The Denver Broncos are going to improve this season.

Let's be honest, it will be difficult for them to be worse than they were last year. Speaking it into existence that the organization takes the much-needed step forward.

With Russell Wilson barely throwing as many touchdowns as the number of bathrooms he had in his home, it was easy to see why the team suffered.

Outside of Wilson, the Nathaniel Hackett experience was a disaster and the team just couldn't stay healthy. That, and they were fighting one another on the sidelines. Any way you look at it, things were bad.

However, this recent offseason with bringing in Sean Payton, there's been a buzz surrounding the team. It appears that the national media is taking notice, too.

The Athletic joined in on the fun, highlighting one player from each team across the NFL as a breakout candidate or a dark horse for their respective teams. It wasn't Wilson or Jerry Jeudy, not even newcomer Zach Allen or Frank Clark. Rather, the publication highlighted Greg Dulcich as a breakout candidate for this season.

Despite missing seven games as a rookie in 2022, Dulcich caught 33 passes for 411 yards. He will have a much bigger role in a Sean Payton offense that helped Jimmy Graham finish with 1,310 yards as a second-year tight end in 2011 and has routinely utilized the talents of big, athletic players at the position. Dulcich (6-3, 245) dealt with hamstring injuries last season, but he overhauled his offseason workout regimen with a focus on increased flexibility to address the issue.

Nick Kosmider gushed about the tight end, comparing him to another Payton prodigy in Jimmy Graham. If Dulcich can take the next step, and stay healthy, the sky is the limit for not only him but the Broncos' offense.

Getting Wilson the protection he needs up front and reliable weapons down the field will be huge for his confidence and the Broncos' chances of being competitive this season.

If Dulcich really can be the dark horse, breakout candidate that Kosmider is hinting at, Kansas City might start having to sweat a little bit.

Crawl, walk, run. For right now, fans just want to see marked improvement from an organization that fell so hard and flat on their faces last season.

The entire season doesn't revolve around the success of Dulcich as a breakout candidate. However, the chances of the season being a success would be that much greater if Dulcich can explode onto the scene.

We can't wait to see what happens.

Sean Payton already making one major change for Broncos QB Russell Wilson

There was one major takeaway from today's introductory press conference for new Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton. Change. Change is own the horizon inside the building for the Broncos. Their players will feel it, and fans will probably be happy to hear all of this after last season's debacle with Nathaniel Hackett. One of […]

Featured image via Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports