The Denver Broncos truly had an up-and-down 2023 season. What mistakes ultimately doomed the team? An 8-9 finish and being in the playoff mix is something that could be an encouraging sign for 2024. The Broncos were certainly far from perfect, but they were a drastically improved team from 2022.
It's clear that the coaching staff is strong, and there are parts of the roster that are solidified as well. Denver can go into this offseason being aggressive if they want; they have the ability to create tons of cap space and do have a first-round pick. At the moment though, I don't think Denver will be as aggressive as they were last offseason.
However, they do have some pretty clear needs on their roster and other issues. Some of these problems were on display in 2023, and could have been addressed last offseason. Which three mistakes ultimately doomed the Denver Broncos last year?
1. Essentially doing nothing within the defensive front
The Denver Broncos hardly did anything with their defensive front this past offseason. Dre'Mont Jones left for the Seattle Seahawks, and Zach Allen was signed in place of Jones. Other than that, the Broncos signed washed-up pass-rusher Frank Clark, who only seemed to be signed when Baron Browning's offseason knee injury popped up.
And the team not only couldn't get to the quarterback consistently, but they also had one of the worst run defenses in the NFL in 2023. It was an issue all year long, and even during their winning streak, the defensive weakness persisted. Doing more along the defensive front would have greatly helped the Denver Broncos and may have yielded another win or two.