The Denver Broncos are coming off of a season in which the team was decimated by injuries, fired its coach the day after Christmas, and once again finished last place in the AFC West. They were a win or two by the New York Jets away from having the single longest playoff drought currently in the NFL. It feels odd, then, to say that the Broncos have a pretty good-looking roster going into the 2023 season, doesn't it?
New league years come with renewed optimism, of course. Every NFL team is going to experience its own version of ups and downs throughout the 2023 season, but the question right now regarding the Denver Broncos is seemingly less about the roster and more about how everything is going to come together in year one of the Sean Payton era.
No head coach has ever won a Super Bowl with two different teams (as the team's head coach), but no quarterback had won the Super Bowl with two different teams until Peyton Manning won Super Bowl 50 with the Denver Broncos, either. Sean Payton is not just out to change the culture in Denver, he was brought in with 15 years of getting the best out of every level of player -- undrafted guys to future Hall of Famers.
With the context of Sean Payton, I don't think it can be overstated just how improved we should expect the Denver Broncos to be in 2023. It's fair to temper expectations based on results in recent years for the team, of course, but I think it's a disservice to the level of coaching that Sean Payton brings to the table to expect this Broncos team to be an embarrassment or even a "losing" team in 2023.
Sean Payton inherited a roster that was already two years in progress of being "rebuilt" or "reloaded" by George Paton, who was hired as the Broncos' general manager in 2021. When Paton was hired by the Broncos, he said he felt like this team was a "sleeping giant". The acquisition of Russell Wilson in 2022 seemed to be the final missing piece to the puzzle for the Broncos, but it was anything but that. Could Sean Payton actually prove to be the one to get the most out of this roster?
The Broncos are talented on both sides of the ball. They have star players and/or budding stars on both sides of the ball. Let's look at the quality of this roster and give each position group a grade out of 100 looking at the following criteria:
- Quality of the starter(s)
- Quality of the depth
- Potential ceiling/floor
Assuming every position group were to miraculously stay healthy, how good is this Denver Broncos roster in 2023?
Denver Broncos roster grades: Quarterback
Players:
- Russell Wilson
- Jarrett Stidham
- Ben DiNucci
- Jarrett Guarantano
Despite the fact that many people are down on Russell Wilson after the 2022 season (understandably so), I simply refuse to believe that the guy we saw last year is the guy we're going to see going forward. Now, Russ will deservedly be on a bit of a short leash in 2023, but I think we're going to see him bounce back in a big way in Sean Payton's offense.
Last year, Wilson was dealing with a lot of injuries, way more than people even realized on the surface. We found out in the 2023 offseason that he has been dealing with a knee issue for a couple of years, so he had arthroscopic surgery to have it repaired. Wilson missed some time last season with a partially torn hamstring and also dealt with a torn lat. He had a concussion late in the season.
Wilson had added weight last offseason to attempt to be less prone to soft-tissue injuries and it actually worked against him. We've seen images surface in the 2023 offseason of a much leaner Russell Wilson and hopefully much healthier.
Behind Russ, the Broncos brought in Jarrett Stidham, a younger player who seemingly has a bright future according to Sean Payton. Stidham was a fourth-round pick of the Patriots out of Auburn in 2019, and got the chance to show what he could do at the end of last season as a member of the Raiders. He impressed the Broncos, and specifically, Payton.
I would characterize Stidham as a high-upside but relatively unproven backup option at this point.
The Broncos also still have Jarrett Guarantano, a player they brought in from the Cardinals' practice squad last year, as well as former XFL QB and former Dallas Cowboys draft pick Ben DiNucci. DiNucci impressed the team with his showing at the minicamp last weekend and I wouldn't be shocked if he was your odds-on favorite to be the team's QB3 in 2023.
Overall, I think you have to grade this position heavily toward Russell Wilson, and your grade will change based on what version of Russ you think the Broncos are getting. I think he will be much more like his old self in 2023. The options behind Wilson of Stidham, DiNucci, and Guarantano are intriguing, at the very least.
