“I think (Stidham) had a tough go in there, but the elements (in the AFC Championship loss to New England) weren’t in his favor,” Ward, the Broncos’ legendary No Fly Zone enforcer who helped win Super Bowl 50, told me Monday by phone.

“You know, it was a tight game. The starting quarterback for the Patriots (Drake Maye), and didn’t play well. So I think (Stidham) gets a little pass for that, coming in for his first start.”

Actually, a few more little passes back in January would’ve gone a long way. Still, by all visual and whispered accounts, Nix and his ankle are good to go for the start of training camp next week. It’s just that “snow” and “Stiddy” still gives us night sweats. When last we saw Stidham leading a Broncos offense, he looked like a lifetime backup, an understudy corpsing on center stage — completing 17 of 31 throws for just 131 yards during a frustrating, frosty 10-7 defeat in front of a snowy, flustered Empower Field. If the worst would ever happen again …

“Is Stiddy still your guy?” I asked.

“Yeah, I think so,” Ward replied.

No. 43 in orange and blue is a NorCal dude based in SoCal these days. Ward still gets back to the Front Range four or five times a year, though. And, at age 39, he’s still got his finger on several pulses in the gridiron game, from preps to the pros.

In addition to hosting , the three-time Pro Bowler and former Broncos Super Bowl 50 champion safety is hosting . It’s the second camp in consecutive weekends for Ward, who on July 18 held a youth camp for players 8-15 last weekend at his old high school, De La Salle, in Concord, Calif., as part of the nonprofit founded by the ex-Broncos star and his brother Terron a few years back.

Saturday’s event, presented by Exos Sports and the Ward’s new management agency, kicks off with almost 300 prep prospects from Colorado and surrounding states at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs campus’ Campers will undergo official combine-style tests; position-specific drills and instruction; performance evaluations by Exos; and coaching on leadership and mentorship from Ward himself.

“That way they can take these measurements home, just like they would do at something like a combine,” Ward explained, “(and can) share with colleges and GMs and coaches to say, ‘Hey, these were my numbers. This is comparable to this player. And this is why you should give me a scholarship. (And) a salary.’ Now they’re giving (those players) a salary.”

Everybody gets a little something out of the moment. It’s a chance for Ward and his partners to be in front of local high-schoolers who want Name/Image/Likeness (NIL) guidance. And a window, in turn, for prospective college players to soak up advice from sage veterans such as Ward and polish skills in scenarios that replicate an NFL combine experience.

“I just love being around the kids,” Ward said. “I love being around and working with athletes, inquisitive athletes who want to learn and get better and understand the process …

“I tell them all the time, ‘Just because you’re here right now, it doesn’t mean that you’re going to stay in this position.’ And that goes negatively and positively. You could be playing terribly right now and in a few years, not be so good. You could be hurt right now and never get hurt again, right? You could never be hurt and then get hurt later.”

In a perfect world, that ‘hurt later’ part never comes for Nix, who boasts a 24-10 regular-season record in two seasons as the Broncos’ QB1 and was just voted as the No. 59 player in the league by his NFL peers.

“I think this year we’re going to see a free, an uncaged Bo,” Ward said.

“A lot of people talk about, ‘Oh, Bo had the most passing chances, but they were mostly check-downs or whatnot.’ And I think we’re going to see a lot more down-the-field passes, obviously, with (Jaylen) Waddle in there now. It’s going to clear the way for (Courtland) Sutton, and now we have a deep-ball threat. Really, two deep-ball threats.”

The only question is whether there’s a Plan B in the QB room, if pressed into duty again, who can get them the rock consistently. Unlike the tight margins the Avalanche are navigating, or the uncomfortable conversations in the Nuggets front office at the moment, the Broncos have some wiggle room to spend on improvement around the margins.

, the Broncos had $29.487 million in cap space to play with as of Monday — and after handing out a boatload of extensions to core pieces of AFC’s best regular-season team last fall.

If you’re curious about the market rate, Justin Fields is slated to get $11 million from the Chiefs this fall. Davis Mills is on track to make $7 million with the Texans, with geriatric Joe Flacco getting $6 million with the Bengals.

Stidham will make $6 million in 2026 while the camp’s presumed No. 3 QB, Sam Ehlinger, is slated to make $2 million. And he does things with his feet, even Bo-esque things, that Stiddy can’t.

“Well, it’s always a competition,” Ward mused. “No one’s job is safe, even the backup. I guess we’ll see this preseason, right?”

Speaking of the preseason, Ward’s trying to get back this way soon to check out the Broncos’ swanky new training digs in Dove Valley. Not that he’s jealous.

“Not at all,” Ward laughed. “Those guys (now) are going to be jealous of somebody else. What I’ve learned coming up in football (is), ‘The class behind you always gets more.’ We got more than the guys before us. And the guys after us are going to get more than us. And the guys after them are going to get more than them.

“When I went to Oregon, we had the best in the world. Three years later, they built on top of it. And now they’re building another one. Just when you think it can’t get any better, it keeps getting better. As long as I get to come back and do a few workouts, I’ll be all right.”

Pretty sure they can make that work, yeah. In the meantime, Stiddy as you go, man. Stiddy as you go.

“But I definitely think that (Jarrett) is a great backup for us,” Ward continued. “He knows the system. He’s been there. And he’s playing well. We’ve seen him play well. Yeah, give him another opportunity.”

With that, 43 laughed.

“Hopefully,” he chuckled softly, “he doesn’t get one.”

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“He’s a dog,” Raiders outside linebacker Maxx Crosby said, . “I’ll give it to him.”

On Monday, Nix was announced as No. 59 on the , voted on by players across the league. It’s a tangible point — despite the triviality of offseason rankings — to rising league-wide respect for the 26-year-old Broncos quarterback, who put together an utterly disjointed sophomore season that nonetheless ended with a momentous playoff win over the Buffalo Bills and a spot in the AFC Championship.

The NFL’s  ultimately made clear his placement had little to do with advanced metrics, which reporters and fans across the league have bandied about for two years in discussing Nix’s flaws. Little to do, even, with counting stats, where Nix currently stands at the top of a loaded 2024 quarterback class. Nix has risen to No. 59 — up from No. 64 after his rookie season in 2025 — because of an ability to seize the moment that is nearly impossible to define but innately easy to identify.

No. 59 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026… QB Bo Nix!

— NFL (@NFL)

“I don’t know what it is,” teammate and All-Pro Pat Surtain said in an interview with the NFL for Nix’s placement. “But like, when he’s down, and he feels like the urgency picks up, it����ap like — he turns into Superman.”

The NFL pointed out, in Nix’s video announcement, that the rising third-year quarterback led the league in total comeback wins (13) in 2026. That was good enough for his peers to rank him above a slew of notable quarterbacks: San Francisco’s Brock Purdy, Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence and former Ravens Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson, to name a few.

Elsewhere this offseason, Nix came in at No. 18 among quarterbacks in , reflecting a clear disconnect in league-wide opinion around the Broncos’ franchise quarterback. He led the league in game-winning drives in 2025, finished eighth among all quarterbacks in passing yards (3,931) and 10th in Next Gen Stats’ Expected Points Added metric; he also ranked 28th of 33 qualified quarterbacks in yards per attempt and 29th in passer rating on throws on intermediate routes.

Both of those last points are clear growth areas for Nix and are also inexorably tied to deficiencies in Denver’s offense that the franchise has taken steps to address this offseason. New star receiver Jaylen Waddle saw 57% of his receiving yards come in that intermediate part of the field last year, and adds a kind of run-after-catch dynamism that Nix didn’t have previously in his receiver room.

“You could be first-and-10 and starting a drive and go one-and-done because he takes it 75, 80 yards,” Nix said in June of Waddle. “That����ap the kind of weapon that we added, and that����ap I think what we all have been out here watching.”

Nix was the second Bronco to appear in this year’s NFL Top 100, after Zach Allen placed No. 73. The NFL rolls rankings out in descending order from No. 100.

A reunion with Michael Wilhoite? It’s possible

The Broncos could be reintroducing a familiar face to their defensive staff this fall, after a one-year absence marred by legal troubles.

After misdemeanor charges were dropped in June against former Denver assistant coach Michael Wilhoite, stemming from a 2025 incident in which Wilhoite allegedly punched a police officer at Denver International Airport, a source with knowledge of the situation told The Denver Post that it’s entirely possible Wilhoite will be back on the Broncos’ staff this fall in 2026. No agreement has been formalized, the source said.

Wilhoite served as the Broncos’ outside linebackers coach in 2023 and 2024 under head coach Sean Payton, whom he previously worked with in New Orleans in 2019 and 2020. Payton fired Wilhoite in March 2025 shortly after Wilhoite was originally charged with felony assault, a charge later downgraded and fully dropped.

That criminal case would remain sealed as long as Wilhoite completed a diversion program, which he has not yet finished, as a representative of the Denver District Attorney’s office told The Post Monday. Wilhoite is still facing a pending civil suit from the police officer, Jesus Galvan Chavez, involved in the 2025 incident.

This week, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix placed 18th in ESPN’s , compiled from anonymous conversations with various NFL staffers. Indicative, certainly, of league-wide belief that Nix has steps to take entering Year 3: he did finish 26th of 33 qualified quarterbacks in passer rating (87.8) and 28th in yards-per-attempt (6.4) last year, after all. But the mid-tier placement given Nix’s league-leading seven game-winning drives in 2025 and playoff win over Bills star Josh Allen.

Was such a ranking fair? Who knows. Probably a bit low. But we here at The Post are not here to speculate about league-wide hot takes; we �󲹱�����decided to speculate, though, about Broncos-specific hot takes that have been simmering in the back of our minds for an offseason since Denver fell to New England in last year’s AFC Championship.

With that in mind, Broncos beat reporters Parker Gabriel and Luca Evans have assembled individual lists of five sizzling predictions for Denver’s 2026 season (plus one completely off-the-wall take), a couple of short weeks removed from the start of training camp. Time for our own slightly informed think-piece. Let’s dive in.

Disclaimer: We are in no way advocating for these to come true or rooting for these predictions to take place. These are solely opinions and should be viewed as such.

Parker Gabriel’s takes

No. 1. I am less confident in the Broncos making the postseason this year than I was at this time last year.

To be clear, I think the Broncos will make the playoffs and will be surprised if they don’t. But the first-place schedule is no joke. The opening six games are brutal. The stretch run is no joke. Denver has been largely healthy in the regular season since Payton arrived. The changes on defense in both personnel and staff might be a bit underrated. Plus, when a team is so good in one-score games one year, there’s natural wonder about regression the next year. Plus, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson didn’t make the playoff field last year. Teams will beat up on each other, but 10-7 isn’t a sure ticket to the playoffs this fall in the AFC.

No. 2. Que Robinson will finish second on the team in sacks

Part of this, naturally, is because of the uncertainty around Jonathon Cooper’s future as he faces a felony assault charge stemming from June’s domestic violence-related incidents with his former girlfriend. Part of it, though, is because Robinson looks like a true breakout candidate going into his second season. Could Jonah Elliss get to 10 sacks with more playing time? Sure. Might Zach Allen set a new career-high and flirt with double digits? Certainly possible. But Robinson’s explosiveness and his ability to play in any down-and-distance situation make him an intriguing candidate behind clear team sack leader Nik Bonitto.

No. 3. The Broncos won’t trade a player who is slated to have a substantial role this summer, but they should

Nearly every move Denver has made this offseason has been about winning this fall. Certainly, they’ve done some long-range planning in how they structured contract extensions and they opted to let John Franklin-Myers walk even though technically they could have afforded to keep him, but by and large this looks like a team that����ap putting a lot of chips in right now. Makes sense with Bo Nix still on his rookie contract. We also know depth is paramount as seasons grind on. Still, if the Broncos are relatively healthy by the middle of training camp, there’s a decent chance somebody else around the league will want somebody on Denver’s roster. Is that Ben Powers? Riley Moss? Troy Franklin? Jarrett Stidham? The Broncos profited nicely by trading Devaughn Vele last summer. They can afford to do something similar this summer if a team comes calling in a similar fashion, and it’d be good business for the future.

No. 4. The next Broncos assistant to get a head coaching interview is Evan Rothstein and it will happen this winter 

Three Broncos assistant coaches got head coaching interviews this winter: Webb, Joseph and special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, so they’re off the board. Rothstein isn’t an on-field coordinator like those three — his title is director of game management and assistant QB coach — but Payton holds him in extremely high regard. He’s instrumental in the building, even if he doesn’t get a ton of public mention by Broncos coaches and staffers. He’ll get some head-coaching buzz and will be a sneaky offensive-coordinator candidate in Denver if Webb gets a head-coaching job.

