One of the biggest questions in the entire NFL for the 2023 season is whether or not Denver Broncos' QB Russell Wilson bounces back after a horrid 2022 campaign. Frankly, what we think about Russell Wilson does not matter. I think the only person's opinion that matters on this subject is Sean Payton's. Payton is also going to be hugely responsible for getting Wilson back on track.
Ask yourself this: does Sean Payton take this job if he thinks Wilson is all washed up? I don't think he does. In fact, he seemed to be very content working for FOX during the 2022 season. It was surely much less work and stress to do that, but perhaps Payton just wanted to return to the sidelines. Either way, Russell Wilson is under a ton of pressure in 2023.
There is reason to believe that he does bounce back, but there is also reason to believe that he does not bounce back and is a shell of his former self. Well, to try and be objective here and analyze this free from bias, I have put together three legitimate reasons why he won't bounce back and three legitimate reasons why he will bounce back in the 2023 NFL season.
3 reasons Russell Wilson bounces back in 2023, 3 reasons he doesn't
Russell Wilson DOES bounce back because of Sean Payton
Let's get the easy one out of the way first. Russell Wilson can bounce back in 2023 because of the offensive genius of Sean Payton. Payton is known for being one of the most successful offensive coaches, perhaps ever. He also has a very good track record of putting his players in the best positions to succeed; he tailors his offenses to what his players do well.
I think Payton iterated a great point in a recent media availability. He mentioned how it's not about "fixing" Russell Wilson as it is about "finding" what made him so good for 10 years in Seattle. I trust Sean Payton, and maybe a few other head coaches in the NFL to do that with Wilson. Fortunately, Payton has done this before with other players and other quarterbacks.
Russell Wilson DOES bounce back because of an improved offensive line
Russell Wilson does not usually do offensive lines any favors because of his style of play, which forces him to take more sacks than usual, but the Denver Broncos had a bad offensive line and bad OL coaching last year. There was a rumor that former OL coach Butch Barry would put stick notes on the players' lockers outlining what they did wrong along the OL in a given week.
Well, Sean Payton recognized how bad the Denver Broncos' OL was in 2022, and he spent well over $100 million to try and fix it, bringing in two elite run blockers in Ben Powers and Mike McGlinchey. The team also re-signed elite swing tackle Cameron Fleming and took Alex Forsyth, a center, in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Broncos made a pretty sizeable investment in their offensive line in the 2023 NFL offseason, and if Wilson does have time to throw, he'll be very, very good. In fact, I'd argue that Denver's OL is one of the best in the league on paper. Sure, having a good position group on paper means nothing if that group can't perform well, but it's hard to not be encouraged about this OL now.