Non-Russell Wilson reasons why the Broncos may struggle in 2023

Most seem to assume the success of the Denver Broncos might hedge on the performance of Russell Wilson. Is this the full truth, though? What other things can go wrong besides Wilson?

Some think that Russell Wilson is cooked, and they have every right to think that. I'm in the camp that I think Wilson is going to bounce back just fine and return to his normal ways from 2012-2021 in Seattle. However, even if Wilson does do this, there is no guarantee that the Broncos will be a good team.

To be fair, the Sean Payton-coached New Orleans Saints had a few years with an elite offense but a losing record, so just because Payton is in the mix with what appears to be a solid coaching staff, that doesn't mean Denver is out of the woods just yet.

Let's take a look at three reasons why, besides Russell Wilson, the Broncos struggle in 2023.

Non-Russell Wilson reasons why the Broncos may struggle in 2023
1. The defense simply collapses

Vance Joseph doesn't have a great record as a defensive coordinator in the NFL, and I'm worried that the defense takes a nosedive in 2023.

I think many of us are assuming that Joseph being a veteran coach and inheriting what was a top 10 defense last year will be a seamless transition for both coach and personnel, but I wouldn't be so sure about that.

He's been a defensive coordinator for five seasons as an NFL coach, and his units have ranked 18th, 28th, 12th, 11th, and 31st in points.

That's an average of ranking 20th in the league in points allowed on defense. Honestly, it's the only statistic that matters on defense. Sure, Denver may sack the QB a ton and force turnovers, but if they are allowing teams to score more than 20 points per game consistently, then the offense, which has a ton of new parts, will have to work that much harder to score points.