Nothing went according to plan for the Broncos in the 2022 NFL season. But they hope things change with the arrival of Sean Payton, who will return to coaching after taking a year off from the gridiron.
A former Super Bowl champion that got the best out of Drew Brees in a successful tenure in New Orleans, one of the reasons why Denver hired Payton is to see a better version of Russell Wilson.
The former Seahawks quarterback arrived in the Mile High City with high expectations last year, but has so far looked like a shell of himself. In his introductory press conference, Payton suggested Wilson hasn't been used correctly until the end of the season.
Sean Payton says Russell Wilson wasn't used properly until final weeks of 2022 season
“It wasn’t the type of season he wanted to have,” Payton said, via ProFootballTalk. “I feel like the last couple of weeks, we saw a little bit more of maybe what we were expecting or accustomed to. I say, ‘We,’ [meaning] you all when you signed them. I think the No. 1 job for us as coaches in evaluating our players [is deciding] what are the things that they do really well? Then, let’s try to put them in those positions. At least that’s the starting point, and I think that it is important to highlight their strengths and minimize maybe any weaknesses.”
Payton didn't mention anyone in particular, but he may have implied Wilson's abilities weren't utilized properly during Nathaniel Hackett's tenure. With Hackett gone after 15 weeks, Wilson started to play like his true self.
Sean Payton explains how he plans to get the best out of Russell Wilson
“Here’s what I know,” Payton continued. “I know that he’s a hard worker. I know he’s an extremely hard worker, and that’s important. You take that and you understand the skill set. He’s won a lot of games in Seattle. . . . Then you go from there. That’s the same case — although it’s a much more visible position, it’s the same case and the same goal for us with every player on this roster.
"What do they do well? It’s easy to point out what players don’t do well, and there are certain coaches that tend to look at it that way. I kind of was taught early on, ‘Hey, what is it they do well? Let’s have them do those things.’ None of us want to go — I don’t like singing, period, but none of us want to be at a karaoke bar with a song we don’t know the words to. How do we how do we get them comfortable and highlight their strengths? That’s the process that’s going to begin right now. I’m learning about every one of these players, not just Russell.”
Wilson could be the best quarterback Denver had since Peyton Manning retired, and he can certainly do much better than in 2022. Besides, the Broncos have already committed to him for many years.
