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The Denver Broncos are starting a new era in 2024. The Russell Wilson experiment failed in Denver, and the Broncos were willing to eat an historically-large cap hit to rid themselves of the veteran QB. Sean Payton and co. had a tough task in front of them this offseason to construct a competitive roster despite Wilson's massive cap hit.
Denver did an admirable job of cobbling together a complete roster with few resources. The team sent wide receiver Jerry Jeudy to the Browns in a trade for a couple of late-round draft picks. They also acquired Zack Wilson from the Jets for a pick swap. Denver later made another trade with New York to acquire defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers.
Then the Broncos got to work in free agency. Denver re-signed several crucial role players on defense and signed several players to cheap, short-term contracts. Malcolm Roach, Cody Barton, and Levi Wallace all thrifty contracts and will reinforce an overall solid Denver defense. The biggest contract that the Broncos gave out was a two-year, $14 million deal to former Lions wide receiver Josh Reynolds. The Broncos effectively filled most of their holes, aside from QB, in free agency before the 2024 NFL Draft.
They addressed QB with the 12th overall pick, selecting Oregon's Bo Nix. Denver also added some complementary pieces in wide receiver Troy Franklin and running back Audric Estime.
Expectations will be high in Denver to start the second year of the Sean Payton era. But it won't be easy.
Let's explore some of the scariest pitfalls that could derail the Broncos' 2024 season.
Bo Nix will be under pressure in his rookie season
Nix is the most important player on the Broncos in 2024. The 12th overall pick enters the season as the undisputed starting QB. The only depth behind Nix is last year's backup QB Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson, a reclamation project at best.
Unlike other teams around the NFL, the backup situation does not feature a wily veteran who can show a rookie QB the ropes. That also means that the Broncos are not incentivized to pull Nix out of the starting lineup unless something goes terribly wrong.
Sean Payton is regarded as a QB whisperer and the 2024 season could put Payton up to the ultimate test. Can he turn Nix into a star right away? Or will Payton gameplan around Nix and try to win by out scheming Denver's opponents?
Tough schedule early + a late bye could be tough for Bo Nix
The problem for the Broncos is that they can't wait for Bo Nix to adjust to the NFL game. They will suffer mightily in 2024 if Nix is a slow learner and struggles in his first several starts.
Denver has a tough schedule in 2024 and has very few easy matchups. In fact, their first “easy” game comes in Week 8 against the Carolina Panthers.
The Broncos open their 2024 schedule with the following eight games:
- Week 1 – at Seattle Seahawks
- Week 2 – vs Pittsburgh Steelers
- Week 3 – at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Week 4 – at New York Jets
- Week 5 – vs Las Vegas Raiders
- Week 6 – vs Los Angeles Chargers
- Week 7 – at New Orleans Saints
- Week 8 – vs Carolina Panthers
The first five games of Bo Nix's NFL career are slated to be against strong defenses who have a propensity for bringing pressure and disguising coverages. These matchups should be incredibly difficult for the Broncos, barring some transcendent performances from the defense.
Ideally, the Broncos could make use of their bye week to give Bo Nix some extra instruction. Unfortunately, Denver's bye week does not come until Week 14. This late bye could be nice for a team in the thick of the playoff hunt, but that won't be the Broncos.
The pressure will be on Bo Nix to succeed right away if the Broncos want to be in the Wild Card mix in 2024. Unless he greatly exceeds expectations, those are unrealistic expectations.
Broncos fans may be better served to expect signs of growth from Nix and the Broncos this season instead of seeing their team legitimately compete in a stacked AFC conference.
