And with the Week 18 loss at Las Vegas ... the Denver Broncos 2023-24 season comes to an end. An 8-9 win-loss record in a season with lots of ups and downs ... a roller coaster season.
Here is a general recap of the Broncos 2023-24 season.
1. Sean Payton Trade:
Let's start with Sean Payton. The Broncos 2023-24 season started with the Sean Payton trade.
In January 2023, it was announced that the Broncos traded for Super Bowl champion head coach Sean Payton. Denver sent their 2023 1st-round draft pick (received in the Bradley Chubb trade) - the Saints selected DE Bryan Bresee, and their 2024 2nd-round pick and received New Orleans' 2024 3rd-round pick and Payton. Payton became the 8th head coach in NFL history to get traded, the first one in four years (Bruce Arians from Arizona to Tampa Bay in 2019). The hire became official on February 3, when Payton signed his contract with the Broncos.
After the trade Payton built up his staff, which is the following:
Assistant head coaches: Paul Kelly and Mike Westhoff
Offense:
Coordinator: Joe Lombardi
Quarterbacks: Davis Webb (John Morton - passing game coordinator)
Running backs: Lou Ayeni
Wide receivers: Keary Colbert
Tight ends: Declan Doyle
Offensive line: Zach Streif (Austin King - assistant)
Quality Control: Zach Grossi, Logan Kilgore, and Favian Upshaw
Defense:
Coordinator: Vance Joseph
Defensive Line: Marcus Dixon
Pass rush specialist: Jamar Cain
Quality control: Addison Lynch, and Isaac Shewmaker
Inside linebackers: Greg Manusky
Outside linebackers: Michael Wilhoite
Defensive backs: Christian Parker
Senior Assistant: Joe Vitt
Special Teams:
Coordinator: Ben Kotwica
Assistant: Chris Banjo
Strength and Conditioning:
Coach: Dan Dalrymple
Assistants: Korey Jones and Shaun Snee
Dixon, Parker, and Korey Jones are the only coaches from Nathaniel Hackett's staff that Payton brought back.
2. Free Agency:
Denver entered free agency with big needs, especially in free agency, and they spent big there. Here is what the Broncos did back in March:
- Signed G Ben Powers to a 4-year, $51.5 million deal
- Signed OT Mike McGlinchey to a 5-year, $87.5 million deal
- Re-signed LB Alex Singleton to a 3-year, $18 million deal
- Signed QB Jarrett Stidham to a 2-year, $10 million deal
- Signed DE Zach Allen to a 3-year, $47.750 million deal
- Signed TE Chris Manhertz to a 2-year, $6 million deal
- Signed RB Samaje Perine to a 2-year, $7.5 million deal
- Signed CB/ST Tremon Smith to a 2-year, $5 million deal
- Signed RB Tony Jones Jr. to a 1-year, $940K deal (waived)
- Signed WR Marquez Callaway to a 1-year, $1.135 million deal (did not make the 53-man roster)
- Signed FB Michael Burton to a 1-year, $1.3 million deal
- Signed EDGE Frank Clark to a 1-year deal (released)
- Re-signed OT Cam Fleming to a 1-year, $2.35 million deal
- Re-signed S Kareem Jackson to a 1-year, $2.67 million deal (waived)
- Signed P Riley Dixon to a 2-year, $3.5 million deal
- Signed C Kyle Fuller to a 1-year, $1.1 million deal (did not make the 53-man roster)
- Signed CB Fabian Moreau to a 1-year, $1.3 million deal
- Signed RB Dwayne Washington to a 1-year, $1.16 million deal
- Signed K Elliott Fry to a 1-year deal (waived in Preseason)
- Signed K Brett Maher to a 1-year, $1.08 million deal (did not make the 53-man roster)
- Signed WR Michael Bandy to a 1-year, $870K deal
- Re-signed CB Essang Bassey (waived)
- Re-signed S PJ Locke
Additionally, the Broncos traded for kicker Wil Lutz in exchange for a 2024 7th-round pick, and traded TE Albert Okwuegbunam and a 2025 7th-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a 2025 6th-round pick.
