Sean Payton bringing former Saints to the Broncos is a genius idea

Sean Payton has not wasted any time during his short tenure with the Broncos in bringing over some of his former players. While they might not be stars, they are extremely valuable to the change in culture. What Payton built in New Orleans, especially during the end of his tenure, was outstanding.

From 2017-2021, the Saints went a combined 58-23 in the regular season, making the playoffs in four of those five seasons. At the end of the day, they did have Drew Brees, one of the greatest QBs ever under center, but there still were 52 other players on that roster, and many of those players are now currently with the Denver Broncos.

Zack Kelberman put together a list of the former Saints players who are now in Denver. You could look at this list and go "eh, they're all just guys," and while that may be true, guys like Wil Lutz, Adam Trautman, Michael Burton, and Lil'Jordan Humphrey all had very important roles in 2023.

All of Trautman, Burton, and Humphrey are very willing blockers, which is an underrated part of an offense within the run game. Lutz was a very efficient kicker in 2023, making nearly 20% of his kicks, and the two new additions of Malcolm Roach and Calvin Throckmorton provide above-average depth.

The Denver Broncos needed a huge culture change when Sean Payton took over, and that change is currently being worked on. In my opinion, one of the best things an entity can do to bring about change is to have people who are familiar with that change being implemented. It'd be hard in theory for Sean Payton to change the culture if he didn't have some familiar faces around, and this also spills into the coaching staff.

The former Saints-turned-Broncos may never make a main headline at any point in their careers with the Broncos, but their value to the team on the field and off the field are evident.

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