Broncos brass still believe in Russell Wilson, say QB can be fixed

play

Denver Broncos owner and CEO Greg Penner and general manager George Paton said Tuesday that they believe in the future of quarterback Russell Wilson, despite his subpar play this season.

The two men who are starting the franchise's fourth search for a head coach said they believe Wilson can return to the level of play from earlier in his career.

Penner said that the decision to have Russell here is a long-term one. He has not been up to his standards. In the last few weeks, we had some glimpse of it. He knows he can play better, we know he can play better, and he's going to do the right work in the off-season to be ready for next year.

The Broncos traded five draft picks, including a first-round selection that is now projected to be in the top three picks of next year's draft, in exchange for Wilson. Wilson signed a five-year contract extension with the Broncos.

Wilson has looked out of sync all season and has been unable to find consistency. Even though he missed two games this season due to injury, he has been sacked a league-leading 49 times in 13 games and is on track for a career low in touchdown passes.

Wilson will set a career mark if he is sacked three times in the last two games. The Broncos are the lowest scoring team in the league at 15.3 points per game and have had 11 games this season where they have scored 17 or fewer points.

Penner and Paton said that a coaching change was made to get Wilson to play better in order to review the entire organization.

Russ said he didn't play up to his standards. Paton said that he didn't play up to his standard and that he needs to be better. We did not make a coaching move based on Russ. We're getting a new coach because that wasn't what it was all about. It is about the whole organization. Russ isn't fixable or not. We do think he is.

Penner said that Hackett wasn't fired solely for Wilson's performance or the loss to the Rams.

You have to look at the whole thing. It was not the right fit for a number of reasons.

Penner said the team is looking at candidates it hopes to interview for the job. When asked if any of the current assistants would be considered for the job, Paton said they would like to interview Ejiro Evero.

The Broncos' new ownership group was approved by the National Football League in August. The group was in place when the team signed Wilson to the extension, even though Paton had already led the search and interviews of 10 candidates.

Paton, who was hired in January 2021 as the team's general manager, spoke about his decision to hire Hackett earlier this year.

It didn't work out here, that's on me." Paton said that he takes full responsibility for where the team is. There's no one to blame but me, I brought in the head coach and most of the players. This isn't just about Nathaniel, this isn't just about the coaches. It's about the entire football operation.