Russell Wilson has not been the quarterback the Denver Broncos hoped for to this point. After trading five draft picks and multiple players for the former Seattle Seahawks star last offseason, Wilson put together the worst year of his career in 2022. However, there's reason to believe 2023 will be better.
The Broncos were able to seduce former New Orleans Saints Super Bowl-winning head coach Sean Payton out of retirement, and if anyone can fix Wilson or Denver's offense, it's him. Broncos offensive tackle Garett Bolles said this week that the Russ detractors are going to "eat crow" this upcoming season.
"He's a great dude, he's the same guy every single day, he works his butt off,'' Bolles said, via ESPN. "And I'm ready for that stuff to go away and when it goes, everyone's going to eat crow.''
Wilson posted just the second losing record of his career in 2022, as he went 4-11 while setting career-worsts in completion percentage (60.5%), passing touchdowns (16) and passer rating (84.4). The Broncos also recorded the worst scoring offense in the NFL for the first time in franchise history (16.9 points per game).
This Payton-Wilson duo is one of the major NFL storylines to watch this season. They are the first primary QB-head coach duo in NFL history to work together after winning Super Bowls at their previous stops, but history isn't exactly on Payton's side. No head coach has won a Super Bowl with multiple teams. There are a total of 14 Super Bowl-winning head coaches that have gone on to coach other teams, and they have combined for a losing record. With that said, the Broncos should be improved in 2023, and Bolles thinks Wilson is going to get back on the right track.
"I think he's phenomenal,'' Bolles said. "... We knew who he was as a person, we know who is. ... I love him dearly. I think he's one of the greatest quarterbacks in the game the last 10 years. Stats don't lie, just because you have one rough season in the last 10 years you can't dictate what type of guy, his personality, what he goes through."
