The Denver Broncos appear to be trending up after the hire of Sean Payton. Who are some early breakout candidates for the team in 2023?
Denver has some intriguing players on their roster that could truly break out in 2023. George Paton seems to have done a solid job in his first two drafts which have helped Denver form a nice young core. There's also the elephant in the room with Russell Wilson and his down 2022 season, which I don't think many saw coming.
The team made national headlines the last two offseasons when they traded the entire state of Colorado for Russell Wilson and the city of Denver for Sean Payton. Now that the coach and QB seem to be in place, which the team hasn't been able to say for a while, perhaps the Broncos will actually field a competitive team in 2023.
Part of that competitive team will have to be helped along by a few players that I think can breakout in 2023.
Denver Broncos early breakout candidates for 2023
1. Baron Browning, EDGE
Baron Browning is entering his age-24 season in 2023 and was moved to the edge last year. That seems to be the most ideal spot for him, even though he was effective as an inside backer during his rookie season.
Browning played in 14 games in 2022. In those games, he had an interception, two passes defended, 5.0 sacks, 24 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, and 12 QB hits.
Mind you, this was his first time playing edge in the NFL, and he was able to put up some very solid numbers. To me, 2023 is going to be a massive breakout season for the Ohio State product. He's got incredible bend and quickness of the edge.
Also, if Randy Gregory can stay on the field and the team retains Dre'Mont Jones, Browning might be able to get some advantageous matchups to take advantage of.