The Denver Broncos have struggled to hit their stride the last eight seasons after securing their third Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl 50.
It’s been one of the darkest chapters in Broncos history highlighted by an endless coaching carousel and the inability to find a franchise quarterback. The franchise has only one winning season in that time frame. But after a solid draft—fans seem to be more optimistic than in year’s past about the state of the roster. However, some folks and analysts seem to disagree.
As we have begun our annual roster reviews of every playing vying for a spot on this year’s roster, Pro Football Focus released their team roster rankings for the 2024 season. It might be a bit of a surprise, but the Broncos ranked dead last in the National Football League.
Dead last? I don’t think so. I think it would be fair to state Denver is in the bottom quarter of the league as far as overall talent, but the worst in the NFL? No way.
They list the offensive line as the team’s strongest position group. That’s something I can agree with—as they boasted some of the best run and pass block win rates in the league last season.
The Broncos’ biggest weakness? The totality of their defense—citing a significant lack of playmakers across the board outside of top-tier cornerback Patrick Surtain II. That might be fair to state considering the Broncos were 27th in points allowed and 29th in yards surrendered last season. However, I do think the team will fare much better on that side of the ball given their additions in the draft and free agency.
Not only that, but I believe the offense, even with a rookie quarterback leading the team—will be more efficient and effective than they were last season. The Broncos offense was 19th in points scored and 26th in yards gained in 2023. Those are some of, if not the worst marks ever for a Sean Payton led team.
That’s something I expect that to change this coming season with the Oregon Duck duo of Bo Nix and Troy Franklin playing a big part in that. They made the list as the team’s potential X-Factor (Nix) and rookie to watch (Franklin). On those two assertions, I agree whole-heartedly.
Last but not least, PFF projects the Broncos to hit the under on their 5.5 win-loss mark in the odds books—showing a significant lack of confidence in how the team will perform this year. I’m on the opposite side of that debate too and believe the Broncos will certainly win more than six games the coming season. Despite this being a young team, I think they are quite a bit better on paper than last season.
How do you feel about PFF ranking the Broncos’ roster dead last in the NFL? Let us know in the comments section.
