2023 Denver Broncos season
The 2023 season was the Denver Broncos' 54th season in the National Football League and their 64th overall. It was also their third under the leadership of general manager George Paton, their second under the ownership of the Walton-Penner family group and their first under head coach Sean Payton. During the off-season, the Broncos released longtime kicker Brandon McManus after spending nine seasons with the team. He was the last player from the 2015 Super Bowl 50-winning team still on the [|roster]. His release made safety Justin Simmons, who has been with the team since 2016, the team's new longest-tenured player.
After a dismal 1–5 start, the team's first since 1994, the Broncos started to surge, winning five straight for the first time since 2015 to improve upon their 5–12 record from the previous season. However, the Broncos won just two of their final six games, suffering their seventh consecutive losing season and missed the playoffs for an eighth consecutive season. This was the first time the Broncos ranked bottom 10 on offense and defense since the 1992 season. After his worst statistical season in 2022, quarterback Russell Wilson improved his performance, but was benched for the team's final two games for financial reasons and was subsequently released the following offseason where he joined the Pittsburgh Steelers.
One of the Broncos' highlights of the season was their Week 8 win of 24–9 over division rival, defending Super Bowl champion and eventual-repeat champion Kansas City Chiefs. This win snapped a 16-game losing streak by the Broncos against the Chiefs, and their first win against quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Meanwhile, one of the team's lowlights was a 70–20 loss in Week 3 to the Miami Dolphins.
The Denver Broncos drew an average home attendance of 76,388 in 9 home games in the 2023 NFL season, the 5th highest in the league.
Coaching changes
On February 3, Sean Payton was named as the 20th head coach in franchise history. Payton previously coached the New Orleans Saints from 2006 to 2021, with the exception of 2012, and the Broncos agreed to draft compensation with the Saints—see Draft section. Payton was the Broncos' seventh different head coach since 2008, and their third since 2018. He replaced Nathaniel Hackett, who was fired on December 26, 2022, and replaced by Jerry Rosburg on an interim basis for the last two games of the 2022 season.In the weeks that followed Payton's hiring, the Broncos underwent the following coaching changes:
| Position | Previous coach | 2023 replacement |
| Assistant head coach | None | Mike Westhoff |
| Assistant to the head coach | None | Paul Kelly |
| Offensive coordinator | Justin Outten, 2022 | Joe Lombardi |
| Quarterbacks coach | Klint Kubiak, 2022 | Davis Webb |
| Pass game coordinator | Klint Kubiak, 2022 | John Morton |
| Running backs coach | Tyrone Wheatley, 2022 | Lou Ayeni |
| Wide receivers coach | Zach Azzanni, 2018–2022 | Keary Colbert |
| Tight ends coach | Jake Moreland, 2022 | Declan Doyle |
| Offensive line coach | Butch Barry Ben Steele | Zach Strief |
| Assistant offensive line coach | Ben Steele, 2022 | Austin King |
| Offensive quality control coach | Ramon Chinyoung, 2022 | Logan Kilgore Favian Upshaw |
| Defensive coordinator | Ejiro Evero, 2022 | Vance Joseph |
| Linebackers coach | Peter Hansen, 2022 | None |
| Outside linebackers coach | Bert Watts, 2022 | Michael Wilhoite |
| Inside linebackers coach | None | Greg Manusky |
| Pass rush specialist | None | Jamar Cain |
| Assistant defensive backs | Ola Adams, 2022 | None |
| Defensive quality control coach | Andrew Carter, 2022 | Addison Lynch Isaac Shewmaker |
| Senior defensive assistant | Dom Capers, 2022 | Joe Vitt |
| Special teams coach | Dwayne Stukes Mike Mallory | Ben Kotwica |
| Assistant special teams coach | Mike Mallory, 2022 | Chris Banjo |
Roster changes
Future contracts
All players listed below were signed to reserve/future contracts on January 9, unless otherwise noted. Each player was officially added to the active roster on March 15—the first day of the 2023 league year.| Position | Player | Notes |
| WR | Victor Bolden Jr. | waived March 14 |
| G | Parker Ferguson | waived May 12 |
