Denver, Colorado (PSF) - The Denver Broncos are coming off a 2022 season that left fans with very few things to cheer about. The team struggled through on-and-off the field embarrassments alike as they crawled to a dismal 5-12 record. That said, as miserable as last year was for Broncos fans, it still yielded a handful of bright spots. Some of Denver’s young talent managed to rise above the chaos of 2022 to inject some joy into an otherwise awful season. Now, in 2023, under the guidance of Head Coach Sean Payton, some of those young players look ready to make the leap from intriguing prospect to NFL stardom. With training camp only days away, it’s time to take a look at the Broncos breakout candidates for the 2023 season.

WR Jerry Jeudy

The definitive breakout candidate for the 2023 Broncos. Denver’s uber-talented young receiver finally started to deliver on his immense promise last year, as he finished with 67 catches and nearly 1,000 yards to pace the Broncos in both categories. The reasoning for the excitement surrounding Jeudy is fairly straightforward: He just had a career year in an offense that was dysfunctional at best, and now he gets to work with a certified offensive genius in Sean Payton. 

That isn’t to say Jeudy doesn’t have obstacles to overcome this year. For one, it’s going to be all the more difficult for him to reach new heights if Russell Wilson’s play doesn’t increase dramatically. Wilson is coming off a ghoulish season, in which he was in the bottom half of NFL starters in most major passing categories, but the veteran quarterback is widely expected to have a bounce-back year with Payton at the helm. Which leads into Jeudy’s other potential hurdle to clear this year: Sean Payton himself. On the surface, the idea that Payton wouldn’t get the most out of Jeudy seems absurd; Payton’s talent for getting his receivers in advantageous situations and Jeudy’s elite ability to separate and produce after the catch seem like a match made in heaven. The snag is that Jeudy does not have a skillset that Payton tends to favor in his lead receivers. Most of his Tenure in New Orleans saw 6’4” Marques Colston gobble up targets as Drew Brees’ top target, and in Payton’s last few years, he turned 6’3” Michael Thomas into a record breaking receiver. Payton prefers his WR1s to be big bodied targets who will dominate with size and physicality. That isn’t to say he can’t turn more technical, speedy receivers like Jeudy into stars as well- Brandin Cooks produced back to back 1,000 yard campaigns under Payton’s tutelage- but Payton traded Cooks as soon as Thomas proved he was talented enough to be a lead receiver. Jeudy is absolutely talented enough to break that mold, but he will have to prove to Payton that his ability is worth changing years of offensive trends. Also worth noting is that the Broncos employ two other receivers who better fit Payton’s profile in Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick. Training camp’s battle for WR1 will certainly be one to watch.

OLB Baron Browning

One of the Broncos’ most memorable matchups last season was a Thursday night affair against the Indianapolis Colts. It wasn’t memorable because it was a good offensive game from Denver (it wasn’t,) or because the Broncos won the game (they didn’t.) Instead, this game was memorable because it contained an absolute demolition of the Colts’ offensive tackles by one Baron Browning. Play after play, Denver’s young ILB-turned-edge blew by Colts linemen, en route to one and a half sacks, two tackles for loss, five total tackles, and six quarterback hits. It was a performance that injected life into a lifeless game and had some Broncos fans convinced they had found the next Von Miller. Browning’s ability and asinine athleticism popped on numerous occasions last year, and his sky-high ceiling has put him on plenty of breakout lists like this one. Talent has never been the issue with Browning- instead, his greatest obstacle to a year three jump is his own health. Browning has missed six games in his first two seasons with multiple health issues, and he will now likely start the regular season on the Physically Unable to Perform list as he recovers from a partially torn meniscus. That, coupled with the Broncos resulting signing of veteran pass rusher Frank Clark, complicates Browning’s path to a breakout year. Without the injury, he likely would’ve been the starter opposite Randy Gregory. Now, Browning will likely slot in as a rotational edge rusher, and will have to earn his starting spot back with stellar play in limited snaps. But a big performance off the bench for Browning once he returns isn’t outside the realm of possibility, by any means; A large amount of his production last year came while he was behind Gregory and Bradley Chubb on the depth chart, and no matter when Browning returns, he will have a full offseason of training exclusively at outside linebacker under his belt. If all goes well and Browning plays to his talent level whenever he gets back on the field, those comparisons to Miller may not look so crazy.

