Pat Surtain II says Broncos offense is ‘going to be special’

Pat Surtain II. Very good at football. Also very good at identifying talent around the league.

Day in and day out, the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year is battling against one of the most interesting young offenses in the NFL. Headlined by second-year quarterback Bo Nix, the Denver Broncos have re-tooled the skill group around Nix and one of the best offensive lines in the league in hopes to pack more of a punch in 2024.

The receivers — outside of cornerstone Courtland Sutton — have had another year to develop in Sean Payton’s system this offseason, while veterans J.K. Dobbins and Evan Engram are joining the charge this year along with rookie running back RJ Harvey. On paper, this unit looks like it’s poised to take a leap, despite what national pundits think of them.

After Broncos practice on Tuesday, Surtain said some things about Denver’s offense that should get Broncos Country fired up and excited for the season.

“I just see a tremendous amount of communication and growth. Like with Bo and all these receivers. Throughout practice, they be getting each other checks and I be trying to look to see what check Bo be giving the receivers. It’s just all about the chemistry they have with each other. I think it’s such a unique group that they’re building, especially with the young receiving core they have and the young backs that we have and the o-line. So, I think that whole offensive group is going to be special,” Surtain said.

While Nix threw the second-most touchdowns by a rookie in NFL history in 2024, the offense did struggle against the cream of the crop in the NFL. Their 25 points per game ranked 10th in the NFL, but in seven games against playoff teams (not counting the Week 18 trouncing of the Chiefs JV squad), that number dropped all the way down to 15.14 points per game. Putting up 34 points on the Raiders is fun, but it doesn’t matter if it can’t translate to the better teams on the schedule.

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The lack of weapons played a role in that, as the receivers struggled to get open against those better defenses and the running backs struggled to get to the second level.

This season, the vibes are high in the Broncos locker room, and plenty of members of this team’s elite defense have praised the Broncos offense throughout the preseason. While the starting offense hasn’t looked the brightest at times, it’s still early, and they have plenty of time to iron out the wrinkles. In a week and a half, it’ll be time for that unit to prove themselves when they take the field against the Tennessee Titans to open the season.