2023 Denver Broncos season
The 2023 season is the Denver Broncos'  54th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 64th overall. It is also their third under the leadership of general manager George Paton, their second under the ownership of the Walton-Penner family group and their first under head coach Sean Payton. They attempt to improve on their 5–12 record from last year, make the playoffs after a seven-year absence, and end their seven-year AFC West title drought. During the offseason, the Broncos released longtime kicker Brandon McManus after spending nine seasons with the team. He was the last player from the 2015 Super Bowl 50–winning team still on the roster. His release made safety Justin Simmons, who has been with the team since 2016, the team's new longest-tenured player. In Week 3 against the Miami Dolphins, the Broncos surrendered 70 points, becoming the first team since the 1966 New York Giants to do so. This season began with the Broncos' first 1–5 start since 1994. Coaching changes
On February 3, Sean Payton was named as the 20th head coach in franchise history. Payton previously coached the New Orleans Saints from 2006–2021, with the exception of 2012, and the Broncos agreed to draft compensation with the Saints—see Draft section. Payton was the Broncos' seventh different head coach since 2008, and their third since 2018. He replaced Nathaniel Hackett, who was fired on December 26, 2022, and replaced by Jerry Rosburg on an interim basis for the last two games of the 2022 season. In the weeks that followed Payton's hiring, the Broncos underwent the following coaching changes:

Roster changes

Future contracts
All players listed below were signed to reserve/future contracts on January 9, unless otherwise noted. Each player was officially added to the active roster on March 15—the first day of the 2023 league year. Free agents

Unrestricted

Note: Unrestricted free agents who were originally Restricted free agents (RFA) had three accrued seasons whose contracts expired at the end of the previous season, and did not receive a qualifying offer before the start of the 2023 league year on March 15. Exclusive-rights

Signings

Departures

Draft

Draft trades

Undrafted free agents
All undrafted free agents were signed prior to the team's rookie minicamp on May 12, unless noted otherwise. Suspensions
 July 24: Defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike was suspended indefinitely by the NFL for violating the league’s gambling policy. Uwazurike, the team's 2022 fourth-round draft selection, bet on NFL games during his rookie season. October 23: Safety Kareem Jackson was initially suspended four games by the NFL for repeated violations of the league's policy on unnecessary roughness. Jackson was ejected during the Broncos' Week 7 win over the Green Bay Packers after a forceful blow to the head & neck area of Packers' tight end Luke Musgrave, when Musgrave was determined to be a defenseless receiver. Jackson was also ejected during the Broncos' Week 2 loss to the Washington Commanders for a similar hit on Commanders' tight end Logan Thomas, which resulted in Thomas suffering a concussion. Jackson was fined for a total of $89,670 for a series of illegal hits, including violations in three other games—Week 1 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Week 3 against the Miami Dolphins and Week 6 against the Kansas City Chiefs. One day later (October 24), Jackson's suspension was reduced to two games following an appeal hearing. Trades

Injuries

Practice squad elevations

Staff

Current roster

Preseason

Regular season

Schedule

Notes
 Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Networks and times from Weeks 10–17 are subject to change as a result of flexible scheduling. The date, time and network for Week 15 will be finalized at a later date. The date, time and network for Week 18 will be finalized at the end of Week 17. Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Las Vegas Raiders

The Broncos kicked off the 2023 season against their AFC West division rival Las Vegas Raiders. This marked Sean Payton's debut as the Broncos' head coach. The Raiders grabbed the early lead on their initial possession, with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo connecting on a 3-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jakobi Meyers. The Broncos responded on their first possession, with a 5-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Russell Wilson to wide receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey. However, placekicker Wil Lutz missed wide-right on the extra point attempt — a miscue that would prove to be critical to the game's outcome. A 24-yard field goal by placekicker Daniel Carlson gave the Raiders a 10–6 lead early in the second quarter. The Broncos took their first just lead before halftime, with Wilson's second touchdown pass of the first half — a 5-yarder to wide receiver Courtland Sutton. Lutz missed wide right on a 55-yard field goal attempt on the initial possession of the second half. The Raiders then marched down the field and faced a 3rd-and-goal from the Broncos' 6-yard line. However, Garoppolo was intercepted by safety Kareem Jackson in the end zone for a touchback, late in the third quarter. The Broncos then had a first-and-goal from the Raiders' 8-yard line; however, they failed to score a touchdown, and instead, settled for a 24-yard field goal by Lutz midway through the fourth quarter. The Raiders took a 17–16 lead six plays later, with another touchdown pass from Garoppolo to Meyers — from 6 yards out. The Broncos went three-and-out, and were forced to punt. The Raiders faced a 3rd-and-8 from their own 44-yard line with exactly three minutes left in the game. Meyers was stopped one yard short of a first down on a pass completion from Garoppolo; however, Jackson was flagged for an unnecessary roughness flag for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Meyers, giving the Raiders a first down. The Broncos' defense was unable to stop Garoppolo from scrambling for a game-clinching 8-yard first down run. Week 2: vs. Washington Commanders

