As the 2022 Denver Broncos discovered, sometimes being one of the most overhyped teams in the NFL doesn't exactly bring you a lot of success. In fact, having the spotlight squarely on the Broncos last year led to a really embarrassing season overall. The team got off to a decent but slightly disappointing 2-1 start, but only won three more games the rest of the way and became a laughingstock around the NFL.
It's good to fly under the radar at times. Despite some high-profile additions in 2023, I would say the Broncos are comfortably "underrated" by most people in 2023 and that's just fine. We don't necessarily need people talking about the Denver Broncos right now. This team must prove it on the field.
But there are some moves that could really pay off for this team that need to be discussed more than they have been. What are the most underrated moves made by the Broncos in 2023? Let's take a look at the top 10, and not in any particular order.
Denver Broncos 10 most underrated moves of the 2023 offseason
10. Signing DT PJ Mustipher as an undrafted free agent
As we approach training camp, one of the clear areas this team needs young players to step up on the roster is on the defensive line. It's possible that veteran Mike Purcell will start off training camp on the PUP. It wouldn't be shocking to see the Broncos make a move like going after veteran Shelby Harris and bringing him home, but it also wouldn't be surprising if they put their trust in Marcus Dixon (defensive line coach) to get the most out of the young players at this position group.
The Broncos added PJ Mustipher out of Penn State as an undrafted free agent and what he lacks in flash he more than makes up for by doing the grunt work on the interior defensive line.
At 6-foot-4, 323 pounds, Mustipher has an NFL-ready body and the Broncos might need him to do some gap-clogging even as a rookie. Even if it's only a couple hundred snaps, we could see Mustipher emerge as a player the Broncos put in the rotation early on.
9. Getting Sean Payton as HC remains underrated
It's going to feel like this is a reach immediately because the Denver Broncos trading for and hiring Sean Payton was one of the biggest pieces of news of the entire 2023 NFL offseason.
How could this possibly be underrated?
I don't think it's being discussed enough just how significant it is that the Denver Broncos were able to get Payton in the building. This is one of the winningest head coaches in NFL history. Just to paint a picture, Payton has averaged 11 wins per 17 games coached over the course of his career from 2006-2021 with the New Orleans Saints. Payton's teams were consistently dominant on offense, ranking in the top 10 in points scored virtually on an annual basis.
He succeeded in different eras of football. He and Drew Brees became one of the most prolific head coach/quarterback combinations in an era of offense which was dominated by the quarterback. He is one of just a handful of head coaches who have actually won the Super Bowl.
Payton's Saints were consistently in the thick of things come January and a couple of really unlucky situations in Payton's final five years with the team resulted in historic heartbreak (penalty not called vs. Rams, overtime vs. Vikings, Minneapolis Miracle, etc.).
Getting Payton in Denver is like the head coach version of the Broncos signing Peyton Manning back in 2012. This is such a huge move for the organization and can't be overstated.
8. Retaining defensive backs coach Christian Parker
There were only two coaches retained from the previous staff by Sean Payton: Defensive line coach Marcus Dixon and defensive backs coach Christian Parker.
Both coaches should be considered ascending in their respective fields, but Christian Parker is gaining quite a bit more recognition than any other assistant currently on the Broncos' coaching roster.
What makes Christian Parker so special? Well, I think the proof is in the pudding. The Denver Broncos defensive backs -- young players or veterans -- have been exceptional since he came aboard Vic Fangio's staff in 2021. He's been tasked with coaching arguably the best safety duo in the NFL in Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson. He was tasked with the development of young superstar Pat Surtain II. He was tasked with getting the best out of some Day 3 draft picks and undrafted players like Damarri Mathis at cornerback and Caden Sterns at safety.
The Broncos have done a tremendous job thanks to Parker at developing players in the defensive backfield and if all of these players continue to progress in 2023, this team could have an embarrassment of riches on its hands at cornerback and safety.
We've seen progression from just about every major contributor in this position group. That's a huge credit to Parker, who is well on his way to becoming a defensive coordinator in the NFL and perhaps a head coach one day.
7. Drafting LB Drew Sanders
I will be the first to admit that my heart sank a little bit when the Denver Broncos drafted a linebacker early on in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. It has/had nothing to do with Drew Sanders, specifically, and everything to do with the positional value.
