Locklear: The underdog workforce of the 2023 NFL season

One of many largest disappointments of the 2022-23 NFL season was the underwhelming success of the Denver Broncos.

A workforce that had simply traded for Tremendous Bowl successful quarterback Russell Wilson, and employed new head coach Nathaniel Hackett have been being checked out as a brand new contender within the AFC.

The Broncos had one of many higher defenses within the league and have been anticipated to be should watch soccer as their schedule was loaded with primetime video games. Nonetheless, the season simply didn’t produce successful soccer, and the offense set some document lows in Broncos historical past.

Denver completed with a 5-12 document on the yr. The teaching didn’t appear as much as par with what it was anticipated to be, in addition to the offensive struggles introduced many frustrations, and lots of fingers have been pointed at many individuals when it comes to what went fallacious. The Broncos now have an opportunity this season to erase the reminiscence of final season.

Throughout the offseason, the Broncos picked up head coach Sean Payton, who was a steady coach for the New Orleans Saints for 16 years. He coached quarterback Drew Brees to a number of 5,000-yard passing seasons and gained a Tremendous Bowl in 2009, when the Saints beat the Colts 31-17. Payton simply completed a tenure with Fox’s NFL Sunday Crew, and acknowledged earlier than he left that he would solely go away if the chance was proper. The Broncos wished Payton, and he wished the Broncos.

Final season was an damage riddled one for Denver as they almost led the league in gamers positioned on damage reserve. This season they give the impression of being to have huge receiver Tim Patrick and working again Javonte Williams wholesome and able to play at first of the season, which have been two key gamers within the Broncos’ quest to be contenders.

The Broncos have so much to look ahead to, as additionally they introduced former head coach of the Broncos within the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Vance Joseph, again at defensive coordinator. Not typically do you see former head coaches return to a workforce in a lesser place, however Payton wished an skilled defensive coordinator to maintain the Broncos protection taking part in at a excessive degree. Joseph was beforehand a defensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals for the final 4 seasons.

In a season that took a deep fall from grace, some imagine Wilson will return to his former approach of play, and the Broncos will lastly grow to be contenders once more, one thing that hasn’t occurred because the retirement of Peyton Manning in 2016, after the Broncos captured Tremendous Bowl 50.