The Broncos took a 21–3 lead over the Commanders with touchdowns on each of their first three possessions, consisting of a 5-yard touchdown run by running back Jaleel McLaughlin and two touchdown passes from quarterback Russell Wilson — a 60-yarder to wide receiver Marvin Mims and a 16-yarder to wide receiver Brandon Johnson. However, the Broncos' offense would sputter for the remainder of the game and their defense was unable to stop the Commanders. After Wilson was strip-sacked by linebacker Jamin Davis, the momentum shifted to the Commanders. Quarterback Sam Howell connected on a 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Logan Thomas on a 4th-and-goal, with a two-point conversion that was initially ruled unsuccessful, but overturned by review. The Broncos' lead was narrowed to 21–14 just before halftime, with a 49-yard field goal by Commanders' placekicker Joey Slye, who missed from 49 and made from 44 in the first quarter. After a Broncos' three-and-out to start the second half, the Commanders tied the game at 21–21, with Howell throwing a 30-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Terry McLaurin. Following an interception of Russell, Slye missed wide-right on a 59-yard field goal attempt. The Broncos reached the red zone on the ensuing possession, but were forced to settle for a 31-yard field goal by placekicker Wil Lutz. The Commanders took their first lead of the game early in the fourth quarter, with running back Brian Robinson Jr. rushing for a 2-yard touchdown, then added to their lead, with another rushing touchdown by Robinson — a 15-yarder midway through the fourth quarter. After being outscored 32–3 since early in the second quarter, the Broncos found themselves trailing 35–24. A 32-yard field goal by Lutz on the first play after the two-minute warning pulled the Broncos to a 35–27 deficit. After burning all of their team timeouts and forcing a Commanders' punt, the Broncos had one last possession at their own 13-yard line and with 48 seconds remaining. With 3 seconds remaining, Wilson heaved a desperation hail mary pass that was caught by Johnson for a touchdown. The Broncos needed a two-point conversion to send the game to overtime. However, Wilson's pass that was intended for wide receiver Courtland Sutton fell incomplete. Week 3: at Miami Dolphins

The Broncos were overwhelmed by the Dolphins, in an embarrassing 70–20 loss. The Broncos' defense surrendered franchise worsts in points (70), yards (726) and overall touchdowns in one game (10), and tied a franchise record for rushing touchdowns in one game (5). The 50-point loss was the third-worst margin of defeat in Broncos' franchise history, behind a 59–7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in 1963 and a 51–0 loss to the Oakland Raiders in 1967. Dolphins' quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw for four touchdowns, and running backs Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane accounted for six other touchdowns. Broncos' quarterback Russell Wilson threw for 306 yards and only one touchdown, while wide receiver Marvin Mims returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. The 70 points scored by the Dolphins was tied for the second-most in a single game in NFL history, only trailing a 72-point output by the Washington Redskins in 1966. Week 4: at Chicago Bears

The Broncos took the early lead over the Bears on their initial possession, with quarterback Russell Wilson connecting on an 18-yard touchdown pass with running back Jaleel McLaughlin. The Broncos' offense would then sputter, failing to advance past their own 44-yard line on their next four possessions, and the Bears reeled off 28 unanswered points. The Broncos' defense yielded four touchdown passes to Bears' quarterback Justin Fields—two to tight end Cole Kmet, and one apiece to wide receiver D.J. Moore and running back Khalil Herbert. The Broncos trailed 28–7 with 4:10 remaining in the third quarter, but proceeded to score the final 24 points of the game. Wilson threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandon Johnson near the end of the third quarter, followed in the fourth quarter by a 13-yarder to wide receiver Courtland Sutton. Then the Broncos' defense came up with a crucial turnover, with linebacker Nik Bonitto forcing a strip sack and fumble off Fields, and linebacker Jonathon Cooper returning the fumble 42 yards for a game-tying touchdown midway through the fourth quarter. The Bears then marched down the field, and faced a 4th-and-1 at the Broncos' 18-yard line with 2:57 remaining in the fourth quarter. However, instead of a go-ahead field goal, the Bears decided to go for a first-down, but turned the football over on downs when Fields was tackled for no gain by linebacker Alex Singleton. Five plays later, a 51-yard field goal by placekicker Wil Lutz put the Broncos ahead to stay with 1:51 remaining in the game. The Bears attempted a rally, but after reaching their own 47-yard line, Fields was intercepted by safety Kareem Jackson for the Broncos' first win of the season. Week 5: vs. New York Jets