The Broncos seemingly had already figured out the linebacker spot. Even with Josey Jewell entering a contract year, they just re-signed Alex Singleton in free agency and brought back Jonas Griffith as an exclusive rights free agent. Griffith is eligible for restricted free agent status after this season, while Jewell could seemingly be easily re-signed.
The idea of drafting Sanders was not on pretty much anyone's radar, but that's largely due to the fact that he was projected to go early in the second round, if not in the first round. As a prospect, Sanders was a late bloomer. He was a backup off the edge at Alabama (behind 3rd overall pick Will Anderson Jr.) for two seasons before he transferred to Arkansas.
He became an overnight success for the Razorbacks, earning All-American honors as a junior before bolting for the NFL. Why has this pick been growing on me? Why do I consider it underrated? I think there's more here than meets the eye.
I think the Broncos knew they had the linebacker position in good hands already, and I think there's a year-one plan for Drew Sanders that we may not expect. One of the terms Sean Payton used to describe him at the time of the NFL Draft was "pressure player", meaning Sanders can get heat on the quarterback. And he can do it from a variety of alignments.
There's potential here for this to be one of the Broncos' most significant moves of the offseason, even if we don't see the returns until later in 2023.
6. Signing QB Jarrett Stidham
Heading into free agency, I was a huge advocate of the Denver Broncos going after a young player at the quarterback position. Specifically, I was hoping for them to add a young player with some upside. Given the fact that there were a couple of former top picks available (Baker Mayfield, Jameis Winston) as well as a recent third overall pick (Sam Darnold) as well as some other intriguing guys, I was hopeful the Broncos would take some kind of "shot" on a player.
Especially with Sean Payton in the building, this kind of move made a ton of sense. Payton isn't really known for developing QBs since people erroneously discount what he did in New Orleans because of Drew Brees, but Payton has had his hand in bringing along a few different quarterbacks. He got the best out of guys like Teddy Bridgewater, Jameis Winston, and even Taysom Hill.
The guy Payton wanted and the guy he said was "quietly" an important signing for the team was Jarrett Stidham, who was potentially in line to start for the Las Vegas Raiders this coming season. As a matter of fact, the Raiders might be kicking themselves for not offering something to Stidham when they had the chance, given the fact they missed out on Tom Brady and may have a major problem on their hands with Jimmy Garoppolo.
Stidham showed some decent things in his first few years with the Patriots before getting traded to the Raiders. He's always shown talent, but what he did against the 49ers late last season really caught everyone's attention. Stidham's huge game against the league's no. 1 overall defense earned him a two-year deal worth $10 million from the Broncos, and even at a relatively high price tag, I think that's a move that has flown a bit under the radar.
Stidham might have a future as a starter in the NFL. At the very least, it's a significant move to upgrade the team's backup QB situation.
5. Signing DE Frank Clark
Signing Frank Clark was such an underrated and necessary move for the Denver Broncos. Going into the NFL Draft process, a lot of Broncos fans wanted to see the team use its top pick in the Draft on a pass rusher. I don't blame anyone for that because the team's pass rush was simply not good enough last season.
Over the course of the last three games, the Broncos had just three sacks as a team. Although pass rush success is measured in a variety of ways, that's an unacceptable number. It's more understandable when you factor in that the team didn't have Bradley Chubb or Dre'Mont Jones down the stretch last season, but still abysmal.
I was never a proponent of drafting another edge guy. The Broncos have enough young players off the edge like Baron Browning, Jonathon Cooper, and Nik Bonitto to work with. They have some other young players that could get a shot like Christopher Allen and Aaron Patrick, who are each coming off of injured reserve.
The team didn't need another young, raw edge defender. It needed some veteran help. They went out and got it in the form of Frank Clark, the former Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs pass rusher. Clark has obviously been an instrumental piece for the Chiefs the last handful of years and although his sack numbers don't jump out at you (23.5 sacks from 2019-22), Clark made the Pro Bowl with the Chiefs three times.
Why?
He puts consistent pressure on the QB. Clark is a veteran who knows how to set the edge. He comes up in clutch moments. We're not talking about 2015 Von Miller here, but Clark is a veteran who raises the "floor" of the pass rush unit to a much more acceptable level.
4. Signing FB Michael Burton
The Denver Broncos want to be physical on offense this year. That much is clear when you look at their free agent signings on the whole. It doesn't get clearer than making the fullback position a priority in free agency, which is exactly what the Denver Broncos did here with former Saints and Chiefs fullback Michael Burton.
