When Russell Wilson speaks, he commands the attention of every player and coach on the Denver Broncos.
The superstar quarterback also demands respect thanks to his great success in the NFL to this point in his career, with teammates looking up to him to improve their personal games.
Since arriving in Denver, how has Wilson’s presence transformed the Broncos’ culture inside of the locker room and on the field?
Russell Wilson is making the Broncos defense better
The Broncos’ defense over the course of the last seven seasons has helped make the offense better. However, this offseason, the Broncos quarterback is helping make the defense even better.
As the Broncos continue organized team activities at the UCHealth Training Center, players on the Denver defense have praised the attention Wilson commands. Broncos second-year cornerback Patrick Surtain highlighted Wilson’s ability to move on the run.
“He’s very dynamic,” Surtain said. “His second-play mentality where he’s making something out of nothing with his scrambling ability—that’s something that defenses may fear. His ability to utilize his legs and create plays on his own—that’s something special about him.”
Wilson adds a consistent element that neither of the Broncos’ previous QBs featured — escapability, and extending plays against added pressure. For veteran safety Justin Simmons who captains the defense, Russ presents various challenges before the ball is even snapped.
“The way he commands the offense, they get to the line fast,” Simmons said during Broncos OTAs. “There are times where we’re breaking our shell as a defense a little early, so he’s figuring out pre-snap where he wants to go with the ball. It’s clean, it’s quick, it’s crisp, so it’s fun. I love it. It’s the game within the game. It’s going to be fun, and it’s not going to do anything else but make us better defensively. I’m really excited about it.”
Kareem Jackson added this on the Jim Rome show about Wilson, too:
Broncos safety @ReemBoi25 on the impact Russell Wilson is already making in the building. pic.twitter.com/tVAkxxDfAW
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) May 27, 2022
How has Wilson impacted the Broncos offense?
While Wilson’s impact on the defense has been noticeable, it’s the Broncos’ offense that is most under the microscope within his command.
As the Broncos continue to learn a complex offensive scheme under new head coach Nathaniel Hackett, having Wilson on the field is similar to having another coach within the huddle according to second-year running back Javonte Williams.
“Just him being like a coach on the field,” Williams said. “There are no questions that I’ve asked ‘Russ’ that he doesn’t know the answers to. If I forget a play or something, I’ll be like, ‘Hey Russ, what do I have [to do],’ and he’ll tell me really quick. Just someone like that who can correct you when you have a mistake or anything like that is always good.”
For Williams, having a veteran presence like Wilson is helping him and other players pick up on the new playbook quicker than most would anticipate.
How is Wilson developing chemistry and helping the Broncos’ wide receivers understand where he needs them to be on certain play designs?
“He’s prepping, but he’s also bringing us along with the prep,” Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton said recently during OTAs. “He’ll say, ‘Hey, what do you guys have going on right now? Come up and watch this,’ so I can see what he sees. I can explain to him what I may see in that, and then boom, on the field the next day or same day, you work on it. It’s those daily deposits.”
All eyes are on Wilson and whether or not he can help transform this offense into one of the NFL’s best this upcoming season. If Wilson’s impact can translate into success on the field, the Broncos could have their best shot at winning the division since 2015.