3 winners (and 2 losers) from first week of Broncos training camp
- Is Russell Wilson a big winner at this point?
- 3 winners, 2 'losers' so far from Broncos training camp
2. It's time to talk about Russell Wilson
Early on in Denver Broncos training camp, Russell Wilson made some positive headlines for the way he ran with the football during practice. Russ has obviously slimmed down this offseason and while he refuses to comment on what his weight is (why does anyone actually care about that?), the fact that he looks much better physically is noteworthy.
Now what about on the field and as a passer? Russell Wilson is learning a new offense under head coach Sean Payton. He's got a new brain trust of coaches around him in quarterbacks coach Davis Webb, offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, and passing game coordinator John Morton. The Broncos have completely renovated the coaching staff, which was blamed for many of Wilson's struggles last season.
Unfortunately, the prevailing commentary coming out of training camp has not been all that positive regarding Russell Wilson, despite the day he was taking off and running. That is, at least, until Tuesday afternoon...
Courtland Sutton just hauled in a massive catch downfield with Surtain in coverage.
— Cody Roark (@CodyRoarkNFL) August 1, 2023
Wilson with long pass down seam to Courtland Sutton. Best moment in passing game for Wilson in camp. Might have been out of bounds based on Simmons reaction. It’s been a struggle vs first team D #Broncos #Denver7
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) August 1, 2023
Despite the big pass to Sutton on Tuesday, the prevailing sentiment regarding Russell Wilson has seemingly been that it's "early" in camp and that the offense is typically going to struggle against the defense early in camp, especially a defense that has talent like the Broncos. Unfortunately, we have to be hearing overwhelmingly positive things about Russell Wilson at this point.
There can't really be much of a struggle. We need to be hearing about him and the offense looking crisp. We need to hear about him hitting throws. It's practice, and it's important not to overreact, of course. It's also more important what is going to happen in games.
But throwing interceptions on back-to-back days to Justin Simmons in camp? Having passes batted at the line of scrimmage by Zach Allen? It's just not the kind of updates you want to see regarding Russell Wilson early on at training camp. You want to hear how he's looking comfortable in Sean Payton's offense, how he's getting the ball out quickly and accurately.
You can't expect Russ to be out there dominating, of course, but one week into training camp, fans want the updates to be much more positive than they have been. So what does head coach Sean Payton think?
Broncos HC Sean Payton on Russell Wilson’s start to training camp:
— Aric DiLalla (@AricDiLalla) August 1, 2023
“I’ve been pleased with his progress and where he’s at.”
Again, we really can't make sweeping judgments at this point. Payton is ultimately the one who is going to have to answer for the way Wilson plays, especially after the comments that he made to USA Today.