The Denver Broncos will open their 2023 preseason this Friday night against the Arizona Cardinals.
Not only will fans be anxious to see some football, but the clock is ticking to the official start of the 2023 season. The Broncos have a bunch of questions to answer this season and fans are going to be eager to see signs of improvement right out of the gate.
Sean Payton will be on the sideline for the first time as the team's coach and we will get a look at how this team may operate this season. Plus, Payton has already announced that the starters are going to play.
That is a good thing, regardless of how unimportant some feel that the preseason is. Starters getting reps is a good thing and, in my mind, was the first massive mistake made last year by Nathaniel Hackett.
This will be a key game for the team even if training camp is still fresh. It will be good to see how things stand, how some players look and what kind of competition actually exists within some of these position battles.
These six players need to bring it and have a good night against the Cardinals.
Broncos players who need to come up big in first preseason game: Nik Bonitto, Edge
Let's face it, Nik Bonitto had a poor rookie season. The reasons for that could be many and are anyone's guess at this point, but the bottom line is that year two needs to be a lot better. If not, that "bust" word will start to get casually tossed around.
What better time to start than right out of the gate?
Bonitto should see a decent amount of snaps in this game and if he can get pressure on Cardinals quarterbacks and create some disruption or even get a sack, encouragement will start to build.
Bonitto had a high draft grade by most every draft analyst coming out of college, so the Broncos certainly didn't reach when they selected him. Let's just hope the new coaching staff is able to get more out of him than the last one did.
Broncos players who need to come up big in first preseason game: Albert Okwuegbuanm, Tight end
Albert Okwuegbunam is going to be one of the more difficult players on the roster to evaluate this preseason. The reason for that is because he is slowly being buried on the depth chart as the Broncos have Greg Dulcich but also added Adam Trautman and Chris Manhertz but at the same time, the talent is there.
Okwuegbunam seemed to fall out of favor quickly in Hackett's offense, but he has the skills to absolutely thrive with Payton. Which guy are we going to get?
His name will sit firmly on the roster bubble unless and until he has a big performance in the preseason, so coming out and having one of those games this Friday night would be huge for him.
The Broncos won't want to move on from Okwuegbunam easily. He's still just 25 years old, but if guys like Manhertz and Trautman prove to fit what Payton wants to do better, than he could easily become a victim of the numbers game.
Broncos players who need to come up big in first preseason game: Montrell Washington, Wide receiver
I recently spoke on the training camp that Montrell Washington is having and that seems to have put him squarely into consideration for the 53-man roster, something he was likely on the outside looking in on when camp first opened.
But he is going to need to expand on that because the team has so many options at the wide receiver position.
Washington should see good action in this game, likely catching passes from Jarett Stidham or Ben DiNucci, but he needs to maximize that opportunity. It will be interesting to see if he is put back to return any kickoffs or punts in this game.
Other wide receivers to watch that are looking to take a roster spot away from Washington include Brandon Johnson, Jalen Virgil and Taylor Grimes.
Broncos players who need to come up big in first preseason game: The kickers
The Broncos will likely give both of their kickers — Brett Maher and Elliott Fry — a chance to do some field-goal and extra-point kicking in this game. One would have to think that the much more experienced Maher is the favorite to win the job, but it's also fair to ask if either of these guys will ultimately win the job.
Veterans such as Mason Crosby and Robbie Gould are available as free agents.
In order for Maher and Fry to keep those names out of future correspondence from the front office, they need to go out and do their jobs in this game.
Maher missing multiple extra points in a playoff game last year is still fresh in the minds of NFL fans. Fry has been with many teams but hardly ever kicked in a game that matters.
These two aren't exactly standing on steady ground. They need to start to make it more stable in this game.
Broncos players who need to come up big in first preseason game: Russell Wilson, Quarterback
We don't know how long Russell Wilson is going to play in this game, but we know that he will. It might be a quarter, it might be just one series. Regardless of how many snaps he gets, he needs to show fans the Russ of old, as much as he can.
Wilson was bad with a capital B in his first season with the Broncos. His performance had fans questioning just how bad the trade for him could end up being and just how much it will ultimately end up costing.
Things are supposed to improve with Payton running the show. Broncos Country is praying that Wilson is not on the down slope that many feel he is quickly sliding down.
He can start to show that he's not in this game. He needs to come out and sling it around as much as he can. He needs to show good movement in the pocket, cohesion with his receivers and timing on his throws. All of those things were missing last season.
Russ won't play long, but he needs to play well.