for Dulcich this 2024 season and beyond.