No. 5. Sam Ehlinger will win the No. 2 quarterback job in training camp 

Stidham has been the No. 2 for each of the past three years and is the favorite to win that job again. Webb, though, was really high on Ehlinger as a free agent last spring and the former Colt and Texas Longhorn impressed coaches in his first season with the Broncos. Let����ap say they’re about even through training camp. Do Payton and Webb carry on with the status quo? Or might a bit of a shakeup — with the possibility that Ehlinger’s mobility might be appealing in a short stint relieving Nix — be in order? In this situation, the Broncos probably keep all three on the 53 unless a trade partner materializes for Stiddy.

And one (crazy) extra: If the Broncos win the Super Bowl, Sean Payton will publicly muse about retirement but find the allure of a potential dynasty too much to pass up

One of the more hilarious nuggets in Seth Wickersham’s opus on the Broncos’ postseason run was Payton saying he wants to outlast NFL commissioner Roger Goodell by at least a year, essentially just so he could say he did. But if Denver wins a Super Bowl, Payton will have little left to prove. His Hall of Fame bona fides will be beyond doubt. There would be a post-Super Bowl Sean McVay-esque ‘will he or won’t he’ period fueled by Payton himself. Ultimately, though, the bet here is he’d decide he was about to win three more in the next four years.

Luca Evans’ takes

No. 1. The Broncos start the season 0-3, Myles Garrett sacks Bo Nix at least twice in Week 3, Sean Payton slowly inserts himself back into play-calling duties, and the Webb-Payton hybrid brain trust rides to a top-10 offensive finish.

Is the 31-year-old Davis Webb built to handle the natural ups and downs of his first full NFL season as a play-caller? Yes, if you ask him. Will the notoriously hyperactive 62-year-old Payton give him the full leeway to work through the bumps, in literally the first time Payton has ever given up play-calling? Hard to see. I keep thinking back to a text I sent former Saints running back Deuce McAllister in February before Webb was officially given the keys, on whether he could actually see Payton making the move.

“Hey Luca nice to meet you,” McAllister wrote back. “Sean’s not giving up play calling.”

Of course, Payton did. That text was still indicative of how tightly the coach has gripped his offense over the years, as central to not only his NFL identity but his identity as a person at large. Payton’s Broncos teams have started the season 0-3, 1-2 and 1-2 in his Denver tenure; these Broncos will now face a healthy Patrick Mahomes at Arrowhead on “Monday Night Football” to start the year, then come home to play a Jacksonville team that outplayed them last season, then play the arguable Super Bowl favorites in the Los Angeles Rams.

In this scenario, I think Payton quietly maneuvers for more play-calling influence after an early-season slump, a combination of tough love and natural acclimation steadies the ship, and a Webb-Payton hybrid attack puts the Broncos back in the playoffs as a middle-ish AFC seed.

No. 2. The Broncos trade Riley Moss by November’s trade deadline, and maybe sooner.

Moss has a near-perfect demeanor as Denver’s CB2 opposite Pat Surtain. But there is a wide set of factors working against his long-term staying power in Denver. Firstly, he’s a proven, productive cornerback who could hit free agency after 2026 and earn a few million more than the Broncos would be willing to pay him. Secondly, the Broncos may need to pick between an extension for him or nickel Ja’Quan McMillian, who’s arguably more valuable to coordinator Vance Joseph’s defensive system. Thirdly, the Broncos have 2025 first-round pick Jahdae Barron now likely set to compete with Moss at outside cornerback come training camp.

The Broncos are in a tricky spot here. If they start Moss, first-round pick Barron would likely play a reserve, situational role for the second year in a row. If they bench Moss, he will naturally lose trade value over the course of the year. The most logical option for the front office would be to either start Moss with the idea of moving him closer to the deadline or trade him sometime before the start of 2026.

No. 3. Rookie running back Jonah Coleman catches 40-plus passes in 2026. 

This isn’t really that hot of a take. Third-string back Tyler Badie saw 31 targets last season, and Coleman will likely play more than Badie did. He caught a bunch of passes during the Broncos’ summer program and had 31 catches for 354 yards in 12 games at Washington last year. And despite the heavy involvement of RJ Harvey, Payton’s offenses have long featured two running backs in the passing game: think Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles in 2013 (77 and 71 catches, respectively).

No. 4. Que Robinson racks up at least eight sacks. 

Robinson is a high-upside pass-rusher who took time to develop as a rookie and finished with 1.5 sacks combined across the regular season and playoffs. There’s direct precedent here with the name ahead of Robinson on Denver’s depth chart: Nik Bonitto, a high-upside pass-rusher who took time to develop as a rookie and jumped from 1.5 sacks to eight in his second NFL season.

The Broncos already wanted to create more snaps for Robinson in 2026, and now face an uncertain situation at OLB, as starter Jonathon Cooper is facing a felony assault charge in Douglas County District Court that could lead to league discipline. Regardless of how Cooper’s legal process plays out, Robinson will see the field more in his second season and is poised to capitalize on snaps playing alongside Zach Allen and Denver’s interior pass-rushers.

No. 5. Payton convinces Taysom Hill to come out of semi-retirement midseason. 

Payton loves his guys. Hill, a quarterback-turned-���dz���ٳ󾱲Բ���who played a key part in Payton’s offenses late in his time in New Orleans, is one of his guys. He is also currently unsigned, and his NFL career might be over at 35 years old after a season averaging 3.3 yards per offensive touch with the Saints.

At least one interesting name seems to find its way into Payton’s locker room every season with depth necessities, though. Remember Marcedes Lewis last year? I have no idea what role Hill would play, or if he’d even get a snap in 2026. I’m just thinking it’ll happen.

And one crazy extra: Frank Crum accounts for at least three offensive touchdowns.

The world changed on Jan. 17, 2026, the day that reserve tackle Frank Crum became an eligible receiver. Crum’s goal-line touchdown in the Broncos’ wild-card win over the Bills was lost in the immediate emotion of Bo Nix’s season-ending injury, but should not be forgotten.

Payton loves gadget players, and the 6-foot-7-plus Crum is agile and versatile enough to legitimately handle a handful of short-yardage touches. Plus, longtime Payton ally John Morton gave him the idea for that Crum play, and Morton is now back permanently on staff. The cards are perfectly aligned for some Crum-mania.

Assuming Denver makes it through training camp and the preseason relatively healthy, here’s another safe bet: Sean Payton’s starting lineup figures to look an awful lot like the 11 that took the field for the first snap of Week 1 last fall against Tennessee.

There’s always the chance for a rogue opening formation to open offensive coordinator Davis Webb’s tenure as the Broncos’ primary play caller, but overall it����ap possible that the only change will be Jaylen Waddle in place of tight end Lucas Krull.

