The Denver Broncos may be closer than you think, and here's why

Some people may be afraid to say that the Denver Broncos could be a good team in the near future, but it is very possible and closer than you think. When I look at the Broncos, I don't see whole lot left for them to do before being a legitimate, winning NFL team again.

They have not finished with a winning record since the Trevor Siemian 2016 season and have not made the playoffs since 2015. It's been a horrid stretch of football for the Broncos, but for this new era led by Sean Payton and others, the Broncos are actually building something sustainable. The team is now in year two of the Payton era. They showed a lot of improvement during the 2023 NFL Season, managing to win eight games.

And through three games in 2024, they are already one game ahead of where they were in 2023. And all of a sudden, this team might be quite close to being good once again. Defensively, this team is on fire. They are top-3 in passing defense and have allowed the 6th-least points in the NFL through three games.

The Broncos are also generating pressure at an elite rate and are getting Pro Bowl level performances from guys like Zach Allen and Jonathon Cooper. It truly feels like the defense has arrived and is in a sustainable spot. A ton of players on that side of the ball are 27 years old or younger, and the secondary is just oozing with talented youth.

And ever since the start of the 2023 NFL Season, the Broncos have had a top-notch special teams unit. Rick Gosselin ranked the Broncos 7th in the NFL in 2023 on special teams. They also had an elite return game with Marvin Mims Jr, who earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors in his rookie season, and kicker Wil Lutz has been stellar in Denver thus far, as he's made 39/43 field goals, which is a 90.7% tick.

Heck, even punter Riley Dixon is having a great year. He is averaging 50 yards per punt and 46.4 net yards per kick, which are both elite figures. The Broncos have especially excelled at pinning opposing offenses deep in their own territory, as half of Dixon's punts have come inside the 20-yard line.

When you look at how good the defense and special teams are, you really don't have much else to cross off besides the offense. Sure, the fielding a competent offense is easier said than done, but that's truly the last thing missing from the equation. Denver's defense and special teams are in great spots for the present and the future.

And if the Broncos' offense can gradually get going as the 2024 NFL Season goes on, the team is as complete as they'll be, which would give them a huge offseason in front of them in 2025. Don't look now, but the Denver Broncos are a lot closer than you think.