PFF Ranks Broncos as Most Improved NFL Team in 2022 Offseason
If the NFL handed out trophies for the team with the best singular offseason haul, the Denver Broncos would likely be the odds on favorite to win the award. In an offseason that has seen one seismic move after another across the NFL landscape, where do the Broncos rank among the rest of the league after landing the fabled franchise quarterback?
On a recent episode of the Move the Sticks podcast, former NFL scout and now NFL Network's top draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, ranked the Broncos' acquisition of Russell Wilson as the single biggest move any team has made so far this offseason.
“This feels like it was six years ago that this happened but Russell Wilson going to the Denver Broncos to me will make the most impact in terms of win differential you are going to see from last year to this year with this team," Jeremiah said. "There is a lot of talent on this roster. They just haven’t had a solid quarterback, much less a special quarterback. Now you bring in one of the best in the business in Russell Wilson who is going to hit the ground running. I thought to me that was the most impactful move in an offseason where we had some incredible ones.”
It’s not just Jeremiah who's taking notice of just how quickly things might turn around for Denver, but also Pro Football Focus’ Kevin Cole, whose Improvement Index also has the Broncos as the most improved team so far this offseason.
While the Broncos improved with the addition of Wilson, as well as the re-signing of LB Josey Jewell, the signing of OLB Randy Gregory, DT D.J. Jones, and CB K’Waun Williams, and the bolstering of offensive line depth, fans would be prudent to wait a while before proclaiming the team will win the AFC West in 2022.
The Broncos have improved but without a doubt, the AFC West has never been more wide open. The Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders made plenty of big moves as well this offseason and already had a franchise-caliber quarterback on the roster.
The five-years-in-a-row reigning AFC West champions, though? The Kansas City Chiefs appear to be vulnerable enough to be knocked off in the division for the first time in a long time thanks to trading speed-demon wideout Tyreek Hill in another massive move according to Jeremiah.
“Tyreek Hill I think is an incredibly impactful move," Jeremiah said. "It’s not just an incredibly impactful move for the team he is going to in the Miami Dolphins. It’s not just an impactful move for the team he is leaving in the Kansas City Chiefs. I think it’s an impactful move for that whole division. When you think about the moves that the Raiders have made, that the Broncos have made, that the Chargers have made, and then you see Tyreek Hill exit the division. I know there was a sigh of relief from those three organizations. I think that was an incredibly impactful move with maybe more tentacles than the (other offseason moves) we have discussed so far.”
The Chiefs appear to be betting on the future, leaning even more on the shoulders of Patrick Mahomes, and preferring the flexibility gained financially and draft-capital-wise in moving on from Hill, rather than making him the highest-paid wide receiver in league history.
The AFC West appears to be wide open even with an arms race occurring not only in the division but the entire Conference. However, with the addition of Wilson at quarterback, the Chiefs falling back ever so slightly in the short-term, and the Broncos still carrying some cap space and plenty of draft capital, perhaps GM George Paton isn't done just yet.
Regardless of what moves are made from here, this is going to be a fun season. Buckle up, Broncos Country, and let’s ride.
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