Products of Wisconsin football are seen all across football’s biggest stage. The program has produced some of the NFL’s best offensive linemen, pass rushers, special teamers and more.
Two of the names currently at the top of the sport are both coming off disappointing years, those for different reasons. They are Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, who dealt with injury issues all of 2022, and Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson, a player who struggled mightily in his first year in Denver.
ESPN recently released a list of the most intriguing NFL players for 2023. Both Taylor and Wilson were listed, as both have a legitimate chance to dictate the 2023 season if they return to form.
Here’s what ESPN had to say about the former Badgers:
Jonathan Taylor
I picked Taylor, who’s entering his fourth season with the Colts and is extension-eligible for the first time. But he is also coming off a frustrating, injury-riddled year that started with him being the consensus first overall pick in every fantasy draft and ended with just 861 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Taylor is still just 24 and scheduled to earn $4.304 million in this final year of his contract. Based on his 2022 season, when he led the league in rushing attempts, yards and touchdowns, he’s worth more than that. But how much more?
Four of the top five highest-paid running backs by average annual salary signed their deals in 2020, and the other (Nick Chubb) signed his in 2021. The running back market does not move the way the market does at other positions, and teams don’t seem interested in stretching to pay running backs. If you’re Taylor, signing now at what you probably believe is a below-market number coming off your worst season doesn’t sound great. But if you play it out and look more like your 2021 self, your best-case scenario is probably a franchise tag.
Russell Wilson
Another guy whose NFL legacy sits on a 2023 fulcrum. A year ago, Wilson was viewed as a surefire Hall of Famer, taking over a Broncos team poised to make a run at the Chiefs for the AFC West title. Then the Broncos went 5-12 and fired first-year coach Nathaniel Hackett before the season was over, while Wilson posted the worst numbers of his career. His 36.8 Total QBR ranked 27th in the NFL, and he through just 16 touchdown passes to 11 interceptions over 15 games.
In comes Sean Payton, a coach who expects to win right away and surely expects to be in Denver longer than the six years left on Wilson’s contract. How much of 2022 was Hackett’s fault, and how much will improve under Payton?