2024 NFL Season Preview: Denver Broncos

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Denver Broncos (Last Year: 8-9)



Season Summary:
The Broncos looked like they had a chance at a playoff run at one point during the season, but Russell Wilson had a terrible performance against the Patriots during a national TV appearance.



2024 NFL Season Preview:

Veteran Additions:
WR Josh Reynolds, OT Matt Peart, G Calvin Throckmorton, C Sean Mustipher, DT John Franklin-Myers, DT Malcolm Roach, LB Cody Barton, S Brandon Jones.
Early Draft Picks:
QB Bo Nix, DE Jonah Elliss, WR Troy Franklin, CB Kris Abrams-Driane, RB Audric Estime. Broncos Rookie Forecast
Offseason Losses:
QB Russell Wilson, WR Jerry Jeudy, OT Cameron Fleming, C Lloyd Cushenberry, LB Josey Jewell, S Justin Simmons, S Kareem Jackson.

2024 Denver Broncos Offense:
The Buccaneers and Rams won consecutive Super Bowls after adding great quarterbacks, so the Broncos had aspirations of doing the same following their trade for Russell Wilson. Instead, Wilson’s tenure in Denver was a total disaster. Wilson’s first season was blamed on Nathaniel Hackett’s incompetence, but he wasn’t much better under Sean Payton. Wilson was ultimately benched in favor of Jarrett Stidham.

Denver traded for Zach Wilson this offseason, but still felt the need to select a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft. The sixth quarterback off the board was Bo Nix at No. 12 overall. Nix is a 24-year-old with second-round talent, so it’s unlikely that he will end up being a quality starter under Payton. In fact, the 2025 NFL Mock Draft on this Web site projects another quarterback to Denver.

It won’t help Nix that he doesn’t have much of a supporting cast. Jerry Jeudy is gone, leaving Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick as the returning veterans. Sutton was a touchdown machine last year, catching 10 scores, but his other numbers (59 catches, 772 yards) were rather pedestrian for a No. 1 wideout. Patrick, meanwhile, hasn’t played a game since 2021 because of multiple injuries. The Broncos also have Marvin Mims, who was chosen in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Mims caught only 33 balls as a rookie, but Payton said that Jeudy was blocking him from playing more. Mims is an explosive downfield threat who could have a solid second season. There’s also Josh Reynolds, who was an inconsistent deep threat for the Lions.

There are some concerns on the offensive line as well. The Broncos lost their starting center, Lloyd Cushenberry, to free agency. Cushenberry was a quality center, so he could be difficult to replace in the short term. Luke Wattenberg, a fifth-round pick from 2022, will get the first crack at the job, but he hasn’t shown much promise yet. If Wattenberg struggles, Denver will have just one decent starter in the interior of the offensive line. That would be Quinn Meinerz, who has shown great improvement in each of his three NFL seasons. The other starter is Ben Powers, who struggled last year.

Fortunately for Nix, it’s not completely bleak on the offensive line. Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey are a very talented pair of tackles. However, Bolles has been known to be extremely inconsistent throughout his career. McGlinchey, meanwhile, hasn’t had the best luck staying healthy.

The Broncos will have to rely on their rushing attack with there being so many problems with the passing game. Javonte Williams wasn’t able to shoulder a full workload last year because he was coming off a torn ACL. Williams hasn’t shown much burst in OTAs thus far. If he gets hurt again, or if he continues to struggle, the Broncos at least have some capable backups in Samaje Perine, Jaleel McLaughlin, and fifth-round rookie Audric Estime.



2024 Denver Broncos Defense:
The Broncos have cycled through some miserable quarterbacks since Peyton Manning retired, but they’ve always been able to rely on their defense. Since Manning hung up his cleats, the Broncos ranked in the top 10 of net yards allowed on four occasions.

Denver’s defense, however, suffered a major decline last year, finishing 29th in net yards. Things could get worse in 2024 because Denver lost three quality defensive starters. The best of the bunch was Justin Simmons, who has been one of the better safeties in the NFL. He and Kareem Jackson, the other starter at the position, are both gone. Their replacements will be Cade Sterns and Brandon Jones. Sterns has shown potential in the past, but missed all but one snap in 2023 because of a knee injury. As for Jones is concerned, the former Dolphin was often burned in coverage when he played for Miami.

The other key departed starter is Josey Jewell, who was a fantastic linebacker for Denver. The Broncos often struggled when Jewell was out of the lineup, so they’ll have to permanently survive without him. Cody Barton and Alex Singleton project to be the starting linebackers, which is not good news. Singleton can handle the run well, but is totally lost when it comes to coverage. Barton is a pedestrian player who should be a reserve.

It’s not all bleak for Denver on this side of the ball. While the safeties figure to struggle, there’s at least one cornerback who will thrive. That’s Patrick Surtain II, who has established himself as one of the top corners in the NFL. It’s unclear, however, if the Broncos will get quality play from their other corners. Levi Wallace is the favorite to start across from Surtain, which is bad news because he has been torched frequently in recent seasons. There’s also 2023 third-rounder Riley Moss, who didn’t see much action as a rookie. In the slot, Ja’Quan McMillan had an uneven 2023 campaign.

Aside from Surtain, the best aspect of Denver’s defense is the pass rush. Baron Browning and Nik Bonitto combined for 16.5 sacks last year. There was also Zach Allen, who chipped in with five sacks. Both Browning and Allen are complete players, as they also handle run support very well. Joining Allen on the defensive line will be John Franklin-Myers, who was acquired from the Jets this offseason. Franklin-Myers is a jack-of-all-trades player who will be a nice upgrade. Nose tackle D.J. Jones, however, is a big liability.



2024 Denver Broncos Schedule and Intangibles:
The thin Denver air creates a hostile environment for opponents, which explains why it had an NFL-best 77-18 home record from 1995 to 2005. The team tailed off after that, but has since reestablished its great home-field advantage. In the Peyton Manning era, the Broncos were 32-6 as hosts, including the playoffs. Denver struggled as a host since Manning’s retirement, so we’ll see if it regains that with Sean Payton.

Wil Lutz followed Payton from New Orleans to Denver. Lutz did well in his first season with the Broncos, hitting 30-of-34 attempts, including 3-of-5 from 50-plus.

Riley Dixon ranked in the middle of the pack as far as net average is concerned. He did a fair job of pinning the opposition inside the 20.

The Broncos will have a tough time navigating through all of their difficult AFC opponents. They’ll at least have a reprieve with their NFC South foes.



2024 Denver Broncos Rookies:
Go here for the Broncos Rookie Forecast, a page with predictions like which rookie will bust and which rookie will become a solid starter.



2024 Denver Broncos Positional Rankings (1-5 stars):

Quarterbacks		Offensive Line		Secondary
Running Backs		Defensive Line		Special Teams
Receivers		Linebackers		Coaching