3 Underrated Broncos Poised for Breakout Season

The Broncos have a marquee coach and a rookie quarterback who are taking up most of the headlines in Denver this offseason, especially after a rough start in Week 1. Sean Payton and Bo Nix need a lot of help if Denver is going to get back to the playoffs. They desperately need some unheralded members of the roster to step up and become above-average starters if they are going to exceed expectations as a team.

The good news is that the Broncos have plenty of playing time available for little-known players who have risen to the occasion in the preseason. The offense needs playmakers to keep Nix from doing too much too soon. The defense also needs difference-makers who can produce negative plays and turnovers.

The question Denver fans want answered is which players on the roster could be best positioned to make big strides this year. Broncos fans should keep an eye on these three players who could step up and earn more playing time.

The young linebacker drew plenty of attention by recording eight sacks in his second professional season. He still has a long way to go before he becomes a defender who can be counted on to stay on the field for all three downs.

He currently sits behind Baron Browning on the depth chart at left outside linebacker, but the Broncos’ staff needs to find a way to put both players on the field at the same time. Bonitto is a bit undersized to stand out against the run, but his ability to break through the opposing backfield to wreak havoc is too good to pass up.

It will be easier for the Broncos to get more snaps for Bonitto if they can get an early advantage. He will never excel against the run, but he has the obvious ability to become a double-digit sack artist if his volume of pass rush opportunities increases. He is a nightmare for opposing tackles when he has the freedom to put his ears back and pursue the quarterback with reckless abandon.

This is the year Bonitto has a real chance to take his performance from good to great. It would also give him a chance to land a lucrative free-agent deal in the not-too-distant future. Everything is in place for Bonitto to have a breakout season that will help his team and his bank account.

Expectations aren’t usually high for starting receivers who aren’t drafted until the fourth round. There are plenty of reasons why Troy Franklin might be able to exceed those expectations. He’s currently behind Josh Reynolds as Denver’s No. 2 receiver, but he has every chance of moving up the rankings as the season goes on, even if he was inactive in Week 1.

One obvious reason Franklin could succeed early in Denver is that he knows Nix very well. The two had great chemistry as college teammates at Oregon. There’s no reason that chemistry can’t translate to success at the professional level.

Franklin can also bring something very different to the Broncos’ offense than what Reynolds can offer from the slot. Much of his success with Nix in college came on deep targets. Reynolds is a solid target for possession, but he can’t overwhelm opposing defenses. Franklin has the right combination of size and speed to victimize safeties who try to thwart him in single coverage.

It may take a while for Franklin to eat into Reynolds’ playing time, but his potential as a receiver will really appeal to Payton as the season progresses. Conventional wisdom holds that young quarterbacks need safe, short safety valves to take the pressure off. The Broncos could easily discover that giving Nix a receiver who can win contested receptions deep down the field can accomplish the same goal in an unconventional way. Franklin could turn into a productive, shifty player for Denver over the second half of his rookie season.

If healthy, Greg Dulcich is the kind of tight end who can keep opposing defensive coordinators up at night. The challenge for him throughout his NFL career has been availability. A hamstring injury limited him to just two games last year and a foot issue is currently limiting his preseason availability for the Broncos.

The bet that he’ll make a leap forward in his third NFL season largely depends on his health. He has elite speed for the tight end position that can really open up the seam for Denver’s passing attack. What he lacks as an in-line blocker, he more than makes up for in athleticism as a deep pass-catching threat. He had just two receptions for 12 yards in Week 1, but he has plenty of time to improve.

Adam Trautman is currently ahead of him on the depth chart, but he’s not the dynamic athlete that Dulcich is. Payton has shown a real affinity for dynamic targets downfield at tight end during his coaching career. The idea of ​​playing Trautman and Dulcich together could also emerge as a viable strategy for the Broncos. That combination of possession threat and stretcher downfield could really simplify reads for Nix in his rookie campaign.

Broncos fans may be tired of the idea that Dulcich could become a big-time player after all his injury problems, but it’s too early to give up on such a dynamic talent. He has the juice to inject energy into Denver’s passing game. It’s not a stretch to say he could be a Pro Bowl player if he can find a way to stay healthy for a full season.