The Lead
Earlier this week, NFL.com's Marc Ross ranked the Broncos' roster as the fifth most-complete in the league, and at least one of his colleagues appears to agree.
Gregg Rosenthal has been going division by division to assess each team’s projected group of 22 starters, and his evaluation of the Broncos should have fans excited.
"Russell Wilson has never been surrounded by this much skill-position talent," Rosenthal wrote. "Few quarterbacks have! Some teams have four No. 3 receivers. The Broncos, in a perfect world, could have two No. 1s (Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton), a No. 2 (Tim Patrick) and a sneaky explosive No. 3 (KJ Hamler)."
But Rosenthal doesn't just consider the Broncos to be talented on offense; "The defensive personnel is outstanding," he notes.
"It's a team built to rush the passer," Rosenthal wrote. "Dre'Mont Jones and free-agent pickup D.J. Jones are both versatile and can push the pocket. Malik Reed is a fantastic third edge rusher and second-round pick Nik Bonitto was one of the most productive pass rushers in college football last year.
"… The secondary looks awesome again, especially if free-agent pickup K'Waun Williams can stay healthy. He's one of the league's best slot cornerbacks when he's right."
The biggest weakness on offense, Rosenthal writes, may be the offensive line because of the added pressure Wilson's scrambling ability can place on the linemen, but his overall judgment is rosy.
"This does not look like the roster of a first-year head coach," Rosenthal wrote. "It looks like a roster ready to compete for a title. There is so much new here that the Broncos could disappoint, but the pieces are in place."
Below the Fold
Pro Football Focus' Sam Monson is of the same mind, too. In his most-recent power rankings, he has Denver at No. 7 under the category "Could Be Their Year."
"Denver catapulted itself into the contenders by trading for Russell Wilson, giving them their first legitimate championship-caliber passer since Peyton Manning," Monson wrote. "Denver now has to craft an offense that gets the most out of Wilson while doing so without running into the same issues that the Seattle Seahawks had. Can Wilson be unleashed to be the best version of himself without eschewing too much of the quick, routine passes to make the offense among the league's best?"
