The Denver Broncos are under new management, again, heading into the 2023 season. After the Nathaniel Hackett era lasted for one season, Sean Payton was acquired via trade from the New Orleans Saints to man the sidelines.
Payton will be tasked with getting the lowest-scoring offense from the 2022 season back on track. It certainly isn’t for a lack of talent as the team acquired quarterback Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks last season to get the team over the hump.
Wilson has an abundance of weapons around him as well. His wide receiver group is deep with Jerry Jeudy, Cortland Sutton and eventually Tim Patrick and KJ Hamler behind them. They got deeper with the selection of Marvin Mims Jr. during the 2023 NFL Draft and the signing of Marquez Callaway, too.
Changes could be coming at the position as Jeudy, Sutton and Hamler have been involved in a ton of trade rumors. Payton has said no deal will be made, but that could change if they are presented with a strong offer.
Jeudy trade rumors could also be put to rest if the team signs him to an extension. He is eligible for one for the first time this offseason, but after exercising the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, he is under team control for at least two more seasons.
The same cannot be said for linebacker Josey Jewell, who was selected by Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report as the player the Broncos need to prioritize working on an extension with. The 2018 fourth-round pick out of Iowa has been a mainstay in the Broncos’ lineup for the first five seasons of his career when he is healthy enough to remain on the field.
A torn pectoral cost him all but two games in 2021 after being a 16-game starter in 2020. He bounced back to play in and start 13 games in 2022 and is a key contributor to what was a dominant Denver defense.
In those 13 games, Jewell recorded 128 total tackles with 2.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss, four quarterback hits, two interceptions and four passes defended. Signing him to an extension now will save the Broncos a lot of headaches as another season like that would assuredly land him some huge offer sheets from teams around the league.
Denver would also benefit from working out an extension monetarily. Some cap space for 2023 could be opened up by agreeing to an extension with Jewell and given all of the salary cap commitments the Broncos made this offseason, it wouldn’t be the worst idea to create some wiggle room.
