ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — It wasn’t just that Russell Wilson didn’t play well in his first season without the Seattle Seahawks. It was also that Geno Smith – Geno Smith! – played well absent Russ with the Seahawks.
Quite well. Smith spent his first 9 NFL seasons trying to ignore the dreaded ‘bust’ label. He had barely played since throwing a combined 25 touchdowns against 34 interceptions in his first two disappointing seasons with the New York Jets way back in 2013-‘14. But after replacing the traded-away Wilson last season, Smith catapulted to a No. 5 ranking among NFL passers by throwing for a career-best 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns against just 11 interceptions while leading the Seahawks not only to a season-opening win against Wilson’s Broncos, but the NFC playoffs.
Smith was voted the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year and earned his first-ever Pro Bowl berth.
Wilson, in his first year with the Broncos, finished with career-worse numbers of a 4-11 record and 27th quarterback ranking. He missed the Pro Bowl honor for only the second time in his 11-year career.
The combination of Smith’s success and Wilson’s off year suggests those first 10 seasons in Seattle were more about the way Pete Carroll coached the Seahawks, and controlled the game for his quarterbacks, than about Wilson.
So now the Broncos find out.
"There's always a journey,’’ Wilson said following the Broncos’ first week of OTAs in late-May. “Highs and lows. There's been a lot of highs and been some tough lows but adversity, you've got to be able to handle it all and I'll be able to handle it."
Which leads to the Broncos’ Summer Series issue No. 2:
Can Russell Wilson rebound in 2023?
There are three reasons why Wilson should be better.
One, an improved offensive line. Mike McGlinchey should be better than a banged up Billy Turner at right tackle. The Broncos’ coaching and personnel staff are also counting on Ben Powers to continue to solidify the left guard position – as Dalton Risner did the previous four years. Cameron Fleming – who played well as a 15-game starter at both right tackle and left tackle last season – is now a super sub at both offensive tackles.
Two, Wilson is noticeably lighter. He wouldn’t say how much weight he’s lost but it looks to be in the 15-20 pound range. He did seem quicker while escaping pass rushers during the offseason, even if he was running around without pads.
"I feel great,'' Wilson said. "I feel lean and mean, ready to go. And focused.''
Then again, he made similar comments about his condition and speed during training camp last year. Yet there were times as he absorbed a league-most 51 sacks when he looked every bit 33 years old turning 34. He’s 34 this year turning 35 a couple days prior to the Broncos’ 12th game at Houston.
Still, even if age was a factor in Wilson’s diminished play in 2022, there’s a third reason why Wilson should be better in 2023.
New head coach and offensive play-caller Sean Payton.
If it’s been said once, it’s been said two thousand and twenty-three times – if Payton can’t get the best out of Russ, no one can. True, Payton had a first-ballot Hall of Fame quarterback in Drew Brees for 14 of his 15 seasons as head coach of the New Orleans Saints. Or did Brees have Payton? Jameis Winston, Teddy Bridgewater, Trevor Siemian and Taysom Hill were other Saints’ quarterbacks who played well for Payton.
The Broncos’ previous head coach, Nathaniel Hackett, can coordinate an offense, also. But it seems Hackett gave Wilson too much leeway in operating the offense last year. Payton is clearly in charge this year. Wilson no longer has preferential privileges of his own office upstairs and personal coaching staff with access to team headquarters. Payton made those changes to allow Wilson to better mix with his teammates.
It’s OK for Wilson to become the team’s star. You just don’t want it announced within the confines of the players’ locker room.
Moreover, Wilson was noticeably getting rid of the ball quicker during OTAs. Yes, he took his deep shots but there were more higher-percentage pass attempts within 9 yards of the line of scrimmage. Start off with more play-action fakes, and perhaps fewer reads at the line of scrimmage, and Wilson should be better in 2023.
"No. 1, I had the best offseason of my life,'' Wilson said. "These guys, the team bonding, everybody that's putting in the work, it's been amazing. The work ethic, the locker room, everybody's real tight and I think ultimately we want to be the best version of ourselves.
"With me, too. I want to be the best version of me and I'm looking forward to the work of it all.''
The Broncos’ offense was a disastrous No. 32 in points scored last season, even after giving away two first-round draft picks, two second-round picks and $141 million in new guaranteed money to acquire Wilson.
The addition of Sean Payton and less Russ should propel the Broncos to a top 16 scoring offense in 2023 for the first time since the 2014 season – the year before Denver won Super Bowl 50.
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