5 Things Broncos Should Do in 2023

With the Denver Broncos parting ways with Nathaniel Hackett, the question to be asked is what happens next to get the team ready for 2023.

I will have more to say when I roll out the first part of my offseason approach to preparing for free agency and the draft, but there are a few things that I believe the Broncos should keep in mind for the 2023 season. Most of this comes from lessons that can be learned from the past couple of years and what should be in place in case Russell Wilson doesn’t improve in 2023.

Let’s go over five things the Broncos should do to give themselves a better chance for success in 2023 and in the future.

1. Get More Experience at the Top of the Coaching Staff

This doesn’t mean that the Broncos have to go with an experienced head coach. Plenty of teams have found success with first-year head coaches. However, the majority of them had experience among the top assistants.

Sean McVay and Sean McDermott, two successful coaches who started in 2017, each had experienced assistant head coaches and/or coordinators to start things off. Kyle Shanahan didn’t, but he got the chance to work under multiple coaches and learn a lot during his time in the league. And first-year coaches elsewhere, such as Kevin O'Connell and Brian Daboll, have experienced assistant head coaches or coordinators

The Broncos don’t have to hire an experienced head coach, but if they go with a first-time head coach, they need experience among his coordinators or top assistants, too. Having experience higher up the coaching staff, even if it’s not the head coach, would be a good idea because experienced coaches bring some stability and can be a sounding board for first-time head coaches in helping them get better at their jobs.

2. Get a Wilson Contingency Plan in Place

I’ve talked about this before: If your plan is to see if Wilson can improve in 2023 under new coaching and systems, that’s fine. However, you need a backup plan in place.

The Broncos, at the very least, need to bring in a veteran backup QB who has shown he can be a capable starter when needed. They can bring back Brett Rypien if they wish, but they need a backup with more starts under his belt.

And it wouldn’t be a bad idea for the Broncos to look at quarterbacks in the later rounds of the 2023 draft. Having more options in place would allow the Broncos to make a switch quickly if Wilson fails to improve in 2023.

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3. Be Prepared to Trade at Least One Player for 2023 Draft Capital

While I don’t believe the Broncos should do a 'fire sale' this offseason, they have to consider trading at least one player. Denver currently has six picks in the 2023 draft but needs more going in.

Trading a wide receiver makes the most sense because that’s where the Broncos have the more attractive players. Courtland Sutton and Tim Pattrick have team-friendly contracts, and there may still be teams willing to consider Jerry Jeudy.

Trading Garett Bolles likely won’t happen because he would need to pass a physical and because it would add another hole to fill on the offensive line. Trading Justin Simmons may not happen because his contract is more expensive. But when it comes to the wide receivers, this must be an option on the table.

4. Don’t Sign Injury-Prone Free Agents for 3-Plus Years

GM George Paton has done a good job with drafting, but his free agency approach has had a major issue: He’s signed more than one player with an injury history to a multi-year deal with two years of fully guaranteed money.

Ronald Darby and Randy Gregory are talented players, but they’ve missed too much time on the field. Signing players like them to one-year deals is fine. Two-year deals that you can get out of after one year are okay. But for three years or more, that’s a bad idea.

While fans may not be happy with some of the one-year deals given to certain players, those aren’t bad because you aren’t tied down to the long-term if the players don’t work out. But when it comes to deals for three years or more, they need to go to players who haven’t missed a lot of games and have proven to be reliable.

5. Continue to Trade Down in Drafts Whenever Possible

This is one tactic that Paton has utilized, most notably in the third round, and it’s worked pretty well for him.

In 2021, his trades down in the third round netted Baron Browning, Quinn Meinerz, and Jamar Johnson, with two of those players who have turned into quality contributors. In 2022, Paton's trades down yielded Greg Dulcich, who has looked good thus far, plus Montrell Washington and Luke Wattenburg, who struggled but might do better under a new coaching staff.

The Broncos have two picks early in the third round, so it would be great if Paton could move down in that round again. He’s shown he can find talent in that round, and extra picks in later rounds can be useful for rounding out the depth chart.

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