4 Broncos who can't afford to have a down year in 2023

Broncos who can't afford to have a down year in 2023: Russell Wilson

The Broncos' quarterback is not going to have the free pass that he had in 2022. While some fans may feel that Russell Wilson took too much blame for last season's struggles, others may feel he didn't get enough.

Simply put, Wilson was very bad in his first season in Denver. The trade looked bad from my perspective when it was made and it looked progressively worse as the season went on.

Wilson is going to have to be much better this season. Perhaps he wasn't a good fit for the system that Nathaniel Hackett wanted to run but Hackett is gone and Payton is here. He will have no choice but to be a good fit for Payton's offense.

If he's not, Payton likely will not be afraid to turn to Jarrett Stidham, who is not as far behind Wilson as you may think.

Would Payton actually bench Wilson, who the Broncos gave up a ton to get from the Seattle Seahawks last year? In my opinion, he will without hesitation. With that said, Wilson is going to have to be the Wilson we saw from 2012-2021 in Seattle and not the one we saw in Denver in 2022.