Signing DT Malcolm Roach
Malcolm Roach has actually been one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL this year. Yes, you read that correctly. According to ESPN, Roach ranks 5th among defensive tackles in pass rush win rate and 5th in run stop win rate. He signed a two-year deal and was really only brought along to help stop the run. Not only has he done that, but he's giving the team some boost in their pass rush, which is a hilarious bonus.
The Broncos may have built something truly special along the defensive line with guys like Roach, Zach Allen, Jonathon Cooper, and even John Franklin-Myers. Roach signing with the Broncos in the offseason was not this major, headline-making move, but it's quickly proven to be a smart one as the former New Orleans Saint has come in and exceeded expectations.
Drafting QB Bo Nix
This was the right move all along. The Denver Broncos were not going to build anything sustainable with Russell Wilson still on the roster. Yes, the team won eight games last year, and yes, Wilson threw 26 touchdowns against just eight interceptions, but if you watched the offense, it wasn't working.
Wilson was simply not capable of playing on time or working the middle of the field. The team had no intermediate passing game, and it just did not make sense to continue the Sean Payton/Russell Wilson era at all. In recent years, there's really only been one free agent/QB trade move that has worked out, and of course, it was Tom Brady, who is the best NFL player in history.
Teams do not win Super Bowls or win consistently without drafting and developing a quarterback. If Denver wanted to get their franchise back on the right track, this is what they needed to do. Say what you want about Bo Nix; but it became more clear as the offseason went on that Nix was going to be the Broncos' target in the 2024 NFL Draft.
He's here, and he showed a ton of growth in Week 3. It was the best performance of his young career and was, objectively speaking, just flat-out great quarterbacking. You can definitely see what the offense is building with Nix under center, as Sean Payton is playing to his strengths and allowing Nix every opportunity to be the guy.
The move to cut Russell Wilson may have stung at first, but the Broncos embracing a first-round rookie QB in Bo Nix was the right move.