Projecting Denver Broncos in 3 years: Backfield and tight ends
By Jack Ramsey
The Denver Broncos are looking to turn around their offensive output from a lackluster 2022, and any hope of that begins and ends in the offensive backfield. Between the production of Russell Wilson, the health of Javonte Williams, the production of Samaje Perine, and avoiding a sophomore slump with Greg Dulcich, the group of players highlighted in this article will be vital to the Broncos' success not only in 2023 but beyond.
In a possible scenario where some of these players do not perform, the Broncos could be sending some of them packing before too long. Here is a projection on which quarterbacks, running backs, and tight ends will still be on the Broncos when the team enters the 2025 season.
The Quarterbacks
There is no position on the Broncos with more intrigue heading into 2023 than the quarterback spot. Russell Wilson is entering one of the biggest "make or break" years in NFL history, and is potentially playing for his contract. Backup Jarrett Stidham is in his first year with the team and is one of the better backups in the league after putting up strong numbers to end the year with the Las Vegas Raiders.
However, if things go south for Wilson, the Broncos can move on from his contract without financially handicapping themselves after 2024. The team did not draft a quarterback in the 2023 draft, but did invite former Cowboys quarterback Ben DiNucci to camp as the team's fourth potential quarterback. At the moment, three quarterbacks are on the Broncos roster, including Jarrett Guarantano.
If Russ is unable to perform as he has before, the Broncos could consider drafting a quarterback or bringing in a bridge quarterback after 2023, living with Russ's contract for the 2024 season, and starting new in 2025 while saving roughly $5 million against the cap. Stidham is only signed through 2024, but could be an option to quarterback the Broncos into the future if the Russ experiment fails again in 2023.
Ultimately, there is almost no way to accurately predict what happens to the quarterback room in Denver. Wilson is signed through but could also be out of town after 2024. It is simply impossible to tell, so let's just take a guess: