ESPN roster rankings have Broncos second-to-last in the NFL
Mar 20, 2024, 12:56 PM
On paper, the Denver Broncos roster is not as good as it was when the month began.
There can be little denying that. The Broncos swapped out a three-time second-team All-Pro selection at safety, Justin Simmons, for Brandon Jones, who has promise but was only a part-time starter in Miami last season. They cut Russell Wilson, with unproven Jarrett Stidham poised to be the starter unless the Broncos add a quarterback either through free agency or the draft. They allowed center Lloyd Cushenberry to walk in free agency, with his replacement set to be either Luke Wattenberg or Alex Forsyth, who have a combined one start between them.
This doesn’t mean it will stay that way, of course. Forsyth or Wattenberg could develop. Marvin Mims Jr. might not only replace Jerry Jeudy, but outperform the five-year veteran who now heads to Cleveland.
But it’s a roster with plenty of holes. And it’s not one of which much is expected, at least according to longtime numbers-and-roster-analyst Mike Clay of ESPN. In his player-by-player, unit-by-unit analysis, Clay the Broncos defense 28th and its offense 29th — good for a total ranking of No. 31.
Only the New York Giants are worse in his rankings.
The position-by-position rankings — shared in Clay’s full document — also reveal a grim assessment of the state of the roster:
- Quarterbacks: 31
- Running backs: 26
- Wide receivers: 24
- Tight ends: 24
- Offensive line: 10
- Interior defensive line: 17
- Edge rushers: 25
- Off-ball linebackers: 24
- Cornerbacks: 14
- Safeties: 30
Just two of the Broncos’ position groups are in the top half of the NFL in Clay’s rankings: offensive line and cornerback.
The Broncos don’t have the worst group in any spot, in Clay’s estimation. But seven of 10 position groups are in the bottom nine in the NFL. What’s more, Clay does not find a single game in which the Broncos have a better-than-50-percent chance of winning — although he does have them finishing with 4.8 wins, the second-lowest projection in the NFL.
Reality and a draft class might yield something different in the weeks and months to come. And by the end of the season, the progress of youth could yield a different outcome entirely.
But it’s a roster with plenty of unanswered questions — which is why it appears by this analysis to be among the league’s worst.