The other 10, in the form of the same starting offensive line, quarterback Bo Nix, running back J.K. Dobbins, tight end Adam Trautman and wide receivers Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin all figure to have major roles again this fall for Denver.

There are, of course, twists and turns every summer. Injuries happen over the course of training camp. Last August the Broncos traded a potential starter in receiver Devaughn Vele. Sometimes a young player puts together such a strong camp that he snatches a job clean away from an established veteran.

Overall, though, Payton is betting that returning nearly every major contributor from Denver’s 2025 offense while adding Waddle and installing Webb as the play-caller is enough to elevate the Broncos’ offense away from the middle of the pack and toward the league’s upper echelon.

That means, on paper, there are not many starting jobs to be won. At most offensive positions, normal 53-man roster thresholds are met or nearly so before true competition for spots enters the equation.

And yet, there are many roles to be solidified and at least a handful of roster spots up for grabs as the Broncos near their reporting dates for rookies (July 22) and veterans (July 28). Here’s an early look at a projected offensive two-deep, with the obvious caveat that this represents a starting point ahead of camp’s outset.

Quarterback

1. Bo Nix

2. Sam Ehlinger

Starting point: The reality of life in the NFL: Much of what the Broncos want to accomplish in 2026 rests on Nix not just staying healthy for all or most of the season, but also on his game taking another step forward in Year 3, as well. Nix has a talented defense and an experienced, improved offense around him, plus Payton’s leadership and a new play-caller in Webb. He had played in every NFL game over his first two seasons until fracturing his ankle in the divisional round in January. Two operations and six months of combined rehab later, Nix and the Broncos say there’s no reason for concern. If they’re right, Denver’s in great shape. If the ankle issue lingers or comes back, that would be trouble.

Projecting Ehlinger as the No. 2 is perhaps a bit out on a limb considering Stidham has earned considerable equity with the front office, staff and locker room as he enters his fourth season with the Broncos. The notion that Ehlinger could beat him out is not rooted in Stidham’s performance in the AFC title game, but rather just in the staff’s excitement about Ehlinger a year ago, his mobility and a potential jump in performance in his second summer with the Broncos. Whoever ends up No. 3 might have the chance to be a No. 2 somewhere else at the end of August. That makes it basically a straight-out battle to be Nix’s primary backup. If there’s a way for Denver to keep all three — especially if the Broncos can get one to the practice squad to start the season as they did with Ehlinger last year —the club will almost certainly give it strong consideration.

Running back

1. J.K. Dobbins

2. RJ Harvey

Starting point: Dobbins is adamant he would have played in the Super Bowl after a November Lisfranc injury to his foot. He’s been healthy through Denver’s offseason program and enters camp as the clear lead back. Through 10 weeks last year, he was one of the most efficient runners in the NFL. The pecking order after him is likely to shape up more by role than anything else, unless Harvey takes a major leap in Year 2 – which, of course, the Broncos would more than welcome.

Harvey enters camp as the favorite to be second in terms of playing time and is the kind of player who, in Payton offenses, previously has racked up touches in the passing game. Rookie Jonah Coleman, a talented pass protector in college, looks like Denver’s third-down back right off the bat. That����ap a cleaner-fitting trio than last year if Coleman earns that trust right out of the gate. One interesting wrinkle here is what would happen if Dobbins were to get hurt. There’s a world in which Coleman might be a better lead back than Harvey; Harvey’s role stays about the same or expands some, and somebody else – a practice-squad Tyler Badie, perhaps — becomes the third-down back. The Broncos, naturally, hope Dobbins plays his first healthy season in the NFL and as long as the group stays on the field, it has the makings of a dynamic, dangerous trio.

Wide receiver

1. Courtland Sutton

2. Pat Bryant

1. Jaylen Waddle

2. Marvin Mims Jr.

1. Troy Franklin

2. Lil’Jordan Humphrey

Starting point: Waddle’s arrival changes this room in ways big and small. It goes from being one of the Broncos have seemed to like better than the industry does over the past couple of years to one that has a chance to be among the most dangerous in the NFL. They’ve got a dynamic pairing in Waddle and Sutton atop the room and they’ve got a myriad of skill sets behind. One of the most interesting questions of training camp is what the pecking order will look like behind Sutton and Waddle. The answer, at least early in the season, might be as simple as what the game situation is. The Broncos can mix up looks with Mims and even play him out of the backfield. They can be fast with Franklin on the field alongside Waddle. Or they can be big and physical with Bryant as the third man. One thing is certain: Denver is shaping up to play a ton of three-receiver and even four-receiver sets in Webb’s first season as a play-caller. The group is a clear strength on offense with Waddle’s addition.

Tight end

1. Adam Trautman

2. Evan Engram

Starting point: Engram, assuming good health, should easily lead the room in receiving targets again in 2026. Trautman, though, outpaced Engram in playing time by a wide margin last year (57% to 40%) and it would be a surprise if he didn’t do so again this fall. They are different types of players — Trautman more blocking with a bit of pass-catching ability and Engram essentially a receiver who is referred to as a tight end — but they are similar in the sense that Denver could have tried to replace either on the free agent market this spring and ultimately did not. What the Broncos did do, however, is use a pair of Day 3 draft picks to add players to the room who look like potential longer-term replacements. Fifth-rounder Justin Joly fits the Engram mold while seventh-rounder Dallen Bentley is more Trautman-esque. Payton spoke highly of second-year man Caleb Lohner and Denver also has Nate Adkins and Lucas Krull back on the 90-man roster for training camp. One of the positions where there are perhaps multiple 53-man roster spots up for grabs and where the Broncos hope the future of the position starts to come into focus this fall.

Offensive line

LT: Garrett Bolles, Matt Peart

LG: Ben Powers, Kage Casey

C: Luke Wattenberg, Alex Forsyth

RG: Quinn Meinerz, Alex Palczewski

RT:  Mike McGlinchey, Frank Crum

Starting point: The front five is set to return for a rare third straight season together unless a surprise trade pops up, injury hits or somebody like Palczewski can cleanly beat out Powers for a starting job. Above, the second line is essentially only placeholders except for Forsyth, who will have to fend off veteran Michael Deiter to retain his hold on the No. 2 center job.  “Palcho” could end up as the primary backup at both guard spots and right tackle. Or, he could be the next man in at guard and Crum at tackle, regardless of side. Either way, it����ap pretty easy to find nine for the 53-man roster here: The starters plus Palcho, Crum, Casey (a fourth-round pick this spring) and Forsyth. Denver not only has one of the best starting groups in football but also some proven, functional depth. It����ap not just going to be a task to make the 53 for anybody on the outside of that nine looking in, but there will be competition for practice squad spots, too. That could come down to choosing between veterans like Peart, Deiter and Calvin Throckmorton and younger players like rookie tackles Tyler Miller and Gavin Ortega or Nick Gargiulo.

