5 draft moves to finally get the Broncos past the Chiefs in 2023

The Denver Broncos have not beaten the Kansas City Chiefs since the 2015 season. Everybody is well aware of that fact, yet the losing streak against the Chiefs has to serve as motivation for everyone in the Broncos' organization. Kansas City has become the gold standard in the NFL while the Broncos have drifted into relative obscurity, their biggest "wins" against the Chiefs in recent years being moral victories only.

As the Chiefs have ascended into juggernaut status, the Broncos have quickly racked up the second-longest playoff drought in the NFL currently (behind only the Jets). The Broncos have paid a hefty price to try and get past the Chiefs in the AFC West, trading a grand total of three first-round picks and three second-round picks (and more on top of that) to get quarterback Russell Wilson and head coach Sean Payton in place.

The pieces will need to already be in place to beat the Chiefs if the Broncos are going to make it happen this coming season, but the 2023 NFL Draft can certainly help. What moves could the Broncos make in the 2023 NFL Draft to finally get past the Chiefs? Who could be major difference makers in those matchups?

5 moves for the Denver Broncos in the 2023 NFL Draft to get past the Chiefs

1. Snag a dual-threat option at the TE position

Some people think the Denver Broncos are just fine at the tight end position right now with this group of guys leading the charge:

- Greg Dulcich
- Albert Okwuegbunam
- Chris Manhertz

I think you could poke holes in just about any position on the roster and justify a certain position at a certain draft slot, but I think we need to start taking seriously the possibility that the Broncos could go after a tight end with one of their top picks in the 2023 NFL Draft. Why?

For starters, Sean Payton had some less-than-stellar comments when asked about Greg Dulcich.

"“We’ll see. We haven’t gone through every player relative to the evaluation process. Some of it was hard—the evaluation. Some of it was hard.”"

Sean Payton (via Broncos PR)

So what are we meant to make of a quote like that? Are we meant to take that as a massive shot at the play of Greg Dulcich in 2022? Or the offense in general? Is Payton saying it was hard to evaluate a guy like Dulcich last year? Dulcich ended up third on the team in targets despite missing a bunch of time with hamstring issues. Was that part of why the evaluation was "hard" as well?

At any rate, I don't think there's any question the Broncos are interested in drafting a tight end, and the right guy can help get this team past the Chiefs. Having a dual-threat at tight end (someone who can contribute as a receiver and block) can definitely bring more balance to this offense and keep defenses on their heels.

2. Denver Broncos must add at the RB position

After signing veteran Samaje Perine in NFL Free Agency, the Denver Broncos still have a need for additional help at the running back position. There are players on the roster, of course -- Tyler Badie, Damarea Crockett, Tyreik McAllister, Tony Jones Jr. -- but none of those players inspires much confidence if the Broncos have to roll into the 2023 regular season with Perine as the RB1.

Javonte Williams' status is very much up in the air at this point. He's recovering from a serious injury early last season and to expect him to be ready for the start of the 2023 regular season would be presumptuous at best. The Broncos sort of need to approach the running back position as though Williams will not be available, maybe at all in the 2023 season. We hope that's not the case, but with his style of play and how important he is to the offense, it wouldn't be surprising to see him put on ice to start the year.

With that being the case, if the Broncos want to beat the Kansas City Chiefs, they are going to need to upgrade their depth at running back. Melvin Gordon is gone. Mike Boone is gone. Latavius Murray is gone. There are plenty of players in the 2023 NFL Draft class that could help, and a number the Broncos are hosting for visits like Syracuse's Sean Tucker, who had an unreal workout at his Pro Day with a 41.5 inch vertical and 4.33 in the 40-yard dash at 5-foot-9, 207 pounds.

3. Bringing in a dynamic threat at WR/return game

This one is really twofold and it may not be satisfied with just one selection or acquisition. The Broncos lost KJ Hamler to a pectoral injury and that injury could keep him out into the 2023 regular season. Regardless if Hamler was fully healthy right now or recovering from a pectoral injury, the Broncos should expect nothing from him and be excited about the results they get.

