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.
Broncos 2023 breakout candidate: Zach Allen, Defensive Lineman
It was certainly disappointing to see the Broncos lose Dre'Mont Jones in free agency and many fans may have seen the signing of Zach Allen as his replacement as a serious downgrade. But that may not necessarily be the case.
Allen is a former third-round pick and he played well in an Arizona Cardinals defense that was not very good. He was a perfect fit for this Broncos' defense and when Vance Joseph came over from Arizona to be the team's defensive coordinator, he got to keep the coach that knows his talent the best.
Allen is still just 25 years old and has a ton of football left in him. He could easily become what Derek Wolfe, one of the unsung heroes of the Denver defense for many years, was for the Broncos.
Allen will be in the starting lineup this season and fans unfamiliar with his play are going to be pleasantly surprised at how quick he is off the snap and how often he can become disruptive at the point of attack. He is a threat to get to the quarterback and will rack up the tackles for loss in a hurry.
Allen has a chance to be a highly successful player for this team.
Broncos 2023 breakout candidate: Greg Dulcich, Tight End
Greg Dulcich got off to a slow start during his rookie season in 2022 due to injuries, but he ended up being the arguably best rookie on the team last season.
He should enter this summer as the team's No. 1 tight end and that is a position that has always been an important one in Sean Payton offenses.
Dulcich should be targeted plenty of times this season by Russell Wilson and so long as he can stay healthy, he should be able to immensely improve on the numbers he posted last season of 33 receptions for 411 yards and two touchdowns, which he did in just 10 games.
The Broncos also have Adam Trautman and Albert Okwuegbunam on the roster at tight end but Dulcich easily has the highest ceiling of those three players and could start to rise in 2023.