Woody Paige: Broncos’ busts need to turn it around in 2023

By Woody Paige July 22, 2023 | updated 2 years ago

Broncos Gregory Return Football — FILE -Denver Broncos linebacker Randy Gregory looks on during an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Sep 18, 2022, in Denver. Gregory’s knee is healthy and he’s ready to return after missing more than two months. (AP Photo/Bart Young, File)

Russell Wilson, Courtland Sutton, Justin Simmons, Garett Bolles, Randy Gregory, D.J. Jones and Tim Patrick will be paid a cumulative total of $116 million this season. Those Broncos better be The Magnificent Seven.

Simmons solely was distinguished in 2022.

The Insignificant Six must do a course correction when the veterans report for training camp this week, and the change will require more than a white alternative helmet or a new scoreboard @ Mile High stadium.

Patrick, who will receive a career peak $11 million as he turns 30 in November, tore his right ACL last August and was out the entire season. His wide receiver colleague Sutton, with the Broncos’ second-highest salary ($18.2 million), finished last year with an ordinary second successive season (two touchdowns in each) after missing all but one game in 2020 with a knee injury. The six-year veteran was an off-season candidate for a trade, but offers to the Broncos were not satisfactory. Sutton says the possibility of being dealt was “flattering that other teams see me as a guy that could come and be a guy for them,’’ but “I love it here. This is home.’’ Yet, he has not duplicated his 2019 achievements – 72 receptions, 1,112 yards, six touchdowns and a Pro Bowl selection.

Left tackle Bolles, the only former No. 1 draft pick of the bunch (2016), is in the third season of a four-year $68-million contract and will get $17.8 mil. He broke his leg in the fifth game. So his season was shut down. Until then, Bolles had allowed only one sack and committed six penalties. But, without him, the offensive line was torched for 55 sacks.

Jones, considered one of the NFL’s premier nose tackles in 2021 with the 49ers, isn’t ranked among the top 32 interior linemen by Pro Football Focus before the 2023 season. He’d managed two sacks and 22 solo tackles, down from the 40 the year before. It was not a stellar starting season in Denver for Jones, who will collect $13 million.

The runner-up for biggest Broncos bust of the lost season was Gregory, who had been drafted in the second round by the Cowboys in 2015 and has been more star-crossed than star. After signing as a free agent with the Broncos in March of ’22 for five years and $70 million, Gregory showed up with a lame shoulder and didn’t practice most of the off-season and training camp. Then he started only three games and played in six.

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The defensive end converted to outside linebacker forced fumbles in the first two games, but ended up with just two sacks, seven QB hits, seven solo tackles and one post-game fight on Christmas Day when the Broncos lost to the Rams 51-14 and the head coach was fired. Gregory was sidelined with a mysterious knee injury in 11 games. Because of injuries and suspensions he has been a starter in only 15 games over six seasons and obviously didn’t replace Von Miller, Bradley Chubb or anybody else in Denver’s illustrious linebacker history.

Gregory’s salary will be $16.1 million guaranteed.

The Broncos will bestow Wilson, the worst of the sad-sack six of ’22, with the most lucrative compensation for one season in franchise history (above Peyton Manning and Miller) – $22 mil. Russell produced the worst year of his career in ’22. The Broncos’ quarterback had lows with only four victories, 60.5 percent passing, average yards per attempt (7.3), 16 touchdowns, a passer rating of 84.4 and a QBR of 36.7.

Simmons, picked 98th in the third round in 2016, would have been the Last Man Standing if the Broncos hadn’t signed former punter Riley Dixon, who was selected in the last round (228) of the same draft.

Even though Justin played in only a dozen games, because of a thigh injury suffered in the opener, he still had his best turnover season in seven with six interceptions (tying for NFL lead) and three forced fumbles. The 2020 Pro Bowler and three-time second team All-Pro safety certainly deserves his $18.15 mil income in 2023.

But, if Simmons and the other six are to reach the playoffs they must play up to their payoffs, starting with Sean Payton’s public practice Friday.

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Woody Paige: Broncos’ busts need to turn it around in 2023

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