Players not named Russell Wilson critical to Broncos' success in 2023
2. Damarri Mathis, CB
Right now, Damarri Mathis is slated to be the starter opposite Patrick Surtain II. The team also took Riley Moss in the 2023 NFL Draft, but the Broncos are high on Mathis, a 2022 draft pick out of Pitt. We all know how good Surtain is; he's likely the best CB in the NFL and he likely won't see the ball thrown his way a ton.
That means the other side of the secondary is going to get a ton of work, and that likely falls on second-year player Damarri Mathis, who had an up-and-down rookie season. He did look the part towards the end of his rookie campaign, but can he build on that in year two? If he can, and if we can settle in as an average starter in year two, that'll be a huge boost for the defense that no longer has Ronald Darby.
If Mathis doesn't take that step forward, Denver may get gauged in the passing game and may have to rely on other players like Moss to hold it down, which could turn into a big mess. This will be a huge test for Mathis.