ESPN Places Broncos Near Last in Offensive Playmaker Rankings

An unfavorable look at Sean Payton's side of the ball.

Dec 3, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton (14) celebrates his touchdown reception with teammates against the Houston Texans in the second half at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports / Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Whoever steps into the Denver Broncos' starting quarterback job — Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham, or Zach Wilson — will be surrounded by the league's third-worst collective of running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends, according to a new ranking by ESPN's Bill Barnwell.

Sorting each NFL team's cast of offensive playmakers, Barnwell ranked Denver at No. 30 overall (ahead of only the Chargers and Giants), noting a distinct lack of proven firepower not named Courtland Sutton.

"The days when Denver had a promising young group of playmakers have past," he wrote Wednesday. "Jerry Jeudy never had his breakout before being traded to the Browns in March. Tim Patrick hasn't played in two years. Javonte Williams tore up his knee and averaged 3.6 yards per carry while generating minus-83 rush yards over expectation (RYOE) on 217 attempts last season. Greg Dulcich caught three passes. Even Marvin Mims didn't do much behind Jeudy in the lineup.

"The offense was basically some magic catches by Courtland Sutton and little else a year ago. There are some players moving to the forefront who could be interesting, though. Josh Reynolds was a valuable No. 2 wideout in Detroit as both a pass catcher and run blocker. Mims couldn't beat out Jeudy for regular work as a rookie, but he should have a larger role. I'm interested in Jaleel McLaughlin, who averaged 5.4 yards per carry behind Williams without ever getting more than 10 attempts in a game. In an offense in which the promising faces behind Sutton are undrafted free agents and run-blocking wide receivers, though, you can understand why the Broncos don't rate highly."

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While hardly a barometer for success, the Broncos are six spots lower on Barnwell's list than they were entering the 2023 campaign with largely the same collection of talent — save for wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, replaced in free agency by former Lions WR Josh Reynolds.

In fact, at those three aforementioned positions, between the signing period and the draft, Denver has imported more players than it lost from last year's squad, including RBs Audric Estime and Blake Watson, WRs Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele, and TE Thomas Yassmin.

“I think the players that we signed, drafted or signed in free agency—man, the new faces we felt really good about," head coach Sean Payton said in June.

As has become a regularity, the national media are in lockstep regarding the Broncos. Particularly, their view of Payton's offense is much less favorable than that of Payton himself.

"Overall, there are just a lot of questions, before you even get to asking who’s playing QB. If you have something you see that the Denver Broncos will be able to hang their hat on, let me know. Because right now, I’m not sure I see it," Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer wrote in June.

Chalk it up as July conjecture — but don't dismiss it as September motivation.

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