Overall grade: 88/100 (B+)
Denver Broncos roster grades: Special teams
Players
- Brandon McManus
- Riley Dixon
- Mitchell Fraboni
The Denver Broncos replaced Corliss Waitman with Riley Dixon at the punter position in 2023, and that's the only change that's been made to the specialists on the roster. They have not brought in any substantial competition for Brandon McManus, which is at least slightly worrisome considering McManus is coming off of a down year.
Long snapper Mitchell Fraboni was added last year when Jacob Bobenmoyer dealt with injuries, and he remains the only long snapper on the team. This special teams unit just looks solid, overall.
Overall grade: 80/100 (B-)
Denver Broncos roster grades: Running Back
Players:
- Javonte Williams
- Samaje Perine
- Tony Jones Jr.
- Damarea Crockett
- Tyler Badie
- Jacques Patrick
- Emanuel Wilson
- Jaleel McLaughlin
- Michael Burton (FB)
It will be interesting to see how everyone feels about this position group at the end of the preseason. At this point in time, everyone in Broncos Country is getting dragged every which way by reports of Javonte Williams maybe being ready by the regular season, maybe needing to miss some regular season time, and the latest being that he might not even need to be on the PUP to start training camp.
Ultimately, we're just going to have to wait to see what happens here with Javonte Williams, but without him, I think you could argue this is the "worst" position group on the team right now. The addition of veteran Samaje Perine is certainly helpful but Perine has never been a full-time back in the NFL.
Is he ready for bell-cow duties? I'm not sold on that, but if the Broncos feel like Javonte Williams is going to be healthy, then I think Perine is as quality of a RB2 as you can find with his ability to play all three downs.
Behind those guys is a bunch of players who will have to run hard and run well in the preseason to really gain any traction among Broncos Country. They are mostly unknowns at this point.
Overall grade: 84/100 (B)
Denver Broncos roster grades: Wide receiver
Players:
- Jerry Jeudy; KJ Hamler; Brandon Johnson; Kendall Hinton; Dallas Daniels
- Courtland Sutton; Marvin Mims; Lil'Jordan Humphrey; Jalen Virgil
- Tim Patrick; Marquez Callaway; Montrell Washington; Taylor Grimes
The wide receiver position is probably the "best" the Denver Broncos have on paper on the roster going into the offseason program in 2023. Injuries have really crushed this position group since the start of the 2020 season, robbing us of seeing the best versions of Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, and Tim Patrick (along with KJ Hamler) all on the field at the same time.
Entering the offseason program, Tim Patrick is seemingly ahead of schedule in his recovery, and both Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton are back after being the subjects of trade rumors throughout the offseason.
If everyone at this position group is healthy, I think it's a well-rounded and deep group, especially after the addition of Marvin Mims with the team's top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. You've got guys who can win with size, you've got good route runners, good blockers, guys with speed, and everything in between. This is a diverse group of receivers with a strong combination of experience, talent, and upside.
Overall grade: 92/100 (A-)
Denver Broncos roster grades: Tight End
Players:
- Greg Dulcich
- Adam Trautman
- Chris Manhertz
- Albert Okwuegbunam
- Kris Leach
- Nate Adkins
The Denver Broncos have really revamped the tight end position over the last two years. Of course, former first-round pick Noah Fant was included in the blockbuster deal that sent Russell Wilson to Denver last offseason, but the team overhauled this position group in 2023 with new head coach Sean Payton.
Gone are players like Eric Saubert, Eric Tomlinson, and Andrew Beck. In are players like Chris Manhertz, Adam Trautman, and fullback Michael Burton.
The Broncos used a third-round pick last year on Greg Dulcich and he lived up to the hype he was receiving last offseason...when he was on the field, that is. Dulcich dealt with a hamstring issue for most of the 2022 season, and although he played in 10 games, it felt like his availability was even more sparse than that.
Bringing in Trautman should be a huge help to this unit, as well as adding blocking specialist Chris Manhertz. I don't think this unit boasts anything spectacular (just yet) but I think it's solid with the additions of Trautman and Manhertz, and Dulcich has a chance to be a star receiver at the position if he continues to grow as an all-around player.