That is the conclusion drawn when digesting ESPN’s quarterback list as ranked by league executives, coaches and scouts. Mahomes was No. 2, Herbert seventh and Nix 18th, the Broncos’ star the equivalent of a college team in the “others receiving votes” in the Associated Press poll.

On the surface, it makes sense. When considering careers, Nix pales to Mahomes, an all-time great, and Herbert, who has long had head-turning numbers. But the inference is that the rankings implied where the quarterbacks stood entering 2026.

Instead, it comes across as a lifetime achievement award because a strong case can be made that Nix has been as good or better than both over the past two seasons.

Blasphemous? Let’s go to the stats.

Take the names off:

Quarterback A: 21-9 record, 65.3% completion, 7,515 yards, 48 touchdowns, 22 interceptions, 70 sacks, 729 rushing yards, 7 TDs.

Quarterback B: 22-11, 66.1%, 7,597 yards, 49 TDs, 16 INTs, 95 sacks, 804 rushing yards, 4 TDs.

Quarterback C: 24-10, 64.8%, 7,706, 54 TDs, 23 INTs, 46 sacks, 786 rushing yards, 9 TD, 1 TD receiving.

Mahomes was A), Herbert B) and Nix C). And are we sure that is the order in how they have played since 2024? Again, not saying Nix is better overall, namely because he must get more consistent in the middle of the field and against zone defenses, but he has better numbers.

Nix has accounted for 64 scores, compared to 55 for Mahomes and 53 for Herbert. He is not as accurate, but by a whisker. He is every bit the ground threat, something he promises will remain as he returns from ankle surgery and a follow-up cleanup procedure. He has more rushing touchdowns than Mahomes and Herbert, and sits 18 yards shy in yards from Herbert.

All three take care of the ball at a similar rate. Mahomes has 22 picks and five fumbles, but none lost for 22 turnovers. Herbert boasts 16 picks, 13 fumbles and four lost for 20 total. And Nix checks in at 23 interceptions, seven fumbles, two lost, for 25.

And perhaps most salient is how Nix prevents negative plays. We can all agree he needs to become more explosive, and the onus is on offensive coordinator Davis Webb to use a simplified run game and Jaylen Waddle in concert to make this happen.

But Nix has only been sacked 46 times in his career, compared to Herbert’s 95 and Mahomes’ 70 over the same stretch.

Mahomes will be ranked in the top 10 for the next 10 years given the NFL industry’s inability to assign a year-over-year WAR value like major league baseball.

The love for Herbert is more puzzling. He looks the part, but has never won a playoff game. And miss me with blaming the offensive line the past two years. He played terribly against Houston and New England. Mike McDaniel could help Herbert reach his potential this season. But at some point, he has to meet the moment in the biggest games.

By comparison, Nix is tied for the lead in fourth-quarter quarterback comebacks (eight) and game-winning drives (10) since entering the league.

It comes down to this. Nix must improve. But he deserves more respect.

Rock on: Under new management, the Rockies received high marks for the most recent draft, especially with first-round shortstop Tyler Bell and starting pitcher Logan Reddemann. Both profile well for the new philosophies implemented at the plate and on the mound. Bell struck out at an 18.5% rate, while walking 15.4% of the time last season at Kentucky. And Reddemann features a live fastball with a varied arsenal of five to six pitches. This is how change happens, by identifying what a future Rockie looks like before he enters the organization

Horsepower: Five Broncos made Pro Football Network’s Top 100 entering the 2026 season: Pat Surtain (seventh), Garett Bolles (24), Quinn Meinerz (35), Zach Allen (56) and Nik Bonitto (59). If Nix cracks this list before next season, it means the Broncos will have likely reached the Super Bowl.

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No one gets motion sickness from watching the Broncos offense. Or from playing in it.

The Broncos ranked 32nd in pre-snap motion last season. Oh, they had movement. They collected 26 pre-snap penalties. But Payton has long created mismatches with personnel groupings, something former offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi called a non-negotiable.

It is something to remain mindful of when recalling that the Broncos won more close games than anyone could imagine last season. They won in more ways, rallying past the Eagles, stunning the Giants, paralyzing the Bills, than anyone thought possible.

But they lost the offseason, acquiring one player with star power in receiver Jaylen Waddle. Which pales in comparison to what they could lose next: their status as an AFC bully.

For the Broncos to avoid the next-season fate of teams that led the league in one-score wins, they need a fix. They must improve significantly on first and second down, particularly early in games.

As impressive as their final record was — all praise for exceeding expectations with 14 victories — the offensive numbers were sobering. According to Warren Sharp Football, the Broncos ranked 23rd overall in early down efficiency. Which tracks since Denver finished with 75 punts, and the most three-and-outs of any of the final eight teams in the postseason.

But the deeper the dig, the worse it gets, like , only to reveal an empty bottle.

In first halves, per Sharp, the Broncos ranked 27th in drives that reached the red zone, 26th in scoring drives and 25th in points per possession.

It is no wonder they needed Bo Nix to sprinkle pixie dust with a league-best seven game-winning drives. How unlikely was the success? The Broncos became the first team ever to win 14 games when trailing in 15.

All together now, this is not sustainable. Never has been. And certainly won’t be with the 2026 schedule.

“Trying to win like that puts a lot of stress on the players and coaches,” said Super Bowl 50 champion and NFL Westwood One analyst Ryan Harris. “They cannot continue to wait to change during the season.”

Payton appears prepared to do something about it. He promoted Davis Webb to play-caller, who seems intent on simplifying the offense to make it more consistent.

At first, I figured his focus would be on verbiage. But for the offense to click, let’s be real, it must go far beyond that.

“Part of that is what I talked to Davis Webb about: core philosophies. What are your core run plays that you can run against anything? What will you stick to? Of those core plays, how many passing concepts can you have that look identical and put defenders in major conflict?” explained Mark Schlereth, a former Pro Bowl offensive guard and current Fox NFL color commentator and 104.3 The Fan morning host. “There needs to be a real philosophical shift.”

Think of it in terms of a restaurant. Is it better to feature 60 dishes or six entrees?

Going from a Waffle House play sheet to the In-N-Out menu could mercifully end the slow starts over the past two seasons.