Following a 30-yard field goal by Jets' placekicker Greg Zuerlein, the Broncos grabbed the lead, with a 22-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Russell Wilson to running back Jaleel McLaughlin. On the Broncos' next possession, Wilson was penalized for intentional grounding in the end zone for a safety. The Broncos led 13–8 at halftime, after two short field goals by placekicker Wil Lutz—from 22 and 23 yards out, with a 26-yard field goal by Zuerlein in between. After the Broncos went three-and-out to start the second half, Jets' running back Breece Hall ran for a 72-yard touchdown—the first of 16 unanswered Jets points. Zuerlein added three more field goals—a 27-yarder in the third quarter, followed by 27- and 49-yarders in the fourth quarter. The Broncos trailed 24–13 midway through the fourth quarter, after two punts and a lost fumble in Jets' territory. A 3-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to tight end Adam Trautman, coupled with a successful two-point conversion by fullback Michael Burton, pulled the Broncos to within a 24–21 deficit with 4:48 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Jets were attempting to run out the clock, and faced a 3rd-and-5 at the Broncos' 27-yard line; however, quarterback Zach Wilson was intercepted by cornerback Patrick Surtain II near the goal line. With 2:14 remaining in the game, the Broncos attempted a rally, but Russell Wilson was strip-sacked by Jets' defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, and cornerback Bryce Hall returned the fumble 39 yards for the game-clinching touchdown. Week 6: at Kansas City Chiefs

The Broncos' defense limited Chiefs' quarterback Patrick Mahomes to one touchdown pass and four field goals by placekicker Harrison Butker, but the defensive effort was wasted by a poor performance by the offense. Quarterback Russell Wilson completed 13 of 22 passes for only 95 yards, and the Broncos trailed 16–0 at the 9:22 mark of the fourth quarter. Wilson finally got the Broncos on the scoreboard, with a 11-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Courtland Sutton that was initially ruled as an incomplete pass, but overturned by a booth review. The subsequent two-point conversion by running back Javonte Williams pulled the Broncos to within a 16–8 deficit with six minutes remaining in the game. However, Butker's fourth field goal of the game—a 52-yarder at the two-minute warning, put the game out of reach. It was the Chiefs' 16th consecutive win over the Broncos—a streak that ended two weeks later in Denver. Week 7: vs. Green Bay Packers

Midway through the third quarter, all of the scoring came by way of the placekickers—three field goals by the Broncos' Wil Lutz, and one by the Packers' Anders Carlson. The Broncos increased their lead to 16–3, with the game's first touchdown—an 18-yard pass from quarterback Russell Wilson to wide receiver Courtland Sutton. However, the Packers' responded, with two touchdown passes by quarterback Jordan Love—a 16-yarder to wide receiver Romeo Doubs, followed by a 4-yarder to wide receiver Jayden Reed that gave the Packers a 17–16 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Nine plays later, the Broncos re-claimed the lead, with Lutz's fourth field goal of the game—a 52-yarder with 3:54 remaining in the game. The Packers attempted a rally, but Love was intercepted by safety P. J. Locke deep in Broncos' territory. The Broncos then ran out the clock. Week 8: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

The Broncos' defense forced five turnovers—three fumbles and two interceptions off Chiefs' quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and limited the Chiefs' offense to three field goals—all in the first half—in a 24–9 win. It was the first time since 2021 in which Mahomes did not throw a touchdown pass. Broncos' quarterback Russell Wilson threw three touchdown passes—one apiece to running back Javonte Williams and wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton. The Broncos were holding a 14–9 lead early in the fourth quarter, and after Chiefs' return specialist Mecole Hardman muffed a punt, Wilson threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Sutton and placekicker Wil Lutz later added a 28-yard field goal with only 31 seconds remaining to put the game out of reach. With the win, the Broncos snapped a 16-game losing streak to the Chiefs, dating back to 2015. Week 10: at Buffalo Bills

Standings

Division

Conference

Statistics

Team leaders

League rankings

Awards and honors

References

External links
 
 Denver Broncos news, analysis, roster, stats — The Denver Post 
 NFL Nation Blog – ESPN

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