There are too many issues in Denver to consider the Broncos a contender.
Quarterbacks like Russell Wilson don’t simply get traded. It’s not every day a nine-time Pro Bowl signal caller will find themselves on a new team when they’re only 33 years old. Naturally, that kind of profile means said quarterback will have high expectations while wearing their new uniform.
Unfortunately for Wilson and the Denver Broncos — after a blockbuster offseason trade from Seattle that essentially amounts to an entire draft’s worth of picks — they don’t appear capable of living up to the hype. And as Wilson and Denver get set to try and build some momentum against the Colts tonight, it’s fair to wonder whether they can even fix their fatal flaws.
Through four snoozer games in 2022, Russell Wilson has one (1!) multi-touchdown game in the timeless orange crush jersey. On an offense with weapons like Courtland Sutton and the talented-if-not-up-and-down Jerry Jeudy, Wilson has just one game with over 300 yards passing — an ironic (and undoubtedly humiliating) homecoming defeat against the Seahawks.
In other glaring knocks, the veteran:
- Is 16th in the NFL in passing
- Has just a 91.1 passer rating (in 2022 pro football, this is not good, to be clear)
- Has thrown for only four touchdowns (Note: Patrick Mahomes, who Wilson’s Broncos were supposed to upend this season, is coming off a virtuoso three-score performance against the Bucs — what was the NFL’s top defense)
Wilson’s struggles have permeated to the rest of the Broncos’ offense. It’s an attack that doesn’t have any discernible identity … four weeks into the season. Most contenders, like, say, the Chiefs, have a clear niche they like to lean on on offense. Kansas City uses Travis Kelce as a safety valve. Josh Allen has a quarterback power sweep in Buffalo. The Bengals throw the ball up in Ja’Marr Chase’s general vicinity, but it’s assuredly by design. In Baltimore, Lamar Jackson has his own off-tackle run, or he’s gunning it down the seam to Mark Andrews.
By contrast, what does Denver do well? Have Wilson throw a prayer in the middle of the field and hope someone with a Broncos helmet falls under the ball? Well, that’s not working:
Give Sutton 35 targets through four games (tied for 20th in the league)?
I’ve got terrible news! Throwing to a bona fide No. 1 all the time usually only works when you’ve got other downfield options. If that player is the only person defenses have to worry about, you’re just giving a good talent volume for production. It’s not moving the needle. Most everyone the Broncos are chasing in the AFC has other threats. Denver, as constructed, with a struggling Jeudy and a Melvin Gordon who seems determined to fumble every significant carry (four fumbles, two lost, in four games) — does not.
What has to be most alarming for the Broncos isn’t necessarily that Wilson is playing poorly. Any quarterback, no matter how established or talented, is bound for an awful stretch of play. It’s how utterly listless the offense sometimes looks with him at the helm. An early-30s, second-wind Geno Smith should not be running a more coherent attack in Seattle than Wilson in his new digs. But he is.
We’re rapidly approaching the point where we can and should at least broach the subject: Is Wilson washed up? Because this is what a steep decline resembles: A less-mobile quarterback who’s lost a step or two and can’t rip it anymore. Let Russ cook? What kind of meal are we talking about? A Salisbury steak TV dinner with partially frozen gravy and pasty potatoes, or a lemon chicken with roasted potatoes and a divine Sauvignon Blanc? There’s a stark difference between what Wilson and his respective “cooking team” are capable of making palatable.
Poor Nathaniel Hackett, too. The Broncos likely hired him as Aaron Rodgers Bait. When that failed, they brought in Wilson instead. And Hackett is certainly not equipped to help the worse quarterback with beneficial coaching or mentoring. Unless he wants to settle for 60-plus yard field goals on the rare occasion Wilson may put Denver in a position to win. Hackett’s got that aspect down pat.
Many uncomfortable conversations might happen in Denver over the next few months. The more time passes, and the more inept Wilson and the Broncos’ offense look by the week, the more a potential Mile High circus seems inevitable.
The pick: Broncos 21, Colts 13
We’re back to the old standard of Thursday night NFL games. Both of these teams are bad, and both of these teams have quarterbacks on the downswing of their careers. And neither should be on national television at any point through the rest of the season.
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