3. Draft:
The Broncos entered the 2023 NFL Draft with only five picks thanks to the Russell Wilson and Sean Payton trades. The first ones were two early third rounders. In the end, the Broncos draft class was the following:
- WR Marvin Mims Jr., Oklahoma - 63rd overall pick (Broncos traded their 68th overall pick and 138th overall pick to the Lions for the 63rd pick and 183rd pick)
- LB Drew Sanders, Arkansas - 67th overall pick
- CB Riley Moss, Iowa - 83rd overall pick (Denver traded their 108th overall pick and a 2024 third-round pick for the 83rd pick)
- S JL Skinner, Boise State - 183rd overall pick
- C Alex Forsyth, Oregon - 257th overall pick
Additionally, during the draft, Denver traded their 195th overall pick, and a 2024 7th-round pick to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for TE Adam Trautman and the 257th overall pick (Alex Forsyth)
4. Broncos sign 15 undrafted free agents:
Following the 2023 NFL Draft, the Broncos signed fifteen undrafted free agents ...
- RB Jaleel McLaughlin, Youngstown State
- RB Emanuel Wilson, Fort Valley State (waived - signed by the Packers and made their 53-man roster)
- TE Kris Leach, Kent State (waived)
- TE/FB Nate Adkins, South Carolina
- WR Taylor Grimes, Incarnate Word (waived)
- WR Dallas Daniels, Jackson State (waived)
- OL Henry Byrd, Princeton (waived - signed by the Vikings)
- OL Alex Palczewski, Illinois
- OL Demontrey Jacobs, USF (waived - signed to the Practice Squad)
- DL PJ Mustipher, Penn State (waived - signed to the Practice Squad)
- LB Seth Benson, Iowa (waived)
- EDGE Thomas Incoom, Central Michigan
- EDGE Marcus Haynes, Old Dominion (waived - signed to the Practice Squad)
- CB Art Green, Houston (waived - signed to the Practice Squad)
- CB Darrious Gaines, Western Colorado (waived)
Denver had a franchise record in undrafted free agents who made the 53-man roster (4 - McLaughlin, Palczewski, Incoom, and Adkins).
5. The season:
The Broncos started the season with a 17-16 loss at home against the Las Vegas Raiders and finished their season with a 27-14 loss on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders, a full circle that was full of ups and downs, a roller coaster first season under Sean Payton.
Started the season 1-5, first with three consecutive losses against the Raiders, Commanders, and Dolphins. The first two were at home and lost both games by less than three points (by one against the Raiders, by two against the Commanders), the third one was a historic mess, an embarrassing 70-20 loss on the road against the Dolphins. At that point in the season, many viewed the Broncos as one of the worst, if not the worst team in the league. Then the Broncos bounced back with a win, their first one of the season on the road against the Bears. Lost at home against the Jets and on the road against the Chiefs in back-to-back weeks.
The bounce back ... following their week 6 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Broncos defeated the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs at home, they had a 3-5 record heading into their week 9 bye. After the bye, Denver defeated the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football (on the road), and beat the Vikings and Browns at home, a 5-0 streak.
After the 5-0 stretch, the Broncos lost against the Texans, beat the Chargers, lost against the Lions, and closed the season with a loss against the Patriots, a win over the Chargers, and finally, a loss against the Raiders.
The Broncos defeated the Chiefs for the first time since the Peyton Manning era, got a road division win (at LAC - week 14) for the first time since 2019, also against the Chargers, and finished 3rd in the AFC West with a 3-3 record (swept the Chargers, got swept by the Raiders, and had an even record against the Chiefs). Finished the season with the same record as the Raiders, but due to the head-to-head matchup, the Broncos finished in third place.
As disappointing as it was to finish the season the way it did, for me, and probably for many Broncos fans, this was a very wild and fun season to watch. The 2024 season is gonna be a huge one!