The Denver Broncos are on course to be the most improved team in the NFL during this offseason, Colin Cowherd has claimed.
The 2022 Denver Broncos were arguably one of the biggest disappointments that we have seen in the National Football League for some time. Having traded for quarterback Russell Wilson (giving up a huge haul to do so), pairing him with head coach Nathaniel Hackett (the offensive coordinator for Aaron Rodgers’ MVP seasons of 2020 and 2021), and with a very talented roster on their hands, they were considered as possible Super Bowl contenders early in the season.
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However, for a whole number of reasons, they failed to live up to any of the expectations, ended up with fewer wins than they did in 2021, and with head coach Hackett being shown the door before the season was even over, with replacement Sean Payton not coming in until the offseason.
But the changes haven’t just been on the sidelines, they’ve made a number of additions to the playing staff, including two big signings on the offensive line that will hopefully give Wilson some protection next season, and it’s moves like that which have left Colin Cowherd impressed.
Denver Broncos on the up after a down season in 2022?
Speaking on The Herd (starting at 4:33), Cowherd pointed out the moves that they have made and said that the Broncos will look like the most improved team in the NFL this coming season in comparison to what they gave us last year:
I’m going to count coaching moves, and free agent acquisitions, and trades. Who’s better today? Who is a better football team today? Let’s start, I think Denver will be the most improved team in the league because Sean Payton and Nathaniel Hackett, they’ve also cleaned up their offensive line, Mike McGlinchey is a very good right tackle. Ben Powers is arguably the best pass-blocking guards in the NFL.
I think Denver will look different, have a different sense of self, will have an actual identity, better in clock management… Russell Wilson will rebound, this is not who he was last year. I think Denver will be the most noticeably improved football team in the NFL.
Will it still be enough for the Broncos to progress?
Whilst the team certainly has the potential to be better and might improve their win total thanks to more competent coaching and hopefully better play from Wilson, that is still half the story, as they then have to face teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers, both playoff teams within their own division who already have the pieces in place and won’t have an offseason of overhaul to contend with, they’ll be starting where they left off last year.
So this shouldn’t be seen as a ‘quick fix’ for the Broncos, as it might take them a little bit longer than might be anticipated to not only challenge those within the division, but also around the rest of the conference and rest of the league to contend for the top honours.