Overall grade: 83/100 (B)
Denver Broncos roster grades: Offensive Line
Players:
- Garett Bolles; Isaiah Prince; Christian DiLauro; Alex Palczewski
- Ben Powers; Quinn Bailey; Henry Byrd
- Lloyd Cushenberry III; Kyle Fuller; Alex Forsyth
- Quinn Meinerz, Luke Wattenberg; Will Sherman
- Mike McGlinchey; Hunter Thedford; Demontrey Jacobs
The overall grade for the Denver Broncos' offensive line will be heavily weighted toward the starting five as well as operating under the assumption that everyone is healthy. Again, we're looking at these position groups on paper.
I think in terms of volatility, this is the position group that, as of right now, is one injury at a couple of positions away from being in apparent disaster mode. For example, the Broncos really can't afford to lose either starting tackle Garett Bolles or Mike McGlinchey for any amount of time.
Sean Payton has historically only kept eight offensive linemen on his rosters, and he's also historically kept pretty unproven (or unheralded) depth. The Broncos don't appear overly deep on the offensive line, but don't be surprised if some of the projected backups turn out to be gems when all is said and done.
This unit got a massive upgrade from the arrival of McGlinchey at RT and Ben Powers at LG. The Broncos will get Garett Bolles back healthy this year, and Quinn Meinerz is quickly establishing himself as one of the better right guards in the league.
The true wild card here is Lloyd Cushenberry III at the center position. If he plays anything like what we've seen in his first three NFL seasons, it's not going to be good news. Can the new coaching staff get the best out of the former third-round pick out of LSU?
The Broncos have some young players with intriguing upside, but it's mostly late-round picks and dart throws in the depth department.
Overall grade: 89/100 (B+)
Denver Broncos roster grades: Defensive Line
Players:
- Zach Allen; Jonathan Harris; Jordan Jackson
- DJ Jones; Mike Purcell; PJ Mustipher
- Eyioma Uwazurike; Matt Henningsen; Haggai Ndubuisi; Elijah Garcia
The Denver Broncos have two high-priced free agents on the defensive line in 2022 acquisition DJ Jones and 2023 acquisition Zach Allen. Those two guys lead a group that I would classify as being "top-heavy" going into the 2023 offseason program.
Mike Purcell struggled with injuries for a couple of years but bounced back with a nice season in 2022. I think he brings strong depth but the question mark is at the defensive end position opposite Allen. Will it be former fourth-round pick Eyioma Uwazurike? Former sixth-round pick Matt Henningsen? Someone else?
The Broncos have options, and intriguing options at that, but they do not have much proven depth on the defensive line at this point. Part of the reason why defensive line coach Marcus Dixon was one of only two coaches retained from the previous staff is (presumably) his ability to develop guys on the defensive line.
Although he's got some high-priced veterans to lean on, Dixon is going to need to extract the best of the rest from this young group. Seeing someone like Jordan Jackson, Elijah Garcia, or NFL international prospect Haggai Ndubuisi emerge would be really cool. The Broncos might need it, unless they bring in additional veteran help.
Overall grade: 86/100 (B)
Denver Broncos roster grades: Edge rusher
Players:
- Randy Gregory; Jonathan Cooper; Aaron Patrick; Marcus Haynes
- Baron Browning; Nik Bonitto; Christopher Allen; Thomas Incoom
Let me just spoil this one a little bit by telling you -- this might be the worst position group currently on the roster. In fact, as far as my "grades" go, it is the worst position group on the roster.
The Broncos signed Randy Gregory in the 2022 offseason to be their top guy off the edge, and he predictably played very little in his first year with the team. His struggle to stay healthy was frustrating because there were so many other options the Broncos had last year, including allocating those funds to re-sign Bradley Chubb or perhaps going after someone like Von Miller/Chandler Jones instead (even if it meant going up to a higher price range).
The position switch for Baron Browning appears to have been a success, but the jury is still somewhat out on that one. Browning has the talent to be an elite-level pass rusher in the NFL, but can he play the position consistently enough on all three downs?