Greg Dulcich, TE

Anyone who has watched a Sean Payton offense over the years knows that the man LOVES his tight ends. He turned Jimmy Graham into a superstar in his first few years in the league, and following the trade of Graham to Seattle, Payton squeezed very successful years out of veterans Ben Watson and Jared Cook. Now, he has another young tight end with high receiving potential at his disposal in Greg Dulcich. Dulcich finished with 33 receptions for 411 yards and two touchdowns in 2022, and flashed dynamic route running and open field ability. If Payton wants to replicate what he did with Graham in the early 2010’s, Dulcich is about as ideal a player as they come. Like Jeudy, Dulcich’s fate depends heavily on how Sean Payton wants to utilize his personnel. The Broncos coach has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal at wide receiver, and if he wants to maximize that talent, the targets for Dulcich may be scarce- but the prospect of creating another elite, 1,000 yard receiver at tight end may prove to be too alluring. 

Damarri Mathis, CB

At one outside corner spot, the Broncos employ a bonafide superstar in Patrick Surtain II. He’s only 23 years old, and has already has a Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro bid to his name. He’s a consensus top-three corner in football, and may well be the Broncos’ best player. But every Batman needs his Robin; and Surtain’s sidekick might already occupy the other corner spot. Damarri Mathis had an up and down rookie season. His first few games were marred by inconsistent playing time and the low point of his rookie year was a clash against the Chargers in which he was flagged four times for pass interference. Denver’s coaches didn’t lose faith in Mathis, however, and he rewarded them with an overall pleasant rookie year. Excluding week 18, he played every single game for the Broncos, being trusted to occupy the boundary opposite Surtain. More importantly, following that Chargers game, Mathis only committed three penalties for the rest of the season, showing he could balance his trademark aggressiveness with discipline and control. Overall, he finished his rookie year with seven passes defended, in addition to 65 combined tackles. Mathis’ importance to the Broncos lies not only in his place on this roster, but in the competition the Broncos will have to face week in and week out. The AFC West still contains teams that employ receivers like Mike Williams, Keenan Allen, Hunter Renfroe and Davante Adams. Mathis will have no shortage of opportunities to prove himself- he faces almost no competition for the second outside corner spot outside of rookie Riley Moss, and he now plays for defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, who has garnered a reputation for asking a lot of his cornerbacks. Mathis will be left on an island often in Joseph’s system, and with Surtain locking down the other side of the field, Mathis will likely see more than his fair share of targets. Damarri Mathis’ 2023 season has two likely outcomes: Either he will establish himself as Surtain’s Robin and give the Broncos a formidable CB tandem for years to come, or he will go down as yet another failed mid-round corner experiment by Denver.

Caden Sterns, S

Sterns is probably the proven Bronco on this list. He had a very promising rookie year in 2012, and looked to be primed for a breakout year last season before a hip injury ended his year after just five games. In those five games, he nearly matched his tackle numbers from his 15 game rookie season, and did equal his 2021 total of two interceptions. Sterns profiles as an athletic safety who routinely makes plays due to his impressive football IQ. He shares a lot of similarities with Justin Simmons, who has mentored him since his rookie season. That’s not to say Broncos fans should expect him to become the player Simmons is, but having similar traits to an all-pro is always a plus. Assuming this is the year Sterns breaks through and becomes a starter, the Broncos may benefit from having two safeties who have the same strengths and possess immense intelligence. Earlier this offseason, the Broncos once again brought back Kareem Jackson on a one-year deal. He’s started for Denver for the last few seasons and has played very admirably, but I’d be shocked if Sterns didn’t supplant him this year. K-Jack will definitely get his snaps and will be a leader for the team, but it looks to be Sterns time in Denver.