With just one game left, the 2023 Denver Broncos are sitting at 8-8 through 16 games, and have been mathematically eliminated from the AFC Wild Card picture. Despite this, the Broncos enjoyed a successful 2023 campaign that pulled the franchise back out from the depths that the failed Nate Hackett tenure took them. Here are a few reasons why the 2023 Broncos were a massive success, despite missing out on the playoffs
1) Clear direction with Russell Wilson
The Broncos have a clear direction of their future with Russell Wilson. Wilson played better this year, but his play still limited the Broncos at times, and put them in a few scenarios where the Broncos were going to need to fight uphill more than they needed to.
Wilson ended his tenure in Denver with 30 starts, an 11-19 record, 42 touchdowns to 19 interceptions, 100 sacks, and a 63 percent completion rate. Wilson's tenure in Denver is expected to end this spring after he was benched following the Broncos' debacle at home against the Patriots, a loss that effectively ended their playoff chances. Where the Broncos go at quarterback for 2024 is going to be unknown for a while, but one things is clear: it will not be Russell Wilson.
2) Competent coaching
The Broncos, for the first time since Gary Kubiak, have competent coaching across all of the phases of the game. The Broncos did not need their fans to count down the play clock for the head coach, did not need to hire a time management coach, and had all three of the main coaches, head coach and coordinators, last through the entire season.
The Broncos defense under Vance Joseph started historically bad but turned around their play in a way that put the Broncos back into the playoff conversation. The defense under Joseph and his assistants, including Christian Parker, held Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen to respectable passing numbers and created turnovers in massive numbers against those two, and others such as the multiple quarterbacks they faced against Cleveland, and Minnesota's Josh Dobbs.
The Broncos finally have competence across the board on their coaching staff, and it gives much reason to hope for the future.
3) A few key future pieces
The Broncos found out this year that they might have a few more foundational pieces than they had initially thought. The Broncos turned to nickel Ja'Quan McMillian as their defense struggled, and McMillian did nothing but become an immediate stud. McMillian became an immediate playmaker, and paired with outside corner Fabian Moreau, helped the Broncos secondary find their footing.
Beyond McMillian, Marvin Mims was a special teams ace for the Broncos this year. Mims took one return to the house, albeit in an already decided game in Miami, and was a deep ball threat for Wilson and the Broncos' passing game early on.
In the backfield, Jaleel McLaughlin was an effective pass catching back for the Broncos and developed as a stronger runner as the weeks went on. McLaughlin and Mims could be key pieces for the Broncos next year as they both excel in the open field and create space where there otherwise might not be.