| CB | Faion Hicks | waived August 29 |
| CB | Delonte Hood | waived August 27 |
| DE | Jordan Jackson | signed January 11, waived August 29, assigned to the practice squad on August 30 |
| S | Devon Key | waived August 29, assigned to the practice squad on August 30 |
| RB | Tyreik McAllister | waived May 12, re-signed May 15, waived May 31 |
| T | Isaiah Prince | signed February 3, released August 27 |
| LB | Wyatt Ray | released March 20 |
| T | Hunter Thedford | waived May 25 |
| LB | Ray Wilborn | waived August 14 |
Free agents
Unrestricted
Note: Unrestricted free agents who were originally Restricted free agents had three accrued seasons whose contracts expired at the end of the previous season, and did not receive a qualifying offer before the start of the 2023 league year on March 15.Exclusive-rights
Signings
Departures
Draft
'''Draft trades'''Undrafted free agents
All undrafted free agents were signed prior to the team's rookie minicamp on May 12, unless noted otherwise.| Player | Position | College | Notes |
| Nate Adkins | TE | South Carolina | made the Week 1 roster |
| Austin Ajiake | LB | UNLV | signed August 3, waived August 29 |
| Seth Benson | LB | Iowa | waived August 29 |
| Henry Byrd | G | Princeton | waived August 29 |
| Dallas Daniels | WR | Jackson State | waived May 15 |
| Darrious Gaines | CB | Western Colorado | waived May 15 |
| Art Green | CB | Houston | waived August 29, assigned to the practice squad on August 30, promoted to the active roster on January 7 |
| Taylor Grimes | WR | Incarnate Word | waived August 29 |
| Marcus Haynes | LB | Old Dominion | waived August 29, assigned to the practice squad on August 30 |
| Thomas Incoom | LB | Central Michigan | made the Week 1 roster |
| Demontrey Jacobs | T | South Florida | waived August 29, assigned to the practice squad on August 30 |
| Jack Landherr | LS | UCLA | signed August 15, waived August 23 |
| Kris Leach | TE | Kent State | waived May 15 |
| Jaleel McLaughlin | RB | Youngstown State | made the Week 1 roster |
| P. J. Mustipher | NT | Penn State | waived August 29, assigned to the practice squad on August 30 |
| Alex Palczewski | T | Illinois | made the Week 1 roster, placed on injured reserve August 31, activated for the team's season finale on January 6 |
| Nick Williams | WR | UNLV | signed June 5, waived June 13, signed July 25, waived July 28, signed August 1, waived August 27 |
| Emanuel Wilson | RB | Fort Valley State | waived May 15 |
Suspensions
Eyioma UwazurikeOn July 24, defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike was suspended indefinitely by the NFL for violating the league's gambling policy. Uwazurike, the team's 2022 fourth-round draft selection, bet on NFL games during his rookie season.
Kareem Jackson
Safety Kareem Jackson was suspended twice by the NFL for repeated violations of the league's policy on unnecessary roughness.
On October 23, Jackson was initially suspended four games following the Broncos' Week 7 win over the Green Bay Packers after being ejected for a forceful blow to the head & neck area of Packers' tight end Luke Musgrave, when Musgrave was determined to be a defenseless receiver. Jackson was also ejected during the Broncos' Week 2 loss to the Washington Commanders for a similar hit on Commanders' tight end Logan Thomas, which resulted in Thomas suffering a concussion. Jackson was fined for a total of $89,670 for a series of illegal hits, including violations in three other games—Week 1 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Week 3 against the Miami Dolphins and Week 6 against the Kansas City Chiefs. One day later, Jackson's suspension was reduced to two games following an appeal hearing.
On November 20, in his first game back from suspension, Jackson was hit with another four-game suspension for lowering his helmet on Minnesota Vikings' quarterback Joshua Dobbs during the Broncos' Week 11 win over the Vikings. Jackson was not flagged for the hit, and he unsuccessfully appealed the suspension.
After he was a healthy scratch for the team's Week 16 loss to the New England Patriots, Jackson was waived on December 25 following a roster exemption, and was claimed off waivers by the Houston Texans the following day.