That is just the unfortunate reality of Hamler's situation health-wise. That means, as of right now, you're going into the 2023 regular season with Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, and Tim Patrick as established playmakers at the receiver position. Two of those guys have been the subjects of serious trade rumors this offseason, and the other guy is coming off of a serious knee injury in training camp last year.

People who think the Broncos are good at the receiver position right now have been deceived somehow, and even if the Broncos are "good" in a short-term window, the WR position needs to be addressed and so does the return specialist spot. Tremon Smith could be on the roster to return kicks, but who is going to return punts? We saw Montrell Washington benched late last season after doing such a poor job in his rookie year.

Washington could still take that next step, or perhaps he's not long for the roster at all. The jury is out on Montrell, but the Broncos could look to this year's draft class for someone that can both play receiver and return punts. For my money, there are few guys better than Purdue's Charlie Jones, who is going to have a great career as a pro in my opinion.

Michigan State's Jayden Reed is another who had three punt returns in college and could be a dynamic weapon at the next level with good speed and burst. If the Broncos want to get past the Chiefs, they will need guys in the return game that can flip field position quickly.

4. Depth at the cornerback position is needed for the Denver Broncos

One area where the Denver Broncos need to upgrade their depth if they are going to hang with and surpass the Kansas City Chiefs? They need to hit on some players in the secondary with their draft picks this year.

The Broncos have already been scouring this year's prospects who can play multiple positions in the secondary, but in addition to versatility (perhaps someone who can double as a nickel and safety), I think the Broncos really need to bring in someone who could be a viable CB2 option at some point this season or down the line.

That's a lot to ask of a third-round pick, but we saw how former fourth-round pick Damarri Mathis really thrived in this area when his number was called, even if it was after he got called for a bunch of penalties in that Chargers game early last season.

How can we project Damarri Mathis going forward? Well, as of right now, the team views him as a starter. That's fantastic and great news for the Broncos if he can be that. But very rarely is development and progression linear in the NFL. What do I mean by that? It's not just a given that Mathis is going to come out and establish himself as a high-level starter. He's still a young player who might take some lumps.

Although we hope he can be a long-term option as a starter at that position, remember the level of confidence everyone seemed to have in Isaac Yiadom going into the 2019 season?

If the Broncos want to beat the Chiefs, they need to have a loaded defensive backfield, perhaps even targeting someone who can help match up against Travis Kelce.

5. Target the right interior offensive lineman

The Broncos don't have picks in the first or second rounds. They definitely have areas they need to address yet, but I think the proof will be in the pudding when we see how Sean Payton and George Paton actually go about making their selections.

How does the team really feel about Lloyd Cushenberry III? As of right now, it seems like he's penciled in as the starting center, which frankly has a lot of Broncos fans terrified. Cushenberry struggled badly during his rookie season. Even if you say he progressed in year two, we saw him take a step back in Nathaniel Hackett's offense in 2022 before getting injured and not being activated off IR when the team could have done so.

The Broncos signed Kyle Fuller to be the backup center, and unfortunately for them, there are not many players who can double as a tackle and center. North Dakota State's Cody Mauch might be the closest thing we have to that in this year's draft.

Why do I bring up tackle and center? Well, because the Broncos sort of need to project new starters at those spots for 2024. I don't know if Garett Bolles will be back in 2024. Perhaps the Broncos will hope to use their first-round pick next year on a left tackle of the future while snagging more of a bargain at center.

Many in Broncos Country love Wisconsin's Joe Tippmann. Others love Luke Wypler. I don't know that you'll find many who dislike Cody Mauch. There are options in this draft class and there are probably more than people are digging up on the mock draft machines. The Broncos don't need to kill the center need with fire (take one with one of their top two picks) but it wouldn't be the worst idea if they find the right guy.

The Broncos need to make sure they are physical enough in the trenches to deal with the defensive linemen the Chiefs have at their disposal, which now includes two very problematic pass rush threats in Chris Jones and Charles Omenihu. Those guys are long, strong, and athletic.

Is there a rookie in this class that's going to hold up against those guys? Are the Broncos going to need to look to the free agent pool after the draft to add veteran help? One way or another, finding the right interior offensive lineman could be a difference maker in the Broncos getting past the Chiefs.