Behind Gregory and Browning are a number of talented players, but players who could also be considered "Wild Cards" at the position. Nik Bonitto was a second-round pick in 2022 who needs to prove he can be strong enough at the point of attack to earn increased snaps.
Jonathon Cooper is a former seventh-round pick who has flashed for the Broncos in his first two NFL seasons, but have we seen anything consistent enough from him to believe he could be a full-time starter if need be?
This position group for the Broncos needs another veteran to raise the floor of the room. There are plenty of free agents out there, and perhaps bringing Jacob Martin back into the fold isn't out of the question, either.
Overall grade: 79/100 (C+)
Denver Broncos roster grades: Linebacker
Players:
- Josey Jewell; Jonas Griffith; Justin Strnad
- Alex Singleton; Drew Sanders; Ray Wilborn; Seth Benson
A year ago at this time, I think you could have made a compelling case that the inside linebacker position was far and away the worst position on the roster. The Broncos hadn't done anything at linebacker in the 2022 NFL Draft. Nobody expected much from Alex Singleton. Josey Jewell was coming off of a season-ending injury.
The 2022 season brought some good news at linebacker for the Broncos with Josey Jewell having a huge year and Alex Singleton leading the team in tackles. Jonas Griffith was supposed to be the breakout player on this defense, but injuries caused him to miss too much time to earn that distinction. He returns in 2023 along with the addition of third-round pick Drew Sanders.
Sanders impressed the media in attendance at the Broncos' rookie minicamp over the weekend and has a chance to crack the rotation as a rookie. Overall, I think this position group has talent and depth. There might not be any "Fred Warner" in the Broncos' linebacker room right now, but they are solid in terms of the starting lineup and the two-deep.
Overall grade: 88/100 (B+)
Denver Broncos roster grades: Cornerback
Players:
- Pat Surtain II; Riley Moss; Ja'Quan McMillian; Art Green; Darrious Gaines
- Damarri Mathis; Tremon Smith; Faion Hicks; Delonte Hood
- K'Waun Williams; Essang Bassey
The cornerback position starts with Pat Surtain II, who might just be the best cornerback in the NFL with only two years under his belt. Surtain has been absolutely as advertised since coming into the league out of Alabama, a prodigy at the cornerback position who has dominated his first two years in the NFL.
My overall grade for this position group weighs heavily toward Surtain and the potential of this group, because it's a young one. With that being said, I think the veteran of this group -- nickel cornerback K'Waun Williams -- is absolutely among the best at his job in the league.
Damarri Mathis is coming off of a strong rookie season and the Broncos are buying his stock as a potential starter while also hedging their bets by trading up for Riley Moss in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Having the strong rookie year from Mathis to look back on as well as the presence of Moss gives the Denver Broncos a few really athletic young cornerbacks to be molded by defensive backs coach Christian Parker.
If these young guys can take a step forward in the 2023 season, I think we could be looking at the best overall position group on the roster a year from now.
Overall grade: 89/100 (B+)
Denver Broncos roster grades: Safety
Players:
- Justin Simmons
- Caden Sterns
- Kareem Jackson
- PJ Locke
- Delarrin Turner-Yell
- JL Skinner
- Devon Key
I think the safety position is clearly one of the best on the Denver Broncos' roster, headlined of course by veteran Justin Simmons. Simmons might just be the best safety in the NFL, and the only reason he's not unanimously discussed as such is because the Broncos have stunk.
Facts.
Simmons is one of the best players in the NFL when it comes to creating turnovers, and he had 10 caused turnovers last season (6 INT, 3 FF, 1 FR) despite missing five games due to injury.
The Broncos were able to re-add Kareem Jackson into the mix, and the expectation is for the veteran to come in and play somewhat of a reduced role with Caden Sterns taking on a much bigger role this coming season. Injuries have limited Sterns in his first two NFL seasons, but if he can stay healthy, I think he's the team's breakout star defensively this year.
This position features some quality depth in the form of PJ Locke as well, and he's joined by one of Broncos Country's favorite rookies: JL Skinner. The team also brings back Delarrin Turner-Yell to make this overall position group one of the best on the team as a whole.
Overall grade: 90/100 (A-)