“Running the ball is like saving money. We all know we should do it, but we never do it enough. I can’t blame Sean Payton when you look at how he put together a team that reached the AFC Championship in (three years),” Harris said. “But, right now, opponents look at their offense and believe they want to pass with Bo Nix. They have to prove they are going to run.”

From the outside looking in, there was confusion about the scheme. The offseason was used to introduce the wide zone. It was a topic of conversation during training camp. But the Broncos rarely used it during the season. Complicating matters, Payton has a pattern of never repeating run calls in the first half. So 12 rushing attempts could include 12 different concepts.

That is no way to establish a rhythm. And the production bore this out in the statistics of starter J.K. Dobbins (4.1 yards per carry in the first half, 5.6 in the second) and R.J. Harvey (3.5, 3.9).

Don’t want the Broncos to press their luck in nail-biters? Abandon the potluck run game.

“Mike Tomlin told me once that every play is not a smorgasbord. Dobbins realized that a physical 3-and-half-yard run is a freaking awesome play,” Schlereth said. “They have to get to a place where they are not trying to do everything. When we were winning a ton of games with (coach) Mike (Shanahan), we ran six plays. I would joke about it. But it was true. It’s the 10,000-hour rule. You have defended it 100 times. We have spent 10,000 hours on it, so we don’t care if you know what is coming, we are going to execute it.”

If Webb can take Payton’s offense and retool the run game mix, everything would feel different. The middle of the field would no longer be radioactive. Everybody talks about Waddle delivering 70-yard plays, but what the Broncos need are 15-yard gains against safeties in between the hashes before going deep.

“And that’s where Davis Webb can bring the player’s perspective to the calls,” Harris said. “Don’t run play action until we have run for two first downs.”

If the Broncos impose their will on the ground, nothing is off the table for this team.

Dobbins will become the Broncos’ first 1,000-yard rusher since Phillip Lindsay in 2019. Rookie Jonah Coleman, who has an appetite for contact, will reinforce the identity. Even Harvey might figure it out and stop trying to bounce everything outside.

Nix is fantastic in the clutch. On this, we can all agree. It did not happen by accident. He waved the fourth-quarter wand practically every week. He got good at it.

Run with purpose on early downs, and Nix will become more accurate, more consistent. Run with balance that opens first-half leads, and the defense will double its meager 14 takeaways.

Gaining horsepower sounds simple. It is not.

But if the Broncos improve early-down efficiency, their late-season run will end at SoFi Stadium.

On the roster (12): Courtland Sutton, Jaylen Waddle, Marvin Mims Jr., Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Michael Bandy, Hakeem Butler, Kolbe Katsis, Dane Key, Joseph Manjack IV and Cameron Ross

How many on the 53? Five as a baseline. Six or even seven would be unlikely but not impossible.

Most impactful offseason move: Trading for Jaylen Waddle

This wasn’t just the most impactful roster move of the offseason for the Broncos’ receivers. It was the move of the offseason for the franchise. Combine Waddle’s addition with Davis Webb taking over the playcalling duties and you’ve got most of what Denver is hoping will elevate its offense this fall. Waddle was expensive — the Broncos gave up a first-round pick and more — but he’s also exactly what this unit needed. He can play from the slot or outside; he’s the kind of explosive playmaker Denver has lacked for years, and he’s got a mentality that already seems to fit Payton’s mold. Webb himself, in June, likened the acquisition to his time in Buffalo, when the Bills landed Stefon Diggs ahead of quarterback Josh Allen’s third pro season. If third-year QB Bo Nix and Waddle have anything like that kind of connection, look out.

Biggest question to answer in camp: Could the receiver room see another trade this summer?

Last spring and summer, the Broncos were adamant they liked their receiver depth and adamant they didn’t need to trade anybody. In the middle of the preseason, though, they got an offer they couldn’t refuse and shipped Devaughn Vele to New Orleans for a fourth-round pick and more. Broncos brass once again say they love their depth and don’t need to trade anybody after acquiring Waddle. They can stick to that, reminded by what it looked like when they were down to a couple of healthy bodies in the postseason. Or they could once again be tempted if the overlapping skill sets of some players — most likely Waddle, Franklin and Mims — make somebody dispensable. Mims is heading into the final year of his rookie deal, while Franklin has this season and 2027 before free agency.

Battle to watch: The quest for targets after Sutton and Waddle

Franklin and Mims are two of the key players in this conversation, as is second-year man Bryant. It����ap not impossible others could get in the mix, too, but that trio is clearly in the running. Franklin had a breakout second season with the Broncos last fall, catching 65 passes for 709 yards and six touchdowns. His 104 targets were second only to Sutton’s 124, well more than third-place Evan Engram (76) and more than double any other receiver (Mims third at 51). From Week 6 onward, though, Bryant closed the gap some. He averaged 4.5 targets per game to Franklin’s six. Mims had a tough time finding consistent playing time, but when injuries hit down the stretch, he turned in big performance after big performance and left Payton after the season swearing, again, that he needed to find more ways to get his multi-talented former second-round pick the ball more. Sutton has averaged 130 targets in two years playing with Nix. Waddle should come close to (or slightly exceed) Sutton’s mark atop the room, though it����ap possible each is slightly below Sutton’s dominant target share over the past two seasons. Either way, figure that if both are healthy, they’re good for well north of 200 targets and perhaps pushing toward 250. In the past two seasons, Denver’s receivers have totaled 351 targets (on 612 attempts in 2025) and 359 targets (on 570 attempts in 2024).

Under the radar: Humphrey

There are names that might be a little bit more fun — the undrafted rookie Ross, for example, made some plays in the offseason program and could be an intriguing camp story if he can keep it rolling into August, as could jumbo-sized UFL summer addition Butler — but that����ap kind of the reason Humphrey gets the nod here. Humphrey’s not that exciting. He’s been shuffled on and off the practice squad here over the years. But he appeared in every game for Denver in the 2023-24 seasons, then seven more last fall after starting the season with the New York Giants. He played 36% of snaps after jumping back into the fold in the middle of the fall. Is he a lock to make the initial 53-man roster out of training camp? Hardly. But is Humphrey likely to make an impact in some way, shape or form for Denver this fall? There’s no reason to bet against it at this point.

Legend has it that, as young as 6,��the Broncos’ new offensive coordinator and play-caller watched college football games with a pile of little index cards beside him. On them, young Davis would sketch out the plays he happened to like.

