Denver Broncos 10 breakout players for 2023 season
- Tight end emerging?
- Pass rusher and safety breakout looming?
Over the last six months, the state of the Denver Broncos 2023 roster has been analyzed, dissected, and debated. Now, we're just a week away from the team playing its first game of the Sean Payton era and giving us our first glimpse of whether or not everyone who feels this team is significantly improved is right.
The more you look at this Denver Broncos roster, however, the more you see potential for breakthrough from a wide variety of players. Every year, content creators all over sports love to try and project breakout players for specific teams, but in my opinion, the rules are way too often stretched for certain guys. There's no absolute authority on the criteria for what makes a breakout player candidate, but in my opinion, the guy has to go from relative obscurity to a significant starter or contributor.
A great example would be Courtland Sutton in 2019, who had a massive "breakout" year after a solid rookie season. Or maybe an even more obvious example would be Patrick Mahomes for the Chiefs in 2018. Drafted in 2017, sat most of the year, and then won MVP in his first year as the starter in 2018.
Who are the Denver Broncos' top breakout player candidates in 2023? Let's take a look at the list that ended up being much longer than anticipated.
Denver Broncos top breakout player candidates in 2023
Honorable mentions
Javonte Williams, RB
To me, picking Javonte Williams as a "breakout" candidate feels a bit like cheating. He had a really solid rookie season with over 1,200 yards from scrimmage and 7 total touchdowns. With that being said, could he obliterate those numbers with a healthy 2023? Yes, he absolutely could. To me, though, Williams' breakout has already happened.
Jerry Jeudy, WR
Another one that could be considered cheating, Jerry Jeudy has yet to truly have a "breakout" NFL season in my opinion, but it feels weird to predict a breakout for him in year four as well. He's already established as a playmaker, but he could be in line for his best NFL season statistically, no doubt.