2. Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos obviously had a horrendous year in 2022. After the team completed the blockbuster trade for Russell Wilson, expectations went through the roof because the Broncos had finally acquired a quarterback after years of searching and coming up empty.
The first year of the Russell Wilson era in Denver was a disaster. Head coach Nathaniel Hackett was fired the day after Christmas. Wilson had the worst year of his NFL career coupled with a variety of injuries that impacted his season. It wasn’t just that the Broncos had a bad year, either. They tied themselves to Russell Wilson contractually before ever seeing him play a down for the team.
Now, the Broncos have hired Sean Payton in Nathaniel Hackett’s place. Well, technically, they hired him after trading their 2023 first-round pick (acquired in last year’s Bradley Chubb trade) and 2024 second-round pick to the Saints.
On day one of the tampering period of NFL Free Agency, the Broncos have been swinging big with that new Walmart money. With Sean Payton in place and his coaching staff assembled, the team put together an impressive haul on just the first day of the “unofficial” start of NFL free agency.
- OT Mike McGlinchey – 5 years, $87.5 million
- OG Ben Powers – 4 years, $52 million
- DL Zach Allen – 3 years $45.75 million
- QB Jarrett Stidham – 2 years, $10 million
- LB Alex Singleton – 3 years, $18 million
- TE Chris Manhertz – 2 years, $6 million
Now, winning free agency doesn’t always equate to winning on the field, but these upgrades were more than necessary for the Denver Broncos. They also lost Dre’Mont Jones to the Seattle Seahawks, so signing Zach Allen from Arizona was really critical.
The biggest moves here are obviously the moves to upgrade an offensive line which has been a weak spot for the Broncos now for years. McGlinchey and Powers will be new anchors for Sean Payton’s group and between the roster upgrades and coaching staff upgrade, I think the Broncos are due for a massive bounce-back year in 2023.