Report: Russell Wilson “beat the sunrise” for arrival back at Broncos’ HQ
Apr 11, 2023, 4:20 PM
Broncos QB Russell Wilson is back to work.
After the worst season of his NFL career, 9NEWS and 104.3 The Fan insider Mike Klis reported Wilson “beat the sunrise” for his arrival at the UCHealth Training Center on Tuesday morning. It was the first day the team could report back to headquarters, taking physicals and starting conditioning and weight lifting.
It’s the start of a new era at Dove Valley as Super Bowl winning head coach Sean Payton takes over, trying to restore order to a franchise that’s missed the playoffs seven straight seasons. Denver’s finished under .500 in each of the last six.
Payton is tasked with replacing the latest Broncos head coach to fall short, the disastrous Nathaniel Hackett. He was fired after just 15 games at the helm. It was among the shortest head-coaching stints in NFL history.
And Payton is doing things his way, as the media was not allowed inside the facility on Tuesday and no interviews will be formally conducted for the next several weeks as the Broncos’ players train and get in shape. In fact, not even the new coordinators were introduced to the Denver scribes in any official capacity after being hired in February.
That might be a good call from Payton, as last year came with a whirlwind of attention, press conferences and social media, and the Broncos finished a wildly disappointing 5-12.
To win, and win big in 2023, Wilson has to be a lot better. He made nine Pro Bowls in 10 years with Seattle before being traded to the Broncos in a blockbuster deal, but fell flat in his first season in orange and blue. If Payton can “fix” Wilson, Denver may have a chance to return to the playoffs for the first time since Super Bowl 50.
And he was ready to get to work bright and early on Tuesday, as Klis reports. Now those reps in April need to translate to victories in September and beyond.
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