Broncos Camp: 4 Areas of Concern With Room For Optimism

With 10 training camp practices in the books, the Denver Broncos have displayed four concerns.

After a 2022 season that was disappointing, to say the least, Denver Broncos fans no doubt had a lot of concerns about the state of the team going into 2023.

Even with some optimism about the hiring of Sean Payton as head coach, Broncos fans had plenty of concerns. And while some of those concerns were addressed in free agency, not all were. Add players who were recovering from injury and Russell Wilson's overall play last season, and there were still plenty of issues fans worried about. 

Based on the reports from the first week of Broncos training camp, though, we have found some positives, ones that could give fans a little peace of mind. While said concerns are far from fully addressed, some good news related to them at least eases tension.

Let's look at four specific concerns in which there may be room for more optimism now, while keeping in mind that training camp is only part of the picture.

Russell Wilson's Play

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After the Broncos sent multiple first and second-round picks plus three players for Wilson, then signed him to a lucrative extension, he had his worst season as a pro in 2022. Fans went from excitement following the trade to worry over the Broncos being stuck with a bad contract.

Thus far, Wilson's play in training camp may be best described as a mixed bag. He's made multiple big plays but made plenty of mistakes.

On one hand, fans shouldn't read too much into interceptions in training camp because what matters is whether Wilson recognizes his mistakes and corrects them. On the other hand, even though the Broncos have a talented secondary, fans remember the mistakes he made last season and may wonder whether those same mistakes show up this season.

As for the big plays he's made, they've gotten spectators excited, but what the Broncos need is consistency from Wilson when it comes to running the offense, moving the chains, and finishing drives — rather than relying on the big play.

We'll likely get a better idea about where Wilson stands once he takes some preseason snaps. But as for training camp thus far, it does appear to be a work in progress, though there is hope Wilson will get more comfortable with time.

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Javonte Williams' Health

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Williams suffered significant injuries early last season. He tore his ACL, LCL and PCL in Week 4 and was said to be facing a long recovery, likely well into the 2023 season.

However, Williams has returned to the field much sooner than expected. He's been active for much of training camp and might even play a few snaps in the preseason.

It wouldn't surprise if the Broncos still bring Williams along slowly, though. One shouldn't expect him to be a workhorse back right out of the gates — and even as he gets further remvoed from his injury, it's not likely he'll get 30 touches in a game.

Still, it's amazing to see Williams back on the field already. Broncos fans no doubt have their fingers crossed that he will stay healthy and productive in 2023.

The good thing is that the Broncos have other backs who have done good things in training camp. Samaje Perine, Tyler Badie, and Jaleel McLaughlin are among the players who are giving fans reason to feel better about the RB depth chart.

Relative Lack of Experience on D-Line

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Dre'Mont Jones departed in free agency, and the Broncos signed Zach Allen to replace him. The Broncos also lost DeShawn Williams in free agency but didn't sign another defensive lineman. And after Eyioma Uwazurike was suspended indefinitely for gambling, fans had another reason to worry about the Broncos' interior defender depth chart.

Allen, however, has proven to be a difference-maker thus far. Of course, he is familiar with the schemes of defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. But based on what's happened in training camp, there's room for optimism about his play this year.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Harris has emerged as a potential starter alongside Allen and D.J. Jones. If Harris can carry over what he's done in training camp into games, that will be a plus.

Of course, this is a situation in which training camp only tells part of the story. The bigger test will be what these players do when they take the field for an actual game.

Quality & Health of the Edge Rushers

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Last season, after the Broncos traded Bradley Chubb, they were thin at edge rusher. It didn't help that Randy Gregory was lost for most of the season to injury and that Baron Browning missed time, too.

But while Browning has yet to take the field for training camp, other edge rushers have made an impact. Nik Bonitto, Christopher Allen, and Jonathon Cooper have all emerged and are making what some thought was a weakness to be a potential strength.

Again, how strong the edge rusher group really is will be known once the Broncos get preseason games underway. But to hear good things from a group that had plenty of concerns last year means room for optimism, even if it's cautious optimism.

Bonitto, a former second-round pick, might be the one under the microscope more than the others, given his draft pedigree. Of course, there will still be a lot of focus on Gregory, who signed a multi-year deal for a fair amount of money.

But between the interior defenders and the edge rushers, perhaps the Broncos will have an effective pass rush in 2023. Denver may not have a world-beater like Von Miller, but it doesn't necessarily need one to have a quality pass rush.

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