Considering the roster, front office, ownership, and everything in between, what five aspects of the Denver Broncos organization are the strongest? Don't look now, but the Denver Broncos appear to be a top-tier organization once again, from top to bottom.
In the last year, we've seen new and proactive ownership installed, replacing the Bowlen reign. We've seen, a couple of years before that, a widely respected front office executive in George Paton comes on as General Manager, and several months ago, one of the best offensive minds in NFL history was traded to the Broncos to become the next head coach of the team.
Roster-wise, there aren't many weaknesses on the Denver Broncos roster. George Paton and Sean Payton infused the roster with a ton of talent at positions of need. All that's missing, honestly, is the verdict with Russell Wilson.
Is he indeed washed up? Does he still have some great football left in him? Only time will tell. Let's rank, in order, the five biggest strengths of the entire organization.
Where are the greatest strengths within the Denver Broncos organization?
5. George Paton, GM
Believe it or not, I think George Paton is just the 5th most valuable or biggest strength of the Denver Broncos organization. He's made some missteps as a GM, but he's widely respected around the NFL and was very picky with his future GM gig. He takes a hit in these rankings because Sean Payton gets the final say for the roster.
If the 2023 season doesn't go as well as the team would hope, I'd think that Payton would consider wanting to work with someone else, perhaps someone who he worked with during his time in New Orleans. Paton is smart, but if we're being honest, he has made some decisions that have greatly impacted the bad performances of the Broncos recently. He's still a very important part of the organization, though.
4. The secondary
I'd argue that the Denver Broncos' secondary is the strongest part of their roster. Patrick Surtain II is the best cornerback in the NFL and is only entering his age-23 season, which is bonkers. Justin Simmons is a top-three safety in the NFL and was tied for the league lead in interceptions in 2022 even though he played 12 games.
K'Waun Williams is an excellent slot cornerback, and all of Caden Sterns and Damarri Mathis are oozing with potential. The NFL is a pass-first league, so the fact that Denver sports one of the top secondaries in the NFL is marvelous, especially playing in the AFC West.
Where are the greatest strengths within the Denver Broncos organization?
3. The offensive line
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the Denver Broncos will have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL in 2023. Sean Payton has historically fielded quality offensive lines, and it helps that Denver added two excellent OL players in free agency.
They also already had two very good OL on their roster in Garrett Bolles and Quinn Meinerz. Bolles' return is going to be huge and I think we'll see Meinerz emerge as an elite guard in 2023 now that he'll finally be playing in a competent offensive scheme.
Games in the NFL are won and lost at the line of scrimmage, so it's good that Denver has at least one of those units solidified.
2. The Broncos Walmart ownership group
The Denver Broncos got a new ownership group recently, and they immediately got to work, which has and will include stadium upgrades, field upgrades, and there does appear to be some smoke regarding new uniforms in the near future. Now, having a strong and proactive ownership group does not automatically translate to wins, but when it's clear that the group will spare no expense to improve the organization itself, then they will surely have a huge impact.
1. Sean Payton
There is no one person in the organization that will impact the performance of the Denver Broncos more than Sean Payton. He's been one of the most successful coaches of the last few generations and is one of the best offensive minds in the history of the NFL.
He's got an insane track record and inherits a situation in Denver similar to his first year as HC of the New Orleans Saints. Just think, would you rather have a shaky ownership group and excellent head coach, or a great ownership group and shaky head coach?
I might be simplifying it too much, but if the Broncos have a miraculous turnaround, it'll largely be because of Sean Payton.