5 former Broncos struggling badly on different teams in 2023

While the Denver Broncos have been slowly but surely turning things around in 2023, it hasn't exactly been the best season for a lot of former Broncos players and coaches. If this sounds like a familiar topic, it might be that you're actually reading the sequel to a piece that was written on this site last month. But sometimes the sequel is better than the original.

And, quite frankly, a lot of former Denver Broncos players and coaches are simply not doing well in different NFL cities right now. They've either discovered that the grass isn't greener, or teams made mistakes in thinking these players could be better in their programs.

Let's take (another) look at players and/or coaches who are having a rough time outside of Denver in 2023.

1. Frank Clark, EDGE

The fact that Frank Clark is a "former Bronco" is kind of a crazy thought to think. At some point, Frank Clark will appear on someone's Immaculate Grid, but for the time being, Broncos Country isn't exactly shedding any tears over his lack of success with the Seattle Seahawks this season.

When the Broncos let go of Clark, there were a lot of really dumb comments made on the internet (go figure), including sentiments like this:

It was always hilarious to me that anyone would think Frank Clark was escaping something in Denver, even as bad as the team was at the time. You can always separate the ball knowers on the internet from the non-ball knowers. Anyone who watched the Broncos or paid attention to the saga with Frank Clark knew that he stunk badly.

While it was a bad signing by the Broncos, it wasn't like Frank Clark's superstardom was being held back by what was going on in Denver. He was contributing to how horrible the team was. And since he left Denver, the Broncos have gone 5-1 while the Seahawks have dropped to 6-6. How about that? And Clark has done virtually nothing to help the Seahawks.

2. Von Miller, EDGE, Bills

This one is really unfortunate to write because everyone in Broncos Country absolutely adores Von Miller, and we know that Miller always has love in his heart for the Denver Broncos. Even as a member of the Los Angeles Rams and now Buffalo Bills, Miller bleeds orange and blue.

But this has been a really bad year for the Super Bowl 50 MVP.

And that extends to things going on off the field as well...

Off the field, there are obviously concerns right now for Von Miller that still feel unsettled. On the field, it's been a trying year to say the least. Miller has played in eight games for the Bills and has just one QB hit and no sacks. He's been a non-factor in most of Buffalo's games this year, but he's only in year two of a six-year, $120 million pact made last offseason.

Although most NFL contracts include a lot of funny money to fit things under the salary cap, the Bills definitely made a hefty investment in Von Miller that has ultimately ended in disappointment. Now there are off-field issues to go on top of Miller ending last year on injured reserve and not playing well at all in 2023?

You can't help but wonder how much longer Von will be in the league at this point. He's 34 going on 35 next offseason and has accomplished more than most.

3. KJ Hamler, WR, Colts

There was a time when it looked like KJ Hamler was going to be a key piece of the Denver Broncos' offense. Although he has struggled with injuries dating back to before he even got into the NFL, Hamler showed in his rookie season the kind of threat he was capable of being with 30 receptions for 381 yards and three touchdowns.

Heck, even as recently as last season, Hamler proved how valuable his field-stretching abilities can be when the Broncos went to London to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars and he caught a pair of passes for 52 yards.

Unfortunately, that would be the last time we'd see KJ Hamler in a Denver Broncos uniform. He suffered a pectoral injury in the offseason, and was placed on the Non-Football Injury list to open camp, but the Broncos seemed somewhat open to bringing Hamler back even after waiving him.

They didn't, and Hamler ended up signing on with the Indianapolis Colts' practice squad. Even though he's been with the Colts since the beginning of the season, Hamler hasn't been elevated for any games this season and was just recently placed on the practice squad injury list.

It's been a tough couple of years for the former second-round pick out of Penn State. Hopefully, he can get back out on the field sometime soon.

4. Albert Okwuegbunam, TE

Although he played incredibly well in the final preseason game, Albert Okwuegbunam hasn't been able to translate that into any success with his new team, the Philadelphia Eagles.

There are rumors that the Eagles want to add veteran Zach Ertz to their roster and part of the reason they might be interested in doing that is because Okwuegbunam hasn't been able to carve out any sort of role for himself. He's been mostly inactive this season, but appearing in four games, he has just one target and no receptions.

Unfortunately, there hasn't been any of this going on for Okwuegbunam with the Eagles:

Ironically, the Denver Broncos could really use Okweugbunam right now. Greg Dulcich has missed most of the season due to hamstring issues, and the Broncos haven't really been able to find any sort of real replacement for him.

The team likes Lucas Krull, but Krull's involvement has been limited since he's still on the practice squad.

Of course, Okwuegbunam got caught up in the numbers game when roster cuts had to be made, but this was a tough loss for the Broncos even though they did end up getting something in return. And as it turns out, even playing on one of the best teams in the NFL hasn't resulted in any production for Okwuegbunam.

5. Randy Gregory, EDGE, 49ers

There was a time for a bit earlier this season when it looked like the San Francisco 49ers might have cursed themselves by trading for Randy Gregory. Gregory was one of the most disappointing players on the (then) 1-5 Denver Broncos before getting sent to the 49ers, who immediately lost three straight games upon acquiring him.

They even went out at the NFL trade deadline and added Chase Young off the edge as well even after picking up Randy Gregory. Although Gregory had three QB hits and a sack in his debut as a member of the 49ers, they struggled badly right after acquiring him and after those first three games in San Francisco, the 49ers put Gregory on the shelf for a couple of weeks.

Only recently did he get back out onto the field, playing in the 49ers' two most recent dominating victories. Gregory did have a tackle for loss against the Seahawks on Thanksgiving, and he recently added a pair of QB hits in the 49ers' blowout win against the Philadelphia Eagles, but he has a long way to go to prove that he's not exactly struggling in his new spot.

The 49ers are having such tremendous team success rushing the passer overall, and Gregory has been part of that recently. He did get a lot of pressures (5) against the Eagles, so perhaps Gregory has turned the proverbial corner. But it's been a tough season for the former big-money free agent. Gregory was expected to be a top-tier pass rusher upon leaving Dallas for a five-year, $70 million pact with the Denver Broncos.

A handful of pressures against the Eagles doesn't mean Gregory has all of a sudden proven people who doubted the validity of that deal wrong.