How does the Broncos offense stack up with the Chiefs and Eagles?

The Denver Broncos are far from the Super Bowl. On Sunday, millions across the globe watched Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. For the first time in what seems like a long time, both No. 1 seeds in the AFC and the NFC were playing for the championship.

The Chiefs and the Eagles are at the top of their game, but there’s a truth in the NFL most don’t realize – the talent gap between the “haves” and the “have nots” is not that much. The Broncos are not near competing for a championship, but how big is the talent gap between the best in the league and a team in desperate need of the help that new head coach Sean Payton is going to give them?

The Broncos defense is arguably better than the units that played in the Super Bowl. The 38-35 final score is evidence of that fact. Most of the work to be done to make the Broncos playoff contenders will come on the offensive side of the ball. There is schematic work and coaching that Payton will improve drastically compared to what we saw last year, but what about the talent on the field?

How does the Broncos offense stack up against the Chiefs and the Eagles? Let’s take a look to see how much work needs to be done.

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Quarterback
Kansas City: Patrick Mahomes
Philadelphia: Jalen Hurts
Denver: Russell Wilson

It’s clear to see that both the Chiefs and the Eagles have better quarterback play than the Broncos do. Patrick Mahomes is a superstar, fresh off his second Super Bowl MVP trophy, and his skill is so unique that we may have only seen one other quarterback in NFL history that could do what he does (John Elway). The Chiefs are trying to build a dynasty, and another Super Bowl championship with Mahomes gets them closer (if not over the top) in that category.

I like the improvement we saw from Jalen Hurts in 2022. Just a year ago, there was some buzz about whether or not Hurts was the type of quarterback the Eagles could build around. They changed the offense late in the 2021 season, and more emphasis on rushing – with Hurts doing plenty of rushing himself – led to better play than when the team tried to make Hurts a passer. Last offseason, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman made a blockbuster deal for superstar wide receiver A.J. Brown and that (plus the continued development of Devonta Smith) helped Hurts take great strides as a passer while still being dangerous as a runner.

Russell Wilson is third on this list coming off a down season in his first year with the Broncos. I believe there is still good football you can get from Wilson, but it needs proper coaching to get him to that level. He wasn’t getting that in 2022, and instead he was kind of freestyling and trying to win in ways that don’t work best for his skill set. Payton is going to craft an offense that works to Wilson’s strengths – so expect better numbers from the aging veteran in 2023. However, Wilson’s projected improved play is unlikely to be better than we see from Mahomes or Hurts in 2023 and beyond.

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Running Back
Denver: Javonte Williams, Latavius Murray (FA)
Philadelphia: Miles Sanders (FA), Kenneth Gainwell, Boston Scott*
Kansas City: Isiah Pacheco, Jerick McKinnon*, Clyde Edwards-Helaire

If healthy, I believe Javonte Williams is the best back on these three teams. He’s coming off a devastating knee injury, and Williams may not be ready for the start of the regular season. That’s why I think the Broncos need to keep free agent Latavius Murray – a favorite of Payton and a player capable of a three-down starter’s workload. Williams and Murray would make a heckuva 1-2 punch at some point in the 2023 season, and if the Broncos get to the postseason their rushing attack could be quite formidable with that duo.

Miles Sanders has had his ups-and-downs during his pro career with the Eagles. However, he picked the best time to have a career year – his contract year. Sanders is set to be an unrestricted free agent, and he’s coming off the first 1,000-yard rushing season of his career. He does split time with Kenneth Gainwell (when the team is in clock-killing mode) and Boston Scott (in the red zone), but Sanders is dangerous as a three-down player. In addition to Sanders, Scott is also a free agent so the Eagles will have some decisions to make after the Super Bowl.

I wish Broncos GM George Paton had drafted Isiah Pacheco, the seventh-round pick out of Rutgers who started most games for the Chiefs as a rookie in 2022. He’s the angriest runner in the league, and Pacheco’s presence has completely changed the way the Chiefs can play. Yes, they have a high-powered passing attack, but if they want to punish you on the ground they now can because of the addition of Pacheco. As a receiving threat, veteran RB Jerick McKinnon has been a great fit for the Chiefs. He’s a free agent in 2023, but it could be an easy decision to bring him back for a good price. Former first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire has one year left on his rookie contract, and the team will have to decide on his fifth-year option this offseason.

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Wide Receiver
Philadelphia: A.J. Brown, Devonta Smith, Quez Watkins
Kansas City: JuJu Smith-Schuster*, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney
Denver: Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick

Any team with A.J. Brown as the No. 1 receiver is going to have the best corps among these teams; he’s a superstar on a level the other guys aren’t on. As aforementioned, Brown changed the trajectory of Hurts’ career because of his presence on the field. Brown can do anything asked of him, while Smith and Watkins are speed receivers to stretch the outside and the seam respectively. They make for a deadly combination for the Eagles’ passing game when they need to go through the air.

