Denver Broncos: 5 takeaways from George Paton’s introduction

The Denver Broncos on Tuesday introduced new general manager George Paton to the media through a Zoom press conference.

In addition to expressing his excitement over this new chapter in his personal and football life, Paton answered a variety of questions from the Denver media about his philosophies, current players on the roster, and the current infrastructure in place with the Broncos in general.

As is typically the case, executives don’t give too much away in press conferences but Paton gave good answers to the questions he was asked without giving away the team’s offseason blueprint.

At this point in the process, it’s too early for Paton to say one way or the other about specific, pressing issues facing the Denver Broncos.

There was plenty to take away from all that he said to the media, however, and not only what Paton said but what John Elway and Vic Fangio said in addition.

Here are the top five takeaways you need to know from the press conference, starting with the most important position on the team.

Denver Broncos introduce GM George Paton:

1. Is Drew Lock the guy?

First of all, let’s read what Paton had to say about Lock, and specifically what he thought about him coming out of the draft and whether he thinks the Broncos can win with him moving forward.

"I liked Drew coming out of the draft. Big arm, athletic, playmaker…I haven’t studied him, I haven’t gotten into a lot of tape. I’ve only been here four days. I’ve watched enough tape to know that he’s talented, he can develop, but I can’t comment on your second question as of yet. Broncos GM George Paton (via Zoom press conference)"

If you’re connecting the dots, and you can do so at your own risk, Paton mentioned how in his interviews with the Broncos (John Elway, Vic Fangio, Joe Ellis, and Patrick Smyth were involved in those) they had a shared vision for how they wanted to get the team in annual contention.

Paton has also emphasized the fact that he doesn’t want to take shortcuts, and that he believes in drafting and developing above all else.

Another important note to consider is what John Elway feels about Drew, because if the vision is shared by the brain trust, that obviously matters.

Elway also talked about the fact that this was not the easiest year on Lock as a player.

Broncos head coach Vic Fangio had this to say:

Fangio said also that he and the coaching staff would be able to answer questions here and there about what Lock was being told in certain situations, but he ultimately wants Paton to make his rightful decision as GM at the quarterback position without their influence over it.

Elway also added that the Broncos will “obviously” continue to look at the quarterback position because in the NFL you always are, and gave perhaps his most defensive quote of Drew Lock to date.

Again, we come back to Paton emphasizing a “shared vision” between he and John Elway, Vic Fangio, and Joe Ellis. That obviously has more to do with the big picture than just strictly the quarterback position, but based on everything we heard today, unless Paton comes away from a deep dive of film study with Drew Lock (which we already have here) thinking that he’s a complete hack, it would be shocking if Lock doesn’t get another year with better competition behind him.

Denver Broncos introduce George Paton as GM

2. What will happen with Justin Simmons and Von Miller?

Spoiler alert: There is no more clarity here after Paton’s introductory press conference than there was before it.

We know only based on John Elway’s comments that the futures of Von Miller and Justin Simmons are in the hands of Paton.

Until meetings with the coaching staff and scouting department happen, the team will not likely be moving forward with major decisions. Luckily, those will be happening over the next few weeks.

The situation with Simmons seems obvious, but only time will tell what Paton feels is the right move for the Broncos. There is also not clarity at this point of what the NFL’s salary cap will be in 2021, even though many are operating under the assumption it will drop to $175 million and anything above that is just gravy.

One comment Paton made that could tie in with Simmons’ situation was his desire to draft, develop, and get players on second contracts.

Based on this quote alone, Justin Simmons would seem to be the poster-child of building your best culture, would he not?

Paton didn’t draft him, but the Broncos did, and Simmons has developed into one of the best safeties in the NFL and with two Walter Payton Man of the Year nominations, he’s also proven to be one of the best human beings in the league.

Whether or not Simmons becomes one of the highest-paid safeties in the NFL is now in the hands of the first-time GM Paton, but based on his philosophy, it seems like that is a situation where the best possible outcome is Simmons getting the proverbial bag.

As for Von Miller? No one has any clue what is going to happen there, but the clock toward March is ticking. The Broncos have to make a decision on Miller’s club option for 2021 shortly after the start of the new league year.

