In 2020, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took a transformational leap when they upgraded from their parade of misfits at quarterback — most recently fronted by a gunslinger with questionable decision-making and turnover flaws — to a surefire Hall of Famer.
In 2022, the Denver Broncos will be looking to follow in Tampa’s footsteps and NFL.com’s Jim Trotter sees them being successful in that quest.
Recently, Trotter projected the Broncos to improve their record by six games this season, from 7-10 to 13-4, the most of any team in the NFL. Unsurprisingly, he credits Wilson with the majority of this change.
“All we heard last season was that the Broncos were a quarterback away from being a Super Bowl contender,” Trotter wrote. “Well, they have one in Wilson, the former Seahawks star who is regarded as one of the game’s top talents at the position. Wilson wants to be mentioned among the greats of the game, and he knows that will require more Super Bowls.”
Trotter makes a good point about Wilson requiring more Super Bowls. There are a number of subpar quarterbacks that have managed to win one Super Bowl, but it seems that everyone who has won two — save for Eli Manning — is one of the all-time greats.
While Wilson certainly deserves his flowers, Trotter also credits the rest of Denver’s roster.
“He should have an opportunity (to win Super Bowls) with a Denver team that has a roster flush with talent, particularly at the receiver position,” Trotter continued. “The Broncos upgraded the defensive front with the signings of D.J. Jones and Randy Gregory, and added a solid cornerback in K’Waun Williams. But it all will come back to Wilson. Last season the Broncos had four defeats by five points or fewer. Wilson is expected to be the human eraser who makes such defeats disappear. If he does, anything is possible, even in the league’s toughest division.”
Trotter laid out an excellent case for why the Broncos could improve their record for six games this season, but ultimately, going 13-4 with 10 games against the AFC West and NFC West is going to be incredibly difficult to accomplish.
If Denver can pull it off, they might just be Super Bowl favorites.