3 key newcomers who have to step up for the Broncos this season

Sean Payton's first season in charge of the Denver Broncos didn't go as planned. As a result, he flexed his influence on the roster heading into the 2024 campaign. Now it's time for the newcomers who came in under his watch to repay their coach's trust.

The Broncos may have been hard to watch last season, but they still managed to scratch out an 8-9 regular season record. Optimistic fans in Denver believe that means they're relatively close to emerging as legitimate Wild Card contenders this season.

If Denver is going to make that transition from mediocre to good, they'll need some new blood on the roster to emerge as high-quality starters. It's unreasonable to expect the Broncos to become Super Bowl contenders in Payton's second season, but improving their win total by two or three is not an unreasonable goal. Broncos fans should keep a close eye on the following three players as indicators on how Payton's long-term project is progressing.

3. Josh Reynolds

Reynolds made the switch to Denver from Detroit on a two-year, $14 million deal in free agency. He immediately slots in as Jerry Jeudy's replacement on the outside opposite Courtland Sutton. The Broncos need him to take pressure off Sutton by soaking up plenty of targets on short and intermediate routes.

His presence as a consistent pass-catcher should give rookie starter Bo Nix a valuable safety blanket in the passing game. Sutton is the superior receiver, but he thrives when he's able to threaten opposing secondaries on deep routes. It might take Nix some time to get comfortable enough to really push the ball down the field on any sort of consistent basis.

Some fans might criticize Reynolds for his lack of ability to produce yards after the catch. That's why Denver has invested heavily into their options in the slot. They spent a second-round pick on Marvin Mims last year and backed it up with a fourth-round selection on Troy Franklin this year. Reynolds may lack sizzle with the ball in his hands, but he's got good hands and the size required to carve out catches in space.

At 29 years old, Reynolds is more of a stop-gap than a core piece of Denver's future. He still needs to be productive this season if Payton's offense is going to take a meaningful step forward. If he can catch 50 passes for somewhere around 750 yards, he'll prove to be a good investment by the Broncos' front office.

2. Levi Wallace

It's easy for Broncos fans to take their cornerback group for granted given the presence of Patrick Surtain on the roster. He's a legitimate superstar who can be trusted to cover any wide receiver in the league via single coverage. That doesn't mean Denver didn't have work to do in the secondary this offseason.

The other starting cornerback on the outside is very much an open competition heading into Week 1. The organization would like last year's third-round pick Riley Moss to take a big step forwards in his sophomore season. That's not a high bar given the fact that he barely played as a rookie.

That's a big reason why the team brought in veteran Levi Wallace to serve as competition. At the very least, the former Steeler needs to be ready to play meaningful snaps early in the regular season. It's not a good sign if he's still the team's starter when Week 10 rolls around, but throwing Moss right into the fire could be fatal if the Broncos want to get off to a quick start.

If Wallace is going to be a positive influence on the team's starting unit, he'll need to play better than he did in 2023. He only posted a PFF average of 57.8 last season. That sort of below-average play will cause teams to stay away from Surtain and throw to Wallace's side early and often. He needs to hold up as a league average starter if the Broncos' secondary is going to be competitive inside their own division.

1. Bo Nix

Bo Nix's inclusion on this list may be obvious but it doesn't change the reality that his performance is the most important thing Payton needs to manage this season. The veteran head coach doesn't need his signal-caller to be a star, but he needs him to serve as an efficient trigger-man for his passing attack.

Critics of Nix's game during the draft process pointed to his lack of ability to connect with receivers on deep throws as a reason why he shouldn't go in Round 1. Fortunately for Nix, he won't be asked to do much of that during his rookie season in Payton's offense. Instead, the focus will be for Nix to get the ball out of his hands as quickly as possible.

The former Oregon standout's mobility will also be a huge asset for him. Payton would be wise to build roll outs into his typical offensive game plan to take advantage of his rookie's talents. Nix has the sort of speed that can really bother opposing edge rushers. Add in his ability to throw accurately on the run and it's easy to see that strategy as a route to big plays for the Denver offense.

The real key for Nix will be ball control. If he tries to make too many plays outside of the offensive game plan he's going to lose too many battles with opposing secondaries. He must understand that throwing the ball away and living to fight another day can be a good strategy in the NFL. Nix needs to be a distributor for his offense rather than a star in 2024.