Only that’s not the best part. Because the legend then goes on to say that he’d then leave those note cards around home where his father Matt, a high school coach, could find them. Bathrooms. Nightstands. Chairs. Just some suggestions to add to the old man’s script for the next game.

“Whenever we would start shutting down the field house at 6:30 or 7 p.m. out-of-season, he’d be in there with a passing net and cones,” former Prosper (Texas) High School coach Kent Scott, who’d tutored Webb during his senior prep season, told me over the phone Monday. “Davis would have the thing set up and he’d be putting himself through drills.”

“You ever kick him out?” I asked.

Scott laughed.

“No, I loved him up there,” he countered.

The coach paused, then laughed again.

“His dad had a key, anyways.”

Davis Webb always kept an audible in his back pocket. Even if said audible happened to be dangling from a chain.

“He was just a worker physically, a worker mentally,” Scott continued. “Davis is unbelievable. One of the best I’ve ever coached.”

Another pause.

“Maybe I should say,” Scott stressed, correcting himself, “one of the best that I ever had a chance to be coached by.”

Teachers, as a general rule, never forget two types of kids: The first are royal pains in the backside. The second are prodigies.

For Scott, who coached for nearly 25 years before moving to the insurance biz, Webb was the latter some 13-14 years ago, a man — mentally, emotionally, physically — among boys.

And Scott had some dudes over the years. One of Webb’s Prosper teammates was Torii Hunter Jr., the son of the former MLB great Torii Hunter. One of Webb’s predecessors at the program was Tyler Toney, co-founder of the “Dude Perfect” sports/comedy troupe. In hindsight, Scott sees parallels in both, even if Webb was more of the perfect dude.

“Tyler (didn’t have) the measurables or anything like what Davis had,” Scott recalled. “(But) you looked at him and said, ‘It doesn’t matter what this guy does, he’s going to be successful at what he does.’ Davis is cut out of that same cloth. That same mold.”

Sounds a lot like Bo Nix, now that you mention it. Which is why Scott thinks this whole Broncos thing is going to work, even though Webb is a relatively young 31. It’s why he thinks life at Dove Valley with Sean Payton and Nix is as much a stepping stone for The Davis Train as it is a destination gig.

Webb has been studying film, dissecting tendencies, concocting schemes, staying late and sleeping on cots in meeting rooms since he was a teenager. Nobody’s going to know the playbook better. Or apply it more wisely. It’s one of the reasons he immediately won the QB1 job as a graduate transfer with the Cal Bears in 2016, just as he had done as a high-school senior transfer at Prosper a few years earlier.

“Sometimes, kids have a hard time adjusting when you switch schools, especially as a senior,” Scott reflected. “And he didn’t miss a beat.”

The fates helped. Long story short, Webb’s coach at Keller (Texas) High, Kevin Atkinson, was leaving the program after Davis’ junior year. Matt Webb had pitched for the job, but it went to someone else. Scott said he knew Matt and had told the elder Davis a few years earlier that if he ever wanted to join the Prosper staff, they’d find him a spot. Davis was just a bonus. Some bonus.

“I got a phenomenal coach,” Scott recalled. “And obviously, I got a really good football player, to boot.”

Matt coached receivers at Prosper. When the offense would come together for drills, that’s when the fireworks started. Scott still chuckles at some of the exchanges between father and son.

“It was kind of like having two coaches,” the former high school coach said. “They would talk to each other. And they didn’t always see eye-to-eye on things, either.”

And the note-card story might not even be the best anecdote to sum up what the Broncos are getting into. For that, you have to go to The List.

When Webb entered the NFL, according to the New York Post, he kept a list of everyone who’d ever doubted him with him. He reportedly looked at The List prior to every game as a reminder. A driver. Every slight was a pilot light for whenever that little flame inside started to flicker and die.

This from a guy who shared Texas Tech QB duties with Baker Mayfeld, only to get Wally-Pipped in Lubbock after a season-ending ankle issue cleared a path for a kid named Patrick Mahomes. Davis entered school early, finished his undergrad work at Tech early, and wound up throwing for 37 touchdowns during that grad-transfer season at Cal.

“Davis had some good measurables and things, a good build at 6-4, 6-5,” Scott said. “But I don’t think he was really good as a junior-high QB. In fact, I’d heard stories about him being on a ‘B’ team or a ‘C’ team in junior high.”

Better believe that those freaking coaches made The List, too.

“He obviously experienced some failure,” Scott said. “His response to failure is to pick himself up, dust himself off and go back to work.

“(Webb) always struck me as a very emotionally mature, a very strong individual. And I think that he’s one of those guys that would be fueled by failure. Nobody wants to fail. But I can’t imagine him not taking something (as a playcaller) and learning lessons from it.”

On the roster (three): Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger

How many on the 53? Two or three.

Most impactful offseason move: Re-signing Sam Ehlinger.

This was the only move the Broncos made this offseason, aside from bringing in a couple of tryout players during the spring and summer. The biggest story of the offseason, of course, was Nix’s rehabilitation from a pair of ankle operations. Bringing Ehlinger back for a second season on a one-year, $2 million deal, though, is quietly an important move. It sets up an interesting training camp behind Nix and it reaffirms the way the Denver coaching staff feels about the 27-year-old. Ehlinger had multiple opportunities to leave the Broncos last year and chose not to. Will he be as willing to stay put this time around?

Biggest question to answer in camp: Is Nix fully, fully healthy?

Pretty obvious here. Nix is going to field questions about the status of his right ankle until he puts together a good, long stretch of healthy play this fall, after two ankle operations this offseason. Fair or not, that����ap the reality. Nix gradually increased his participation through the Broncos’ second week of OTAs and through their minicamp, which Payton cut from three days to two. In practices open to reporters, the third-year quarterback did not run full speed or do anything that approached 11-on-11 work, even though the team was not in pads. Payton said Nix would be ready to go full speed by the time camp starts. Nix said last month he had the second ankle surgery in April to address an issue with bone spurs, but he could have been at that point had the coaches wanted him to be. There will be a lot of eyes on the Broncos’ quarterback as Denver reports for camp, works through its ramp-up practices and toward the start of padded work, which, by the normal build-up, would likely arrive Aug. 3.

Battle to watch: Stidham and Ehlinger for the No. 2 job.

