Two offseasons ago the Denver Broncos became one of the most hyped teams in the NFL. This was after a big move to acquire Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks, adding a Hall of Fame talent to a roster that only seemed to be missing their franchise quarterback. Denver had an excitement surrounding their team they hadn't had since Peyton Manning's Super Bowl 50 team.
Then everything fell flat. Wilson delivered his worst season as a pro and never gelled with first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett. The Broncos posted an underwhelming 5-12 record, behind Wilson's 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, paired with a QBR of 38.7. After one year, many deemed the Broncos-Seahawks trade the worst trade in NFL history; a trade where the Broncos received Wilson and a fourth-round pick while the Seahawks acquired Drew Lock, Noah Fant, Shelby Harris, a pair of first-round picks, a second-round pick, and a third-round pick.
Seattle looked to be the team heading for a rebuild with Denver chasing a Super Bowl, but with the emergence of Geno Smith, and the failure of the Broncos, it turned out to be the opposite.
Is Russell Wilson finally cooking with Denver Broncos?
After Denver's failure in 2022, many wrote off Russell and labeled him as 'washed'. The now 34-year-old had appeared to become a shell of his former self. Many opinions of Russ being 'washed' and the Broncos being a bad team carried into the 2023 season. The let Russ cook meme became popular across social media platforms roasting the quarterback.
Fans seemed to be proven right when the Broncos started 0-3 and allowed the Dolphins to score 70 points. They once again became the laughingstock of the NFL. But heading into Week 11, the Broncos now hold a winning streak of three games. Russell is having a sneaky good year, with 18 touchdowns (already surpassing his total from last year) and four interceptions. He is quietly one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the entire NFL.
If the Broncos continue to win games to close out the year, Russell Wilson will be a sneaky candidate for Comeback Player of the Year. Then, as Geno Smith said in Week 1 of last year against the Broncos, Russ can say, "They wrote me off, but I didn't write back."
