The 2024 season is likely to be a tough one for Denver Broncos fans focused solely on the win-loss record.
That said, although this dark era isn’t desirable, there are some unique joys Broncos Country will get to experience, namely the joy of unearthing new talents and falling in love with new stars.
Who could those fresh faces be on offense? Let’s look.
1. Jaleel McLaughlin
The Denver Broncos’ running back competition projects to be the most intriguing battle of Denver’s training camp, with so much intrigue at every level of the depth chart.
At the backend of the chart, those fanning the flames of Memphis’ Blake Watson might find themselves disappointed, as it is going to be very difficult to unseat McLaughlin as Sean Payton’s choice-route back of the future.
Ever since Sean Payton burst onto the scene as a wunderkind offensive coordinator, the choice route has been a staple of his offense, and he’s often turned to his running backs when deploying it. First, it was the the highly drafted Reggie Bush, but Payton would also heavily lean on the likes of Pierre Thomas, Darren Sproles, Alvin Kamara, and many more in that role.
As it currently stands, McLaughlin is the only player on the roster with the ability to be really a plus player in that role. He’s got excellent short-area quickness to create separation, and his vision and pure speed make him a headache to deal with in open space after the catch.
That could be a wonderful pairing with Bo Nix, who has one of the quickest time-to-throw averages and shortest depth-of-target averages we’ve ever seen from a college prospect — indicating a healthy number of running back targets.
Plus, we’ve already seen that lead to an increased role for McLaughlin. As he gained comfortability in the passing game and a better feel for his responsibilities, he became a more regular contributor to the offense.
Before the bye week, the Youngstown State product got fewer than 12% of the offensive snaps in three out of eight games. After the bye week, it happened just once, over nine games. The production matched that snap count too, as he garnered 40% more targets and 32% more receiving yards after the bye week.
With a full offseason under his belt, a lot more reps in the offense, and a more normally structured passing game coming in, McLaughlin is primed for a sizable leap in 2024.
2. Marvin Mims Jr.
Broncos Country was waiting for Marvin Mims Jr. to breakout through much of the 2023 season.
The glimpses were so tantalizing, which made it frustrating that all we were getting to see of the second-round receiver were those mere glances. Now, with a full offseason under his belt, and Jerry Jeudy out of the picture, Mims is set up beautifully to become a key offensive weapon for the Denver Broncos in 2024.
Over the past couple of seasons, Jeudy developed into more of a field-stretching ‘Z’ receiver, which is the exact niche Mims best suits. On top of that, for all of Jeudy’s faults, he was still more advanced and versatile than the second-year rookie that was drafted out of a fairly gimmicky offense, which led to him getting more opportunities than Mims, but that obstacle no longer exists.
Josh Reynolds and Tim Patrick are filling the void left by Jeudy, but both of those targets project better as ‘X’ receivers or as a ‘power slot’ player than as a speedy ‘Z’, so that shouldn’t impact Mims much. The addition of Franklin might, but his draft status and lack of experience means Mims should be the heavy favorite to receive more action.
That said, in order to get more playing time and targets throughout the season, Marvin Mims has to further develop his route tree.
It was alluded to in the ‘versatility’ point, but another reason as to why Mims’ role wasn’t larger last season is the fact that Mims was a bit of a one-trick pony as a receiver. He was a great return man and had the juice to be used on end-arounds and other gadget plays, but neither of those skills are enough to make him a starting receiver.
Now, he is a deadly vertical receiver, but you can’t have just one pitch if you’re hoping to be a successful NFL receiver in 2024. You have to be able to win in multiple ways. In 2023, Mims wasn’t able to do that, and that’s evidenced in his snap share, target share, and the fact his route-running success rates were comparable to that of famed draft bust Jalen Reagor.
Mims has proven he’s at least a viable vertical threat, but to be worth one of those mega receiver deals down the line, the Denver Broncos need to see a lot more in 2024.
3. Alex Forsyth
Unfortunately, this choice is largely based on projection and circumstance, but still, it’s hard to deny how favorable Alex Forsyth’s situation is, and how confident the Denver Broncos seem in their projection of Forsyth as the team’s starting center.
Starting with circumstance, he’s heavily favored to be the long-term answer at center, which is surprising for a seventh-round pick who has yet to make a single NFL start. You can’t break out without a lot of playing time, and Forsyth’s lone obstacle there is Luke Wattenberg.
Plus, he’s partnered with a high-end guard on either side of him; a quarterback who notoriously unloads the ball quickly, who was also Forsyth’s college signal-caller; and a staff that’s already impressed through one season when it comes to developing the offensive line and designing a cohesive rushing attack.
As for the Broncos’ projection of Forsyth, they’ve made it clear throughout the offseason that they view him as a long-term potential starter at center.
Then, they followed up that decree by failing to make single serious interior offensive lineman addition. Denver brought in Calvin Throckmorton and Sam Mustipher, but both of those players were glaring weak links the last time they received NFL playing time. That’s a point in both the projection and circumstance columns, as the Denver Broncos felt confident enough in their projection to not add an insurance plan, while it also created circumstances that will make it more difficult to bench Forsyth in-season, as there isn’t a quality replacement left out there.
Hitting on Forsyth would also be valuable as his paltry price tag would help the Broncos offset the high cost of Denver’s four other starting offensive lineman.
