3 massive roadblocks to the Denver Broncos success in the 2024 NFL Season

Broncos not having a clear WR1

Courtland Sutton is fine and all, but he's not a week-to-week WR1 in the NFL anymore. His breakout 2019 season provided hope that he could indeed be that player for the long-term, but his 2020 ACL injury seems to have held him back in that regard.

Catching 10 TD passes in 2023, Sutton was a circus-catch just waiting to happen. Beyond Sutton, the departed Jerry Jeudy provided modest production, and then-rookie Marvin Mims Jr was a frustrating player to follow.

With the WR room getting a bit of a makeover this offseason, there could be some players like Troy Franklin or Mims himself who can take the step and be that consistent WR1 for the Denver Broncos, but until it happens, Denver will be without one, and while the play-makers on offense seem like a deep unit overall with a ton of mouths to feed, another broad concern here is that Denver just does not have a true star in the backfield, at tight end, or at WR.

And I personally worry that not having a consistent go-to player in 2024 is really going to make substantial success difficult for the Broncos. Obviously I hope I am wrong here, but there is still a glaring hole in this unit.

No clear alpha along the defensive front

The Denver Broncos did do some reinforcing along the defensive front this offseason, trading for DE John Franklin-Myers, signing two DTs in Malcolm Roach and Angelo Blackson, and drafting EDGE Jonah Elliss in the 2024 NFL Draft. Players already along the defensive front include Zach Allen, DJ Jones, Baron Browning, Nik Bonitto, and Jonathon Cooper.

While the front seven could end up being a plus unit in 2024, like the play-makers on offense, there is no clear alpha in this unit, and I again worry that the Broncos may lose the battle in the trenches on defense, like they did almost weekly in 2023.

Games and Super Bowls in the NFL are still won in the trenches, and while Denver should field a better defensive front in 2024, the unit is unproven until they can establish themselves otherwise. It would be neat if the Broncos were in the playoff mix when the trade deadline rolls around, perhaps giving them a reason to add a stud player along the defensive front.

But if the Broncos are again losing the line of scrimmage, it'll be a long season.