All the noise surrounding the Denver Broncos is that Russell Wilson will be back to his best this season.
Under new head coach in offensive guru Sean Payton, the Broncos will hope to have a legitimate shot at going from one of the worst teams in the league to one of the best.
Wilson, 34, suffered through the worst season of his 11-year career after being traded to the Broncos from the Seattle Seahawks. The Broncos gave up a huge haul of draft picks to Seattle to acquire Wilson, with them believing that the quarterback would be the final piece to help them contend for a Super Bowl.
But the nine-time Pro Bowler posted career lows in touchdown passes, completion percentage and passer rating, going from one of the best quarterbacks in the league to the worst in just two years.
But after firing former head coach Nate Hackett and replacing him with the legendary Payton, the Broncos are confident in what they can do in 2023. Already making his presence felt, Payton made a number of changes when he first arrived in Denver earlier this off-season, including making quarterback Wilson aware that he will no longer be allowed his own personal coach.
Wilson has his own personal QB coach, former NFL back-up Jake Heaps, who moved with him to Denver. Heaps was allowed in the facility last season, while the Broncos themselves did not have a quarterback coach listed among the staff.
But with former NFL back-up Davis Webb now in that role, with the Broncos also hiring Joe Lombardi as their offensive coordinator, Payton has confirmed he wouldn't allow any personal coaches around the team. But the coach has spoken glowingly of Wilson throughout pre-season, as have the players around him.
When asked by the in-house media team, why he has so much faith in Wilson, Jerry Jeudy replied: "Just his mentality. Russ is a soldier.
"Just the way he handles his business, the way he handles situations, I just know the type of guy he is and the stuff that he can overcome. In the situations like that, that don't put no fear into a man's heart. And I know that this year, he got a big year coming ahead."
Offensive lineman Garett Bolles added: "He’s a great dude, he’s the same guy every single day, he works his butt off. And I’m ready for that stuff to go away, and when it goes, everyone’s going to eat crow. He's the same guy, he doesn't change; he's a leader. He's one of the winningest quarterbacks [the] last 10 years, you guys know the stats, that's just who he is."
Wilson is looking considerably trimmer than last season, and may look to use his legs more in the passing game - as he had in Seattle for so many years.
