Broncos’ offense remains a work in progress after inconsistent season: “Were we as good as we expected? Absolutely not”

Denver was a shell of the dynamic offenses Payton constructed in New Orleans

Sean Payton’s frustrations were evident as it stood at the podium during Tuesday’s end-of-the-season press conference. Although he thought the Broncos made progress during his first season as the head coach, the inconsistent effort from the offense was a problem.

“Were we as good as we expected or wanted to be offensively this year? Absolutely not. Just look at the numbers,” Payton said.

Denver was a shell of the dynamic offenses Payton constructed in New Orleans. The Broncos finished their season 28th in total offensive yards (298.4), 18th in rushing yards (106.5) and 24th in passing yards (191.9) while averaging 21 points per game.

While Denver has laid the foundation for the type of culture it wants moving forward, Payton didn’t want to say the same for the offense. In 2023, Denver centered being a physical, run-heavy offense.

At times, the Broncos had success running the ball. They rushed for 153 yards in the victory against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8. Against the Cleveland Browns, Denver totaled 169 yards on the ground en route to a commanding 29-12 victory.

Denver’s rushing attack struggled down the stretch, averaging 78.8 rushing yards in the last four games. Starting running back Javonte Williams, who finished with 774 rushing yards, was held less than 50 yards in five of the final six games.

Whether or not the Broncos will carry that offensive philosophy remains to be seen.

“The offense is ever-changing, relative to who is playing in it,” Payton said. “I would say clearly (it’s a) heavy-duty work in progress. I would say we’re not building on that foundation yet; we’re still putting the pilings in based on what I saw.”

Payton thought Denver’s red zone offense inside the opponent’s 10-yard line was “awful.” He said the team didn’t take enough advantage of field position during games while expressing his frustrations about the Broncos’ effort on third down. They converted 36.8% of their third down attempts, ranking 21st in the league.

Sure, quarterback Russell Wilson’s numbers drastically improved from 2022, and wide receiver Courtland Sutton finished tied for fourth in the league for touchdown receptions (10). But overall, the Broncos never found a sweet spot in the passing game, either.

The Broncos didn’t have a single receiver reach 1,000 yards, and rookie Marvin Mims Jr. was the only pass catcher to surpass 100 receiving yards in a game. Denver rarely received production from its tight ends, as the group totaled a combined 362 receiving yards. Meanwhile, pass protection was average at best.

Even after the Broncos replaced Wilson with Jarrett Stidham as the starting quarterback, their offensive struggles remained the same. Denver averaged 15 points over the final two weeks, with 14- and 16-point outings serving as the Broncos’ two lowest-scoring outputs since their 1-5 start.

“We’ve grown and improved a lot. But the biggest stride is you gotta maintain that consistency,” starting right tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “Offensively, we don’t feel we did enough this year.”

Collectively, Payton said the offense — including himself — wasn’t good enough. He was bothered that Denver was not good with the details and kept making the same mistakes on the field. Payton said that starts with coaching.

“I want to get my eyes fixed, so I call the right play and I don’t mess up and call the wrong play. … That happened one time this year,” Payton said. “That was embarrassing.”