Andy Benoit of The 33rd Team put out a post this offseason looking at the X-Factor for every NFL roster. He gave that distinction to Michael Burton for the Denver Broncos.
Let's see why...
"This is less about Michael Burton and more about what he represents: Sean Payton’s commitment to base personnel. For years, people thought of Payton’s Saints as a wide-open, aggressive, high-octane offense. But they were just an extremely balanced and proficient offense. It started with featuring a variety of base personnel, including the fullback.Andy Benoit
Only four teams (Baltimore, San Francisco, Oakland/Las Vegas and Atlanta) played more snaps with a fullback than Payton during his 15 seasons with the Saints. Featuring a fullback (or an extra blocking tight end) is the smartest way to play with Russell Wilson. A run-heavy offense sets up the two things Wilson does best: bootlegs and downfield throws off play-action."
The Denver Broncos need Michael Burton to come in and do exactly that -- bring as much balance to the offense as possible. What Burton does isn't going to be recognized often in the stat sheet, but he's going to help the Broncos be able to feature base personnel and run the ball aggressively.
Not only that, but Burton is historically a very valuable special teams player. If you can be a core special teamer for Dave Toub (Chiefs STC), you can play for anyone. He played more than 50 percent of the Chiefs' special teams snaps each of the last two seasons.
3. Trading for TE Adam Trautman
There are more spectacular tight ends on the Denver Broncos roster than former New Orleans Saints third-round pick Adam Trautman. But the Denver Broncos' trade to acquire Trautman late on Day 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft could loom large for the 2023 season.
If you're in an unfamiliar country where they speak a language you don't know, what might be super helpful if not essential? A translator.
There are a variety of those on the Denver Broncos' roster but Trautman is in a rare position to be able to communicate at a variety of different spots and in pretty much every personnel package. The Broncos added a lot of guys who previously played for Sean Payton, but Trautman might be the "best" of them all.
Trautman is entering a contract year. He saw a significant uptick in usage in the passing game under Sean Payton back in 2021 when he was targeted 43 times and catching 27 passes. Like I said before, Trautman may not be spectacular in terms of his athletic makeup or dynamic abilities in the passing game, but he can do everything at the position well.
He can catch, he can block, he can line up in-line, he can split out, and he can be a translator for the other guys at this position group.
2. Re-signing offensive tackle Cam Fleming
After the 2023 NFL Draft dust had settled, one need remained glaring and obvious for the Denver Broncos.
The team desperately needed depth at offensive tackle.
The Broncos added Mike McGlinchey early on in free agency to start for them at the right tackle position and that move obviously required a lot of cash to pull off. The team already has a bunch of money also committed this year to left tackle Garett Bolles. It made sense that the team was being a bit more financially responsible in the depth department, but not drafting a tackle was a bit of a head-scratcher.
It took a while, but the team finally re-signed veteran Cameron Fleming, a player who was once an underwhelming addition after the final Ja'Wuan James injury in 2021. Fleming has proven himself over the last couple of years as arguably the best swing tackle in the NFL, actually playing quite well for the Denver Broncos in 2022 when called upon at both spots.
Having Fleming on the roster can help the Broncos sleep at night, knowing that if they need a veteran to come in and start any number of games for them, Fleming can do it well. And they got him for a steal: 1 year, $2.35 million with incentives if he plays more.
1. Signing TE Chris Manhertz
One of the most underrated moves the Denver Broncos made all offseason was adding Chris Manhertz. And the Broncos tried to let us know that this wasn't exactly an underrated move to them by how much they paid Manhertz.
Keep in mind, this is a player who has played 104 career games, and he has just 24 career receptions. The fact that the Broncos gave him a two-year deal worth $6 million in total money ($3.34 million in guaranteed cash) speaks volumes.
Manhertz has made over $11 million in his NFL career so far, which has included stints with the Saints, Panthers, and Jaguars. The Broncos gave him his biggest contract yet and like we said before -- this team set a goal in free agency to get more physical in the running game, and they did exactly that.
This was one of the moves that will push them toward that. Manhertz has averaged about 383 snaps played over the last three seasons, so you're not going to see him dominating playing time at this position. But when you see him out there, you're probably going to notice him doing some type of dirty work.
Manhertz is physical in the running game, but he's also extremely effective in pass protection as well. He's going to be able to help in a variety of areas including in the passing game, where he will likely slip out as an occasional weapon and catch defenses off guard.