Broncos Roundtable: What will Russell Wilson's stats be in 2022?

With Russell Wilson under center, the Denver Broncos should have the best quarterback play they’ve had in town since Peyton Manning in 2014.

But just how good will Wilson be in his first season in Denver?

Will Russ be able to come close to the impeccable numbers Manning put up in Denver during his tenure as a Bronco or should the expectations be lowered drastically?

The DNVR Broncos Crew breaks down what Wilson’s season will look like.

What will Russell Wilson’s stat line be?

Zac: 4,549 passing yards, 39 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 103.8 passer rating — These aren’t just random numbers plucked from the sky hoping Russ cooks his first year in Denver. Based on his last five years of play, these are the stats Wilson would have put up in a 17 game schedule if Seattle let him have the 10th-most passing attempts in the league.

Instead, Pete Carrol and the Seahawks severely limited Russ’ opportunities to throw the ball and, thus, limited his productivity. However, when he was given the chance to throw, he put up incredible numbers.

With Nathaniel Hackett building the offense with and around Wilson, it’s fair to expect Russ to be in the top 10 in passing attempts this year and the results above will follow.

If Russ had those stats last year, he would have ranked seventh in passing yards, third in passing touchdowns, 18th in terms of most interceptions thrown and fourth in passer rating.

It’s completely fair to expect elite play from Russell Wilson his first year with the Broncos.

Mase: 4,561 passing yards, 36 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 101.8 passer rating – Since 2016, Wilson has a 101.8 passer rating, a figure exceeded by only four quarterbacks, one of whom is retired (Drew Brees). In that span, the average NFL team has passed 34.8 times per game — which translates to 592 attempts over a 17-game season.

These numbers reflect his touchdown percentage, interception percentage and yardage per attempt if the Broncos average 34.8 pass attempts per game — thus being at the league average. While Nathaniel Hackett is building the offense around Wilson’s skill set, he has spoken eloquently and frequently about the value of a complementary run game. Thus, the Broncos will not become a one-dimensional team.

Those might not be MVP numbers. But they are numbers worthy of a quarterback who can guide his team into the Super Bowl conversation. And for a quarterback who can be expected to spend the early weeks adjusting to his new teammates and surroundings — see Peyton Manning’s first three games in 2012 and Tom Brady’s first two 2020 games in Tampa Bay for an example of how this happens to even the best of the best — this would be a splendid Denver debut.

RK: 4,461 yards, 41 touchdowns, 9 interceptions — Russell Wilson has only been in the top half of the league in passing attempts once in his career. That changes this year.

The funny thing about the whole “Let Russ Cook” narrative is that it’s never actually happened. For whatever reason, Pete Carrol only ever wanted Wilson to be a line cook. In Denver, with Nathaniel Hackett, Russ is going to be the head chef.

I fully expect Wilson to be in the top 10 in passing attempts for the first time in his career, in an offense that’s built to let him spread the ball out to the plethora of weapons he has at his disposal and especially let it fly deep.

If that happens, these numbers will be more than attainable for the future Hall of Famer.