All that has been reported giving any clarity to this situation is that the Broncos had hoped to have Miller at a restructured or reduced contract (per Mike Klis) before these legal issues began playing out.

General managers do not have to consult the fans on every move, or any move for that matter, but how would you like to have to face down the decisions of letting both Von Miller and Justin Simmons walk in your first year on the job?

Denver Broncos introduce GM George Paton

3. More darts in the NFL Draft

It is hardly coach-speak for George Paton to say his top philosophy has been to build and develop through the NFL Draft.

While the Minnesota Vikings certainly made their share of trades and free agent acquisitions in the last 14 years while Paton was working side-by-side with Rick Spielman, they heavily emphasized building through the NFL Draft.

Vikings total draft selections since 2015

2020: 15
2019: 12
2018: 8
2017: 11
2016: 8
2015: 10

If you go back even further, it’s clear that Paton’s desire to build through the NFL Draft first and foremost is his true intent.

In his press conference, Paton talked about draft picks being like darts.

"The more picks, the more darts, the better your chances of hitting a bullseye. George Paton (via Broncos Zoom conference)"

Does this mean the Broncos are guaranteed to move down from the 9th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft?

Not necessarily.

The Broncos have nine selections overall in this class, but with the way new general managers like to put their stamp on teams and the fact that Paton was very complimentary of the way the Broncos have drafted over the past couple of years, he might want to accumulate more picks and throw as many darts as possible in his first draft with the team.

Unless the Broncos identify a can’t-miss player at number nine overall, the odds seem pretty strong that the team would look to trade down and rack up capital.

Denver Broncos introduce GM George Paton

4. Emphasis on available resources

Someone, somewhere, at some point, started a rumor that the Denver Broncos lack resources which is a primary reason the team has not been as competitive in the post-Super Bowl days.

The Denver Broncos under John Elway’s reign have been frugal — almost to a fault at times — but they have certainly not given the impression that there are not resources to work with.

Paton emphasized in his press conference that the Broncos have every available resource to build the team. As a matter of fact, Paton has emphasized this point at least four times since he was originally hired as the general manager of the team.

The way Paton was talking also squash the notion that respected people in the NFL don’t want to work for John Elway. Elway has historically been a very tough negotiator as general manager, often drawing lines in the sand even with his own star players, which over time has rubbed players the wrong way.

Recent examples of that would include cornerback Chris Harris Jr., and you can go back to players like Malik Jackson and Julius Thomas as guys Elway simply wouldn’t go past a certain number with.

With that being said, the fact that Paton emphasized the opportunity to take the torch from John Elway as GM of the Broncos being something he wanted “bad” speaks volumes.

What kind of cash situation do the Broncos have for free agents? Does anyone really know besides the people involved? The fact that the Broncos were able to land a candidate like Paton, who has been extremely selective, doesn’t seem to indicate the well is as dry as many fans in Broncos Country have stated.

Denver Broncos introduce GM George Paton

5. Plenty of reasons for optimism

For years, Denver Broncos fans have been clamoring for the team to draft, develop, and build a successful roster with mostly home-grown talent.

At the same time, many fans have complained week in and week out about the process not playing out on their particular timeline.

According to George Paton, there will be no shortcuts for building this roster. Not only that, but he thinks there’s plenty to be optimistic about.

It’s probably a bit hasty to say the Broncos’ roster at present is about where it was in 2012 when Peyton Manning took over as the quarterback of the team, but it might not be all that far off.

The Broncos’ offensive line took a big step forward in 2020, and an offense full of young players grew and took their lumps along the way. The potential was shown in spurts throughout the season as many expected it might be, and the talent on paper is really exciting.

Defensively, the Broncos’ roster needs some tweaking, which is where the 2021 offseason will come into play. But even then, the Broncos have exciting young pieces at every level and players to build around moving forward.

There is certainly a lot to like about this team and the ability to compete moving forward if, as Paton says, the front office does “their part”.

Denver Broncos: Giving grades for 2020 free agent pickups

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How quickly can the Broncos get back into contention? At this point, it’s anyone’s guess, but with a strong offseason in 2021 and some luck in the health department, the Broncos could find their way back into relevance quickly.