ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — A year later, there’s a distinct ease on Sean Payton’s shoulders as he relaxes and mentally retraces his path through the Denver Broncos’ roster.
Sitting on a bench Thursday, you could almost sense that the stress of his reentry into the NFL coaching ranks had finally subsided. The sparks and heat of many of the thoughts he conveyed in the opening months of his Broncos tenure had faded. The lingering questions about how he would forge a relationship with management or quarterback Russell Wilson are now answered. And in the wake of all that, a more relaxed Payton finds himself at the helm of a calmer camp.
The feeling, maybe even the aura surrounding him, for now, is tangibly good and undeniably less messy. Probably because the football field in front of him is no longer riddled with potholes related to the previous head coach, the previous quarterback, or the tremendous sense of dread that permeates the Broncos fan base after the 2022 season. Instead, the future is now a winding road through What can be instead of What the hell just happened?.
“It’s different,” Payton said with a smile. “This is a different team than last year.”
He looked out onto the team’s practice field, where rookie quarterback Bo Nix was finally making his way after doing an extra 30 minutes of post-practice work with a handful of veterans.
“We’re a much younger team,” Payton said. “And that’s no accident.”
It never pays to get too carried away by moments like these, because training camp always brings with it a perceptible siren song of possibility for every franchise. There is the promise offered by rookie classes and young players taking the next steps. The health of a roster is typically at the highest point of the season schedule. And the league-wide loss column is exceptionally unblemished, aside from the occasional contract suspension or unexpected suspension for steroid use.
It’s a time when everyone is usually feeling pretty good. So to read too much into Payton’s current situation is to wade into deep waters, especially when a season’s hangover is little more than a month away and entire seasons can be dragged into an abyss of futility by late October. Payton knows this well, considering he dealt with it in 2023, when the Broncos foundered with a 1-5 start and then rebounded respectably — but too late for a playoff spot — with a 7-4 finish.
What makes 2024 a little different is the simplest thing: a year ago, Payton didn’t have the team he Wanted? Now? Well, he definitely has a lot of players he wants, and he’s that much closer to getting the roster and culture to a point where big steps can start to be made. Maybe in 2025… maybe over the course of this season… maybe even between now and the first week of the season in September.
A prime example of that is Nix, who isn’t locked into the starting quarterback job but appears to be headed in that direction in the first week of the regular season. Payton isn’t saying it now, but his eagerness to coach Nix every day leaves little room for doubt: This is his quarterback, and getting him on his team was a pivotal moment in Payton making him his Broncos team. This goes back to Nix’s private workout with the Broncos on March 13, which concluded with Payton turning to his general manager, George Paton, and declaring, “This is the guy.”
When Payton looks back on that moment now, he fills it with a series of points about Nix that could block a good portion of his day if left uninterrupted.
“First in the class for quarterbacks on third down,” Payton said. “First in the class in negative play differential. Zero fumbles in two years. Very good off-schedule ability. End of first half, two minutes — first in the class. Critical end of play — first in the class. Accuracy — most accurate in college football history.”
Finally, Payton underlined: “There is a great calmness in his game.”
With all due respect to Jarrett Stidham (who Payton also has some affinity for as a veteran who will show Nix how to be a pro), Payton’s enthusiasm when talking about Nix is more than enough of a barometer for where this is all headed. Not that it’s really necessary. Nix was drafted 12th overall to be the franchise’s long-term compass. And there’s no question that he’s Payton’s guy, and any success or failure will reflect directly on the head coach’s quarterback resume.
Not to mention the amplified youth on the team, which will have areas across the roster competing to fill out a depth chart, from wide receiver to running back to the defensive secondary. And that’s just the beginning, as Payton and Paton are just in the initial phases of re-tooling the entire roster with young talent.
As Payton said, “Being young and hungry is a dangerous thing in this league.”
That attitude hasn’t escaped the attention of veterans, either. Cornerback Pat Surtain II, now the team’s best player and most decorated leader, said the change in the building has been palpable from year to year.
“I can feel the energy, the camaraderie, everyone coming together as one,” Surtain said. “We’re building this team from the ground up in a way and we’re all moving forward together. We’re a young team that’s hungry and eager to fulfill our goal and our destiny.”
The head coach is happily a part of that, too, as he’s settled back into a familiar space as a teacher, culture-builder and demanding presence. So much so that he’s repeating his favorite anecdotes when it comes to pushing players. One that Payton has repeated a few times this season targeted the weight loss of running back Javonte Williams, who dropped from 232 pounds to 221 this offseason. But it’s a moment that preceded the weight loss that has become one of Payton’s favorite stories when outsiders visit.
Payton was apparently watching old tape of North Carolina’s college offense when he came across Williams, who was displaying the speed, explosion and power that ultimately made him a Broncos draft pick in 2021. At one point, Payton paused the tape and called Williams into the room, showing him some of the footage.
“How much did you weigh here?” Payton asked. “That’s the back I want.”
Six weeks later, Williams was back to his college weight of 221 pounds. And Payton officially had a story to tell when he showed up to camp looking and practicing better than ever.
This is the kind of thing that rounds out Payton’s coaching batteries: having his quarterback picked, filling the roster with youth and competition, watching players respond to his personal challenge to be better. It’s how calm has settled over the Broncos, and someone else’s team has finally become Payton’s: young, hungry and dangerous.
Coaches can think that way too. And if you doubt it, just have Sean Payton sit down and explain his roster to you.