The Denver Broncos 1-5 start in the 2023 NFL Season led many to believe that a rebuild was on the horizon, but that was something that Sean Payton was never going to allow. It's good that the team ended up not being sellers at the trade deadline last year, as the team ripped off five-straight wins and found themselves in a Wild Card chase all of a sudden.
The team limped to the finish though, and finished 8-9 on the season, but them finishing 8-9 means after their 1-5 start, they went 7-4 the rest of the way, which is a very good finish. By all accounts, the 2023 Denver Broncos were a good football team for most of the season, but even after the 8-9 finish, many in Broncos Country were still saying that the team needed to rebuild.
Well, that was never going to happen, and the Broncos roster wasn't weak enough to warrant a rebuild. Sean Payton brought over a Hall of Fame resume from his time with the New Orleans Saints, so did we really think he'd negatively impact his own record by embracing a rebuild? That would have likely forced Denver to fave multiple losing seasons.
I just don't think that was ever a consideration by Sean Payton. Secondly, instead of needing a rebuild, what the Broncos needed more than anything else was the franchise QB. Yes, rebuilding a team usually centers around the QB, but there are 52 other active roster spots. Payton likely knows that getting the franchise QB fixed also fixes a lot of other issues.
And even this offseason, the Broncos did part with some former veteran players like Jerry Jeudy, Justin Simmons, and Josey Jewell, but they also brought in some modest talent to "re-tool" the roster, rather than rebuild it. It sounds silly, but the Broncos were never going to undergo a full rebuild with Sean Payton in town, as Payton knew and knows what this team needs to be successful.
If Bo Nix is an efficient QB during his rookie season, Denver is finishing with a winning record. And I also believe that since Sean Payton has been in this league for so long, he knows how winning rosters are built, so in a way, a rebuild was never necessary. It's clear that Sean Payton and GM George Paton knew what roster holes they needed to fill.
And while the roster still needs more talent, it was far from ever needing a rebuild.