After a hard-fought season where the Broncos went from 1-5 to 8-8, the path to the playoffs is officially closed. They have waived the white flag and benched their starting quarterback, Russell Wilson, for the rest of the year. Now that this outstanding, yet disappointing year has ended, what do the Broncos have to look forward to? It may not have gone their way this year, but the future may be a bit brighter than seasons of the recent past.
The End Of Another Failed Season And A Look Into The Broncos’ Future
The First Winning Season Since 2016
Although the season is essentially over, there is one game left on the Bronco’s schedule. That game will take place in Las Vegas against their division rival, the Raiders. At the moment the Broncos sit at 8-8, and with a win in their last game, they will be 9-8. This will end a drought that has lasted for seven years in Denver. It will be the first time the Broncos will have a winning record since 2016. If Sean Payton and his team can do this, it may signal a new era for the organization.
A win this Sunday will end another embarrassing streak for the Broncos. It will stop the seven-game slide against the Las Vegas Raiders. Since that streak started, the Raiders record has been 31-35 while only making the wild card round of the playoffs once. Although this team is less than successful, the Broncos can’t seem to win. But, with their rookie quarterback, Aidan O’Connell, at the helm it may be the Broncos year to finally end that streak.
The Raiders are a struggling team and the Broncos need to finally get these demeaning streaks off their backs if they have any hope in 2024.
A New Quarterback In Town
This may bring some PTSD into the lives of Broncos fans, but a chance at another new quarterback next season may not be as bad as it seems. With the imminent departure of Russell Wilson, some new faces will get a chance to shine next year. It may feel like one step in the wrong direction, but it could work out in fantastic fashion.
First, there is Jerrett Stidham. The good news is Stidham is obviously not the future for the Broncos. He showed last Sunday that he is a great backup who makes great decisions, but he wasn’t anywhere near a franchise quarterback. His 224-yard, one-touchdown performance was almost a mirror image of what Wilson did against the Las Angeles Chargers three weeks ago with fewer points. It seems like it’s time to move on from the young backup.
This leads us to one of the most quarterback-heavy NFL drafts in history. It is estimated by some analysts that there could be as many as seven quarterbacks drafted in the first round in 2024. At the moment, the Broncos will be drafting at 14th and that can change three or so picks depending on the outcome of Sunday’s game. With that, the Broncos will have a chance at drafting players like Michael Penix Jr. or J.J. McCarthy, who are both currently in the College Football Playoff National Championship. Either way, a future franchise quarterback could be headed to Denver after the 2024 draft.
Sean Payton
Next season, for the first time in a while, the Broncos will have a stable head coach. There may be some dysfunction and a lack of cap space, but Sean Payton has proven himself as the coach that can turn the franchise around. With plenty of familiar faces parting the team this year, it will officially mark the start of the Sean Payton era. A breath of fresh air might be good for this franchise.
Earlier this year, Payton compared the Broncos to the Detroit Lions from a year ago. A team that started 1-6 and pushed for a playoff spot, falling just short. If the Broncos win on Sunday, Payton will have proved his comparison to be relevant and may give the Broncos hope of getting to where the Lions are this year. Obviously, this is all wishful thinking and may be completely wrong, but it’s always good to start the New Year with some positivity.
The Broncos organization will have to hope that Payton is correct and that they’re on the right track. Until then, they’ve only had another failed season. As always, Broncos fans are hoping that next year will finally be the year that their team is successful once again.
Main Image: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
