For the eighth year in a row, the Denver Broncos will not be in the playoffs, and the work for the 2024 NFL Season begins now. They should avoid making these five mistakes. Honestly, this roster needs a lot of work, but I do think the team has the right coaching staff in place. The team started 1-5 and finished 7-4. They also had a legitimate shot to make the postseason. Even though it's another losing season, we definitely saw some tangible progress from the team.
Sean Payton is also not a stranger with the situation he is currently in with the Broncos. He's been in NFL circles for decades now and has gone through countless offseasons. Just because the Broncos have a solid structure in place, does not mean they are going to ace the offseason. The Broncos should avoid making these five grave mistakes.
5 mistakes the Denver Broncos should avoid in 2024
1. Broncos should avoid not upgrading Jarrett Stidham's spot
The Denver Broncos signed Jarrett Stidham to be the QB2 last offseason. Stidham ended up getting two starts for the Broncos at the end of the year. Denver went 1-1 in those starts. And while Stidham showed flashes here and there of someone who can be serviceable, he is nowhere near the best possible QB2/bridge/stopgap QB option for the Broncos.
The simply need to upgrade from Stidham, and there are a plethora of quality bridge QB options the Broncos can pursue. Guys like Jameis Winston, Gardner Minshew, and Jacoby Brissett are all free agents and clearly better passers than Stidham. Las Vegas Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo is also likely going to be a free agent in 2024, and he's another passer who is simply better than Stidham.
I have nothing against Jarrett Stidham. He's a middle-of-the-road backup QB, which is fine, but Denver is going to have a clear opportunity to find a better bridge QB in 2024.