The Denver Broncos didn’t plan to finish 5-12, good for last place in the AFC West, last season when they traded for former Super Bowl champion quarterback Russell Wilson and gave him a massive contract extension.
Though Wilson showed flashes of his old self at times, he was statistically one of the worst starting quarterbacks in the league for large swaths of play. He will need to return to his old form if the Broncos are going to right the ship under first-year coach Sean Payton.
Wilson, for his part, has the backing of left tackle Garett Bolles. Speaking this week after OTA practice, Bolles predicted that critics of Wilson will “eat crow” after the 2023 season.
“He’s a great dude, he’s the same guy every single day, he works his butt off,” Bolles said of his quarterback, according to Jeff Legwold of ESPN. “And I’m ready for that stuff to go away and when it goes, everyone’s going to eat crow.”
Bolles didn’t stop there with his praise of Wilson.
“I think he’s phenomenal,” Bolles said. “…We knew who he was as a person, we know who is. … I love him dearly. I think he’s one of the greatest quarterbacks in the game in the last 10 years. Stats don’t lie, just because you have one rough season in the last 10 years you can’t dictate what type of guy, his personality, what he goes through.”
Broncos fans will certainly hope that’s the case.
[ESPN]