It����ap conceivable the Broncos will keep three quarterbacks on their roster. Payton and company did so in 2024 with Zach Wilson but didn’t do so to begin 2025 when Ehlinger agreed to begin on the practice squad — an arrangement that lasted mere days before he was added to the 53-man roster. Regardless, somebody’s got to be Denver’s No. 2. That����ap been Stidham essentially since Payton arrived in Denver. Ehlinger this summer looked capable of mounting a challenge, though consistency over the course of training camp and preseason games is different than a handful of non-padded days in May and June. This decision won’t come down to money, but perhaps it����ap worth noting that Stidham has $2 million guaranteed and Ehlinger $1 million. Stidham carries an $8 million cap number. The Broncos would save $4.5 million on their cap if he’s released and $6.5 million if he’s traded. As a Super Bowl contender with $29.5 million in salary cap space, Denver doesn’t need financial flexibility as much as it needs reliable play if Nix misses time.

Under the radar: New quarterbacks coach Logan Kilgore.

Usually, this is an under-the-radar player, but let����ap take a little creative license in a three-man room that features all returning players. The newcomer is the 36-year-old standing at the front of the meeting room. Kilgore has been in Denver since Payton was hired and got a big promotion from offensive quality control coach to quarterbacks coach earlier this year when Davis Webb was promoted to offensive coordinator. Kilgore, a former quarterback himself who played in the CFL after college, started his coaching career only five years ago, working for free at Arkansas State. Players and coaches alike describe him as smart, hard-working and relatable.

“I know that he is going to do really well with this opportunity,” Nix said in June. “He’s going to work at it really well and nothing will go unturned. He will have a different perspective that Davis doesn’t have and that����ap when collaboration is really good. I’m excited.

“He’s a great dude, and I think he enjoys being around us as people more than just players and that����ap when you know you have a good football coach.”

It might have been just a throwaway phrase in the middle of a longer answer, but it perked the ears nonetheless.

The Broncos head coach was asked Jan. 15 — a Thursday, Denver’s final full day on the practice field before hosting the Bills on Saturday afternoon — if the preparation process and the hunt for an ‘ah-ha’ moment or a slight advantage ramp up even further during the postseason.

Of course, he acknowledged it did. There is only so much time in a day and so much caffeine one can consume, he said.

Then a quick aside.

“I might have been a pain last night in the red-zone meeting,” he said, “And it might have went later. That����ap just part of the deal.”

It sounded at the time like an understatement. Probably a vast one.

That quote stuck around in my brain long after the Broncos bowed out in the AFC Championship Game, four points short of the Super Bowl without quarterback Bo Nix.

It popped up when Payton fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and receivers coach Keary Colbert. Again, when Payton made Davis Webb his offensive coordinator and play-caller.

And again earlier this week while reading after being embedded with Payton and the Broncos for their postseason run.

The story is filled with all manner of details, from game planning notes to personnel decisions to a so-aggressive-as-to-be-reckless fourth-and-11 fake punt call against the Bills that Broncos players waved off on the field to Payton’s inner struggles and far beyond.

One of the overarching themes that stuck out: Working in the same building as Payton, let alone holding a place on his coaching staff, is not for the faint of heart.

That sentiment in and of itself isn’t new information.

Payton is notoriously intense. He calls himself “borderline maniacal” about details, and he means every detail about everything. Receiver splits, quarterback footwork, yeah, but also room temperatures, rental bus companies, gum flavors and hotel bedsheet thread counts.

Offensive lineman Terron Armstead said on his podcast last year that Payton reached out to him about coaching in Denver when he retires. Armstead’s reaction: “I said, Sean, I appreciate you, but no. I’m not doing it. Especially not with him because his hours is… no. Not for me.”

Still, there was something striking about Wickersham describing Broncos offensive assistants preparing their in-office cots before heading to hours-long meetings with Payton that stretch into the wee hours of the morning. About Payton barking to coaches turning away to yawn and rub their eyes at 1 a.m., “”If you want to leave, go ahead! It’s only the championship game!” and then carrying on until 2:30 a.m.

At one point during the postseason, I asked a Broncos offensive assistant casually how much sleep he’d gotten the night before. The answer: “90 minutes.”

In conversations with almost every offensive assistant who has coached for Payton in Denver and then left — some on their own volition for better postings, some fired — nearly all express some form of two seemingly competing feelings that they can easily justify as coexistent: A genuine admiration for the way Payton runs a franchise and gratitude for the impact he has on careers and also a sense of relief to not be working for him anymore.

In Baltimore alone, there are four former Broncos offensive assistants — Ravens OC Declan Doyle and tight ends coach Zack Grossi left Denver on their own, while Colbert (WR coach) and Lombardi (senior offensive assistant) were fired after this past season. Imagine the stories that come up when they’re together in the office or kicking around before practice.

Not everybody in the NFL operates this way. Just this week, Super Bowl champion Seattle coach Mike Macdonald told Dan Patrick, “If I’m making decisions after 9 p.m., we’re in trouble.” Even within the Broncos building, Vance Joseph’s defensive staff meetings certainly don’t typically carry on well after midnight.

"If I'm making decisions after 9pm, we're in trouble."

–  HC Mike Macdonald on his work/life balance.

— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow)

So why does Payton — a staunch believer in and practitioner of sleep science as it pertains to his players, particularly regarding travel, rest, recovery, and rehab — push his offensive coaches in this way?

“I don’t know any other way to operate,” he told Wickersham.

It’s worked so far in Denver, just as Macdonald’s approach has worked in Seattle. A common denominator: Both men believe in their ways and are likely rigorous about them.

When Nathaniel Hackett was hired in Denver in 2022, he talked about work-life balance and the sacrosanctity of family night on Friday evenings. By October, when the season started to go off the rails, his assistants talked about not having started their cars for a week and sleeping in the office. That’s flailing.

Still, it’s worth wondering whether Payton’s mode will change at all this season with Webb taking over as the primary playcaller. A 31-year-old steeped in three years of Payton but also having played much closer to the new-school era, it����ap hard to imagine Webb’s ideal meeting end time is 2 a.m. But while play-calling duties may be his, the team is Payton’s. The staff, ultimately, is Payton’s. The head coach may not be on the headset to quarterback Bo Nix every play, but it’d be a shock if he wasn’t burning candles and midnight oil looking for last-minute ways to crack his old secondary coach Jim Leonhard’s coverage schemes in the nights leading up to a Christmas Day tilt against Buffalo this winter.

The entire Wickersham story is promoted as an inside look at the Broncos’ quest for a Super Bowl, and it is thoroughly that. Even more pointed, though, it����ap a Payton character study done in a way that would be impossible but for the access Wickersham was granted. It����ap well worth the considerable time it’ll take to read for Broncos fans and anybody else.

Except for Denver’s offensive assistants. They already lived it once and they should instead get some sleep. Training camp starts in a couple of weeks.