Denver Broncos: Top takeaways from ‘Behind The Broncos’: Episode 2
By Jordan Lopez
The second episode of the new Denver Broncos docuseries premiered live on the Broncos’ YouTube channel at 8 p.m. ET on Friday night.
We get behind-the-scenes footage of George Paton and his staff work on the Broncos’ draft and the offseason team-building process. Fans get to see Paton and his team work with one another and “embrace the day-to-day.”
With the NFL Draft coming up in a few weeks, Denver is in a unique position. As of now, the Denver Broncos have the ninth overall pick and Paton has many options.
He has the options to either trade back in the draft and acquire more draft capital, stay put at number nine, or trade-up and pursue one of the top quarterbacks in the draft. If he chooses to go after a QB, he would most likely need to trade into the top five to acquire one of them.
Episode 2, “Inside 2021 free agency & pro days with George Paton,” was a great episode for Broncos Country and we get to hear from new GM George Paton and his team talk about the pro days they have attended and the re-signings of some of their own core players.
Here are the big takeaways from the second episode of “Behind the Broncos: No Shortcuts.”
Shelby Harris re-signs and talks with Paton
Shelby Harris reached an agreement with the Broncos earlier this offseason for three-years up to $27 million dollars. He will receive a $9 million dollar signing bonus and $15 million dollars guaranteed.
“I feel appreciated.”
Harris had a little talk with Paton on the episode and you can tell it was real authentic. Shelby really wanted to be back in Denver and appreciates what Paton has done so far.
A key part of what Harris said to Paton really stuck out in the episode while talking about feeling appreciated and changing things around in the organization.
"This shows the young guys that the organization appreciates the players. I think that speaks volumes.Shelby Harris to George Paton on Behind the Broncos"
You can sense the obvious culture shift throughout the organization with George Paton at the helm and the players can sense it too. I think we can all agree that the players appreciate it too.
Justin Simmons contract extension
From the very beginning, George Paton had made it very clear that Justin Simmons was the number one priority in the offseason. He wanted to him to stay in Denver and be apart of the new culture.
So he did just that.
They both reached an agreement, making Simmons the highest paid safety in the NFL. It’s a four-year, $61 million dollar deal with about $35 million guaranteed. Justin deserved every single dollar of his contract too, proving he is the best safety in the league.
During the episode, Paton was on the phone with Simmons and mentioned he was the number one priority.
"I’m happy as you are because we’re going to win here. You’re the core here. There’s a handful of you guys. We need a bunch more.You earned every penny of this. You deserve it. You’re the best safety in the league and you’re an even better person.George Paton to Justin Simmons on Behind the Broncos"
Simmons was very thankful to be back with the Denver Broncos. He mentioned how Paton has impacted him. “When someone believes in you, it just makes you play so much better.” He goes on to add that Paton is super confident and believes in this team and roster.
Simmons also adds that he has been through the losing times and now it is time to be a part of the winning times. In the press conference, he states, “I want to make sure we’re getting back to hosting playoff games.”
Attending Pro Days
Paton said it was very vital to see his scouts now in person instead of zoom and see how they work, communicate, and to develop a relationship with them.
The team was on the road a lot looking at potential prospects the Broncos may want to draft. In the episode they showed the campuses of South Carolina, North Dakota State, and BYU.
The Denver Broncos’ director of college scouting, Brian Stark, said that George Paton is a true scout. “He approaches the Pro Days the same that me or anyone else on the college staff would… He’s engaged with the sources at the schools.”
Stark goes on to add that it has been nice to be out on the road scouting and to see the college staff in action.
At the very end of the episode, George Paton drops a gem that caught a lot of attention in Broncos Country.
"We did a good job in free agency filling needs so now we can just grab the best player available. That was the goal from the very beginning.George Paton on Behind the Broncos"
The second episode had some very good dialogue between the new GM George Paton and the players. It also gave us a good sense of what the scouting team is going through. Consistently traveling and attending Pro Days to accumulate all the data and info they need to draft successfully in a few weeks.