For nine seasons in a row, the Broncos have finished below the top 15 in the NFL in both total yards and points.
ENGLEWOOD, Colorado The offensive funk of the Denver Broncos has persisted longer than the team’s postseason absence.
The Broncos have not finished in the top 15 in the NFL in terms of total yards and points for the ninth year in a row.
The squad has only missed the playoffs for eight years. just.
An examination of the Broncos’ offensive output each season, dating back to quarterback Peyton Manning’s record-setting 2013 campaign:
Year: Rank of yards per game – Rank of points per game
2023: 21.0 points (19th) — 298.4 yards (26th)
2022: 16.5 (32nd) — 325.1 (21st)
2021: 19.7 (23rd) — 330.5 (19th)
2020: 20.2 (28th) — 335.6 (23rd)
298.6 (28th) — 17.6 (28th) in 2019
2018: 19.6 — 350.1 (the 19th)
2017: 17.1 (the 27th) — 324.1 (17th).
2016: 20.8 (22nd) — 323.1 (27th)
2015: 16.2 — 22.2 (355.5 — 16th)
2014: 3.0 (2nd) — 402.9 (3rd)
2013: 1.57 (first) — 1.89 (first)
The previous nine seasons’ average total offense ranking was 22nd. Over the previous nine years, the average score was 25th.
After his first season as head coach, Sean Payton stated of his offense, “I don’t know if you’d say, ‘Laid the foundation.'” This year, did we perform as well offensively as we had hoped or expected? Without a doubt not. Definitely heavy-duty work in progress, in my opinion. Based on what I observed, I would assume that we haven’t started building on that foundation yet; we are still installing the pilings.
Despite having Russell Wilson, a quarterback worth $42.5 million, and Sean Payton, supposedly the second-highest paid NFL head coach, the Broncos averaged 26.7 less yards per game in 2022 than they did in 2022 under Nathaniel Hackett directing the offense.
The Broncos paid $20 million for a right tackle. $14.5 million for a receiver, $15 million for a left guard and $14 million for a left tackle and yet their 2023 offense averaged 12 percent fewer yards than during the two-year Pat Shurmur era.
It’s way past time. FIX THE OFFENSE!
Here’s how the Broncos sit at each position group heading into the offseason:
Wilson is going to move on for a number of reasons, the primary one being that Payton doesn’t believe Wilson fits the offense he wants to run. The underwhelming offensive output in terms of yards and points suggests that adjustments are needed. After all, you can’t bench the entire offense when a quarterback is sent to the bench, just as you can’t fire the entire squad in order to remove a head coach.
Jarrett Stidham, the number-two quarterback, will be back to fight for the starting job. The Broncos may choose to spend their No. 12 overall draft pick on a quarterback (Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy) or sign a free agency quarterback with starting experience at a reduced cost (Ryan Tannehill, Sam Darnold, Jameis Winston). Stidham has only made four NFL starts in five seasons. or both.
Both Samaje Perine and Javonte Williams, the top two running backs, have one non-guaranteed year remaining on their contracts. Jaleel McLaughlin, the third-ranked running back, is still a team member for three more years. The Broncos need Williams to take a few months off from the game and return with more energy, or they need another back like Jaleel who can pack on 20 to 25 pounds.
Sutton earned his $14.5 million with 10 touchdown catches in 14 games, but this team hasn’t performed well enough as a whole since Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders left in 2018–19. It was a huge loss to lose Tim Patrick to season-ending injuries before he had even appeared in a game the previous two seasons.
The Broncos are anticipated to make a trade this summer after considering doing so with either Sutton or Jerry Jeudy last offseason. With two nonguaranteed years remaining on his contract, Sutton, 28, will make between $13.5 million and $14 million. With a full guarantee of $12.987 million remaining on his contract, Jeudy, 24, has one year left.
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