The Chiefs moved on from Tyreek Hill last offseason, and they were more than fine with his replacements. JuJu Smith-Schuster signed a one-year deal with the Chiefs, and he wants to stay because he became a favorite target for Mahomes. Marquez Valdes-Scantling left the Green Bay Packers to join the Chiefs, and he provides the team with some of the deep speed they needed after Hill moved on. Before the trade deadline, the Chiefs made the move for former first-round pick Kadarius Toney. He was a bust with the New York Giants, but Toney – when healthy (a big IF for him) – has been the perfect versatile weapon this high-powered offense needs.

Courtland Sutton still doesn’t look like a No. 1 receiver. He might be feeling the effects of his knee injury from the 2019 season, and there’s a chance Sutton never regains that spring he had as a young player. Jerry Jeudy blossomed late in the year for the Broncos. He looked like a No. 1 receiver when the team moved him to backside “X” and made him the primary read in the offense. The Broncos will decide on Jeudy’s fifth-year option this offseason, and I’d like to see him even more involved as the true no.1 receiver in Payton’s offense. We didn’t get to see Tim Patrick last year due to injury. He’ll return in 2023 and provide some “dog” to the Broncos’ wide receiver’s room.

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Tight End
Kansas City: Travis Kelce
Philadelphia: Dallas Goedert
Denver: Greg Dulcich

You may despise the Chiefs, but everyone must admit Travis Kelce is the best in the game. In fact, he’s doing so much in his career that he is going to be remembered as one of the all-time greats when his playing days are done. Even with defenses focused on Kelce, he still gets open and makes big plays – a lot of them – for Mahomes. Kelce is dominant when a big play is needed, and he’s money in the red zone too. Who knows how much longer he’ll be able to maintain this level of play, but it’s certainly something to watch right now.

I love Dallas Goedert. While he’s not on Kelce’s level (few are), I feel like Goedert is everything you want in a modern tight end. He’s huge, knows how to use his frame to box out defenders and has reliable hands. Goedert is also too fast for linebackers or safeties tasked with covering him. He’s a security blanket for Hurts, but Goedert is also one of the most dangerous tight ends in the league.

Greg Dulcich can be good, but there are some concerns. First, he’s just a receiver right now and not much of a blocker. This limits what you can do with him on the field. Second, Dulcich has a slight build and is injury prone. It’s something that bothered him in college at UCLA, and already as a pro Dulcich missed a ton of time during his rookie season due to hamstring problems. Dulcich can develop a more well-rounded game, and he’s already a fast receiver. He’s got the ability to play near a Pro Bowl level, but he’s not yet on the level of Goedert – and he doesn’t have it within him to be a Kelce-type of weapon for the Broncos. Denver should be interested in a much stronger tight end class in the draft this year.

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Offensive Line
Philadelphia: Jordan Mailata (LT), Landon Dickerson (LG), Jason Kelce (OC), Isaac Seumalo (RG), Lane Johnson (RT)
Kansas City: Orlando Brown (LT), Joe Thuney (LG), Creed Humphrey (OC), Trey Smith (RG), Andrew Wylie (RT)
Denver: Garett Bolles (LT), Dalton Risner (LG)*, Lloyd Cushenberry (OC), Quinn Meinerz (RG), Billy Turner (RT)*

The Eagles don’t have a single below average or even average starter on their offensive line. They’re a unit with little flaws, and they can execute complicated schemes up front to lead the way for the dangerous rushing attack. Hurts isn’t a pocket passer, so they must maintain their blocks for a quarterback who can take off and run at a moment’s notice.

The Chiefs can push people around up front. They’ve got an athletic quarterback in Mahomes, so the line has to be ready to maintain blocks while he extends plays. When the team needs tough yards, they’ve got the bosses up front to push their way to move the chains.

It’s no doubt the Broncos’ offensive line is one of their biggest weak spots on the entire team. Bolles missed most of last year, and his Pro Bowl caliber play might have been a thing of the COVID year when no fans were in the stands. Since then, Bolles hasn’t looked as good. Risner is a free agent, and he may not return to the team. The problem is, Risner might be the best guard on the free agent market – so Denver should have a plan to bring him back if they can. Cushenberry has to be meaner up front and show more physicality. Meinerz is still learning the position of right guard, but he should flourish now that Butch Barry (one of the worst hires in the NFL last year) is gone. Billy Turner is fine when healthy, but the veteran does struggle to stay healthy and the Broncos are likely to have a different starting right tackle – again – in 2023.

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Summary

As you can see, the Broncos have not drafted well enough to be considered one of the most talented teams in the NFL. Wilson should play better, and it would greatly help him and the entire offense if Williams is healthy as the starter. The receivers have talent, and I want to see Juedy become a star – or perhaps even a superstar – in this league. Dulcich can be good, but he’s got a lot of work to do, and I think the Broncos should draft a better tight end this year. The offensive line is the biggest qustion mark for the Broncos. Simply put, if they don’t get better in the trenches the rest of the work done to the other skill position players won’t be as impactful. Everything the Broncos do this offseason should be to insure they have the best players available to them on the offensive line.

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