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Grading George Paton’s first year as Broncos GM

By Travis Wakeman

Oct 31, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos general manager George Paton before the game against the Washington Football Team at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 31, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos general manager George Paton before the game against the Washington Football Team at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /
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George Paton, Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos president John Elway (left) and general manager George Paton (right) before the game against the Detroit Lions at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

Just over one year ago, the Denver Broncos hired George Paton to be the team’s new general manager. 

It was a huge move for the Broncos to hire George Paton following the decision by John Elway to step down as the team’s general manager. Though Elway would remain in the role of president of football operations, it signaled a change in the team’s direction.

Paton was chosen as the man for the job and he got right to work in rebuilding an organization that was starving for a return to the postseason. He did inherit a bit of a mess though, one with an incomplete roster, mainly due to so many questions at the quarterback position, along with a head coach that he did not select himself.

That said, Paton demonstrated a high football savvy with many of his moves in 2021 as he began to shape the Broncos’ roster in his vision. This included a bold trade on draft day as well as moving one of the greatest players in team history.

So how did Paton’s first year in Denver grade out? And how does that set him up for success heading into the free-agent signing period in 2022, which is just over one month away?

Here’s a year in review for the Broncos’ general manager.

Early moves for Broncos

Denver Broncos, Jurrell Casey
Denver Broncos DL Jurrell Casey. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

To begin with, Paton came in and started to trim some fat off the roster to create room for capable replacements.

Most of these were minor moves, but he did decide to part ways with two of the most disappointing players from the 2020 season, both of which the Broncos had acquired through trade, Jurrell Casey and A.J. Bouye.

Both players missed a huge chunk of the 2020 season with injuries despite each coming with high expectations placed on them.

Bouye played in just seven games for the Broncos and was pretty quiet when he did. An appearance from Casey was even more scarce, as he appeared in just three games. That was unfortunate for Denver, as they caught him on the tail end of what was a stellar career for nine seasons with the Tennessee Titans.

Paton was correct to move on from both of these guys and it was good he didn’t see if there was any meat left on either of those bones. Both players had productive careers, but they were basically busts for the Broncos.

Grade: A

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