PFF Reveals Broncos' Top-3 Players of 2022
Although the bones of the roster have carried over into 2022, the Denver Broncos have the look and feel of an entirely new team. Acquiring a bonafide franchise quarterback, at 33 years old, will do that.
The Broncos now boast a nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback and one who's hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. Suddenly, Denver's roster takes on a new gleam that perhaps it wouldn't have had GM George Paton stuck it out with Drew Lock in 2022, or, a rookie procured in the draft.
Pro Football Focus went through all 32 NFL clubs and singled out the top-3 players on each roster. It's easy to guess who No. 1 might be but who checked in a No. 2 and 3? PFF:
- Russell Wilson | QB | 11th season
- Justin Simmons | S | 7th season
- Patrick Surtain II | CB | 2nd season
Wilson is the quarterback that the Broncos have been looking for since Peyton Manning, and they paid a hefty price to bring him in from Seattle. He’s coming off a down year, but a lot of that can be explained away by his midseason injury. Wilson earned a 90.3 PFF grade before going down with an injury in Week 5 (second highest at quarterback) compared to a 61.4 PFF grade (22nd) after returning in Week 10.
Surtain looked more like a veteran than a rookie last season in Denver. He rarely got beat downfield, allowing just one reception into his coverage on 14 targets 20-plus downfield. He and Simmons give Denver a nice duo to build around in the secondary.
For what it's worth, left tackle Garett Bolles and wideout Courtland Sutton were "also considered" by PFF for Denver's top-3. In what is a rare occurrence, it's hard to argue with PFF's analysis here.
Wilson's resume speaks for itself and so does Simmons'. One could pick nits in Surtain being listed at No. 3, especially in favor of a former Pro Bowler still in his prime, and one who's battled through Denver's wanderings in the QB desert, in Sutton.
However, there's a reason Surtain was a top-10 draft choice and if his rookie season serves as a harbinger, he's bound for big things in the NFL, especially with a competent, dynamic quarterback in the fold to take the pressure and focus of the Broncos' defense.
Bolles played at an All-Pro level two years ago, securing an extension as a result. His 2021 campaign, while far from bad, resembled more closely the form of his first three years in the NFL than his All-Pro campaign — at least, that's what many critics have said.
I wouldn't go that far. Bolles obviously turned a corner in 2020 and while he took a bit of a step back in 2021, he was still a very good left tackle. Pro Bowl-caliber? Borderline.
Who else's hat could be thrown into the ring of consideration for Denver's top-3 players? Maybe second-year running back Javonte Williams but he still has a lot to prove, despite how impressive he was as a rookie.
Due to his resume, one could also argue that fellow back Melvin Gordon III should be considered but if he was truly top-3, he wouldn't have languished in the unemployment ranks until late April. If the team viewed Gordon as a core, star player, he would have been re-signed immediately.
Then there's the edge-rushing duo of Bradley Chubb and Randy Gregory but any placement on such a list would require quite a bit of projection. Both players haven't been healthy and/or available enough to really justify the consideration.
The Broncos hope that Jerry Jeudy will join such a figurative conversation after the 2022 campaign and with Wilson throwing him the rock, there's a good chance that he will. For now, though, PFF's top-3 list is accurate.
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