After Patrick Surtain II, who is the best player on the Broncos Roster?

George Paton hit a home run with his first-ever Draft Pick as the Denver Broncos General Manager, selecting former Alabama Crimson Tide Cornerback Patrick Surtain II in the 2021 NFL Draft. Surtain has shown that he can be a top-tier CB in the NFL. He has only played for two seasons in the NFL but has already been recognized around the league with important honors. Surtain was a First-Team All-Rookie in the Pro Football Focus, and Pro Football Writers of America teams, respectively.

In 2022, Surtain started every single game, was the starting CB for the AFC's Pro Bowl Roster, and was a First-Team All-Pro. Additionally, he was the second-best Cornerback in yards allowed in coverage (142). Truly a lockdown corner, and has been in the league for only two years. With all that being said, in my opinion, Patrick Surtain II is the best player on the Denver Broncos roster.

But ... after Surtain, who is the Best player in the Broncos? Or without including "PSII", who is the best player in the Broncos?

In my opinion there are a few players that can be a part of the debate/conversation ...

Let's start with Safety Justin Simmons ...

Justin Simmons has been one of the best safeties in the NFL for the past few years. In the 2022-23 season, Simmons had the most interceptions in the league, with 6, despite missing five games. Two other players were tied with Justin for the interception title, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, and standout rookie Tariq Woolen. For me, Justin is not only a key piece in the Broncos' defense, but he has also been a true leader, an anchor in the Secondary. He has been named to the NFL Second-Team All-Pro three times in the past four years.

Simmons, statistically, was the fourth-best Broncos' defensive player in tackles, second-best in pass breakups, and the best in forced fumbles and interceptions. Simmons can even be considered the best player on the team.

Receiver Jerry Jeudy can be in the conversation, but has concerns ...

Jerry has had ups and downs over his three-year career in the NFL. In his first two seasons, he did not have a consistent quarterback but had good plays and good games. In 2022, the Broncos traded for 9x Pro Bowl, and Super Bowl Champion QB Russell Wilson, the first quarterback that could be able to make Jeudy a star WR in the NFL, as he was in Alabama. Jeudy was the Broncos' receiving leader in the 2022 season statistically, with 67 receptions, 972 yards, and 6 touchdowns.

His consistency and health are concerns, as he has been injured a few times over his career, missing a few games, and has also dropped some important passes. Jeudy is still young, he is an amazing route runner, and has the ability to be a top-tier WR in the NFL.

A few other players that can be added to the conversation are Russell Wilson, Javonte Williams, Zach Allen, Quinn Meinerz, and Randy Gregory, to name a few ...

Javonte Williams is a great running back, he has shown that he can be a workhorse RB, but injuries have been a problem over his young career. As a rookie, despite sharing the backfield with Melvin Gordon, and not being the starter, he had 903 rushing yards. In 2022, he got the starting job, even with Gordon still on the team, he had a good start but had a season-ending injury in week 4.

Russell Wilson had a very inconsistent first season as the Denver Broncos quarterback. It was not his fault 100%, but still, Russ had very bad games. Playcalling and coaching were awful, but when the Broncos decided to fire Head Coach Nathaniel Hackett, Wilson had a strong finish. Under Hackett, Wilson had 232.23 AVG passing yards,13 passing TDs, and 9 Interceptions in 13 games. Under interim HC Jerry Rosburg, he had 252.5 AVG passing yards, 7 passing TDs, and 2 Interceptions in two games. Wilson can return to his Pro Bowl level of play, and be the important piece on offense that the Denver Broncos need from him going forward.

Edge rushers Zach Allen and Randy Gregory can be a part of the conversation too. There are problems that probably take them out, at least at the moment. Let's start with Allen, he is a great player, he's great at creating pressure, and had the second-most sacks last season for the Arizona Cardinals, but there are two problems with him, that once again, at the moment, take him out of the conversation. The first one is that he has not played a single snap for the Broncos, since he was recently added to the roster via Free Agency, so we do not know how the change of teams will affect his performance either for good or for bad.

The second is health. Allen has not played an entire season over his four-year NFL career, and has had a few injuries that have sidelined him for some games.

Now let's talk about Randy Gregory. During his first season with the Broncos, he played in only six games and had a couple of injuries, but in those six games, he had two sacks, two forced fumbles, and seven QB hits. If he can stay healthy, Gregory can be a huge piece of the Broncos' defense going forward.

Quinn Meinerz, aka "The Belly" has shown over his short two-year NFL Career, that he can be a top-tier Offensive Guard, not only for Denver, he can be a top-tier OG in the entire NFL. He has 22 starts in 28 games played in just two seasons. In 2022, Meinerz played for over 700 snaps, allowing just three sacks (24th best in the NFL, among OG's), and had only two penalties (52nd best in the NFL, among OG's). He is great in run-blocking and has been decent in pass protection. Injuries have been a little concern over Meinerz's young career, but he is still an important player for the Broncos. One of the best in 2022.

So, after all the players mentioned ... Is Patrick Surtain II unanimously the best player on the Broncos roster? Who is the second-best player?