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When the Denver Broncos traded for Russell Wilson last March they thought they had secured a franchise quarterback that would have them in contention for years to come.
It wasn’t a crazy thing to think, either, considering Wilson’s success over the years in Seattle, which included two trips to the Super Bowl and one Lombardi Trophy.
Well, that hasn’t come close to playing out in Year 1 of Russ in Denver. In fact, it has been the exact opposite of what anyone could have expected and it’s looking like one of the most disastrous big-name trades in NFL history and one of the biggest fails, too, that could damage a franchise for years to come.
The nightmare of a season continued with another ugly loss on Sunday to the Rams, which Wilson kicked off by throwing interceptions on the first two drives of the game. The final score was 51-14 and it actually felt even worse than that.
It was a horrible day for the Broncos. There was an awkward skirmish on the bench during the game, in which backup QB Brett Rypien was seen yelling at one of Denver’s offensive linemen.
#Broncos backup Brett Rypien exchanged some words with the starting offensive line, defending Russell Wilson after he took another sack, per @tracywolfson. Dalton Risner pushed Rypien out of the way.
Here's the video, via CBS:pic.twitter.com/MR7TTCfEzK
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 25, 2022
Then there was a weird Wilson moment when he was seen talking to his offensive linemen while holding a football close to his mouth.
Holding the football to cover your mouth while talking to your own teammate, on the sideline, while a foot away from one another… I'm lost. pic.twitter.com/S8umNVt4oD
— Josh Cohen (@JCohen_NFL) December 26, 2022
Both of those moments put the Broncos in a familiar spot – being the laughingstock of the league on game day.
This whole situation in Denver is just a total mess. They gave up two first round picks for a guy who might never come close to being what he once was and who seems to be losing the entire locker room. Well, not Rypien. He still has Russ’ back.
Then there’s the Broncos first-year head coach, Nathaniel Hackett. This dude has seemed in over his head since the first week and should be a one-and-done guy in Denver. There’s just no moving forward with Hackett as the head coach. Can’t happen.
Whoever steps in as the next head coach might want to change the offense around and go to more of what Wilson was doing in Seattle – getting outside of the pocket, making plays with his legs, and putting defenses on their heels with his aggressive style.
If not, this thing will likely continue to be one of the biggest fails that we’ve ever seen in NFL history. I mean, when was the last time a big-name starting QB was traded in his prime who then went on to absolutely forget how to play football?
We’re seeing that right now in Denver and it is not good at all.
Poor Broncos Country, all they want to do is ride and they have nobody steering the ship.
Quick hits: Brady’s bad play leaves Collinsworth speechless… Mac Jones’ dirty plays… Cowboys lose TD in the sun… And more.
– Tom Brady’s awful play against the Cardinals left Cris Collinsworth at a loss for words.
– Mac Jones should be embarrassed by this mashup video of his 4 dirty plays since joining the NFL.
– NFL fans crushed the Cowboys and their stadium after the sun seemed to prevent a Dallas TD.
– Packers DB Jaire Alexander had the best postgame interview of the season after beating the Dolphins.
