The 2023 NFL season is going to be one that is both interesting and important for the Denver Broncos.
The team has a superstar (if you look past all of last season) quarterback and a future Hall-of-Fame head coach. There are other big names on the roster as well, such as Justin Simmons and Patrick Surtain, but any NFL team with aspirations of having a successful season are going to need 53 players (and quite likely, more) to get the job done.
The Broncos have a wealth of young players with untapped potential on the roster. Here are three players who could break out in 2023 and become big pieces of that collective effort.
Broncos 2023 breakout candidate: Damarri Mathis, Cornerback
The Broncos play in the AFC West, a division with two of the better passing quarterbacks in the league in Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert. They are going to have to defend the pass.
Patrick Surtain has emerged as one of the best cover corners in the league so naturally, teams are going to favor attacking the guy on the other side. As of now, that will be Damarri Mathis.
Mathis had an up and down season as a rookie last year and due to an injury suffered by Ronald Darby, likely had to see the field more often than the team would have liked. But there is no better way to learn than with on the job training and Mathis was thrust into action.
He made 11 starts as a rookie and had 65 tackles with seven pass deflections. He was flagged for pass interference four times in one game against the Los Angeles Chargers, but he didn't let that get him down and he finished the season strong.
The fourth-round pick out of LSU now has a chance to be a starting cornerback in the league and though the team added Riley Moss in the third round of this year's draft, he will be there to provide support rather than to take Mathis' job right out of the gate.
Since teams could shy away from Surtain, Mathis could certainly get his chance to shine in year two.