A hard culture and roster reset orchestrated by Sean Payton and George Paton. The arrival of quarterback Bo Nix. A top flight defense deployed by Vance Joseph. So on and so forth.

Decidedly not on the list? Denver’s early-season performance in those two seasons.

In fact, if the Broncos get off to a fast start in 2026, not only will it be impressive because of the brutal nature of the club’s first six games, but it will also be the first time such a thing has happened in Payton’s tenure here.

“I’m pretty sure we haven’t,” Payton said last month, knowing full well the numbers. “So I think that����ap going to be important.”

Denver started 0-3 (and eventually 1-5) in 2023 before reeling off five straight wins. In 2024, the team lost its first two. Last year, a 1-2 start was followed immediately by an 11-game heater.

Payton overall is 4-7 in September as the Broncos’ coach. The good news? A 10-3 October mark that follows a career-long trend for Payton, who is 31-30 in September and 54-17 in October as a head coach.

Payton has tinkered with training camp, giving veteran players more frequent off days and eschewing joint practice with other teams altogether this summer.

The hope, of course, is that it all pays off with a faster start than in years past.

In that pursuit, there may be no more important position group on the roster than the Broncos’ offensive line.

Four of the five are going into their fourth season together and Luke Wattenberg enters his third year as the starting center. Payton likes to say that the offensive line is the one group that can permeate a team’s building. This group needs to do that and drive the bus early in the season, too.

The Broncos were among the most efficient teams running the football early in the season last year, but their production dropped off a cliff when J.K. Dobbins was injured in Week 10.

If the frontline can help Denver get back to running the football well out of the gate, that will not only make life easier on Nix, but it also opens up a world of possibilities for first-time play-caller Davis Webb.

“I’ve never been around somewhere that����ap been about to be four straight years of basically the same offensive line,” Webb said recently. “It����ap such a blessing because they’re good dudes, they’re coached well, they’re nasty, they take things personal. I think pass block-wise, they’ve been pretty consistent over the last few years and run-game wise, I think we’re trying to build on that consistency. Not saying it����ap been bad, but we can definitely be more consistent.

“That����ap a goal that we’ve tried to address this offseason. We’re just very blessed in all of our rooms that the offensive line’s been the most stationary. They’re the strength of our offense.”

They’re a key cog in helping to correct two of the trends Payton identified from last year that he’s harped on throughout the offseason — early-down efficiency and run game consistency, which go hand-in-hand.

“I think part of that was health last year when we lost J.K.,” Payton said. … “Per our run game, there’s some really good things I think that we’re doing. Then, ultimately, you kind of settle in on what type of run team you are relative to a zone scheme, a gap scheme and those types of things. So we certainly feel like we’re further along than we’ve been here in my three years, just with the depth in both (the running back and offensive line) groups.”

The Broncos have struggled to settle on one identity offensively in each season under Payton here. That����ap not to say they’ve been bad, but other than having a knack for finding ways to win close games, there hasn’t really been a set of core tenants around which the offense has been built schematically. Webb pointed to last year’s Los Angeles Rams, who eventually tilted toward heavy personnel and had success but took  a few weeks to sort that out before leaning all the way into it.

There will be a learning curve, to be sure. The offensive line can make it shorter and easier to navigate if it comes out of the gate playing the way a group of veterans with years of experience together should be capable of.

“I think it����ap just the understanding of what techniques we’re trying to apply on which plays, which looks, which leverages,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “Just kind of honing in on that. We had a pretty good grasp of all that before, and we’ve done it a long time together. Switching a couple of the techniques in and out depending on the scheme or the play or whatever it is, I think we’ve done a good job. It����ap been a great camp.

“Our group is ready to go, and I’m excited to see where we can go as the season unfolds.”

In Denver’s preseason opener at Atlanta, the Broncos head coach was on his way into the locker room when he stopped for a brief chat with 9News preseason sideline reporter Cynthia Frelund. He talked about the action for a minute, then was asked about being back in town to play the Falcons. He glanced around at a maybe-half-full Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

“A lot of people dressed up as empty seats today,” Payton said with a smirk before jogging off.

The Broncos did not have the same issue in their two preseason home games.

Far from it, in fact.

The Broncos averaged 64,665 fans through the turnstiles — the actual raw data, not number of tickets sold that gets announced during games — over a loss to Green Bay and a win against Minnesota, marking the highest turnout for preseason games since 2016, when the club averaged 67,649. That summer, of course, Denver was coming off a Super Bowl 50 victory.

Since the NFL moved to a 17-game regular-season schedule, teams have either one or two preseason home games per summer.

Last year, Denver’s lone home preseason game had 60,009 through the turnstiles.

In 2024, the two preseason games averaged 57,684. That means this August saw an average of 6,981 more fans per home preseason game than two years ago.

For reference, the average announced attendance for the two home games this summer was 75,733.

That fan interest is the likely result of several factors. Naturally, going 14-3 in the regular season, coming within a game of the Super Bowl and entering 2026 with championship expectations drives interest. So, too, does playing a team with national appeal like Green Bay. Preseason games are also more affordable to get to than regular-season games, so for some fans, it����ap the easiest way to get to a game.

Ask Payton, though, and such robust attendance also comes with tangible benefits.

When his viral comments about the Falcons came up after that game, he mentioned that his mentor, Bill Parcells, liked playing preseason games in Green Bay, for example, because there was usually a mostly full house and a game-like environment in which to test his players.

Payton felt the same — albeit at home rather than in a more hostile road environment — over the two weeks late in August.

“It was great,” he said after the finale against Minnesota. “They played that little guess-the-attendance thing (on the scoreboard,). It doesn’t feel like a preseason game, so if I was an opponent, I’d want to kind of play here.

“You’re trying to get your players acclimated to what it would be like and I keep hearing about certain venues that are like that, but they were fantastic. It was good. Good environment.”

Here are the five highest turnstile numbers at Empower Field during the preseason over the past decade. Each of the years listed featured two home games.

2016 – 67,649

2026 – 64,665

2017 – 64,445

2018 – 61,388

2022 – 60,496

Jaleel McLaughlin lands in Cleveland

Former Bronco Jaleel McLaughlin has a new home.

The running back signed a practice squad deal with Cleveland on Tuesday, marking the first time he’s played for a franchise besides Denver in his professional career.

McLaughlin was waived Sunday and didn’t sign with Denver’s practice squad Monday, telegraphing the end of his tenure with the Broncos.

General manager George Paton on Sunday called waiving McLaughlin “really hard” because of the respect people in the building have for the back, who went undrafted in 2023 and played his college ball first in Division II and then FCS Youngstown State. Paton also said that choosing Tyler Badie as Denver’s fourth running back over McLaughlin was the last decision the Broncos made about their roster.

Marvin Mims still out with ‘bruise’ to foot

The Broncos practiced in full pads on Tuesday. Wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. (foot) remained out and was not spotted at practice. Payton said after Friday’s game that Mims just had “a bruise,” though he’s now not been seen at two practices since leaving that game in the first quarter.

Outside linebacker Que Robinson also remained limited to side field work, while inside linebacker Alex Singleton missed practice to attend to a personal matter. Tight end Adam Trautman was also absent.

They figured there was at least a chance they’d lose tight end Justin Joly, if for no other reason than for the fact that he was a fifth-round pick in April’s draft. Denver actually moved up to take him back then, at No. 152 overall.

Teams around the league wouldn’t have seen his training camp film in Denver, but they had recent reports on him considering he just was part of a draft class and was a known commodity, having played his college career at UConn and North Carolina State.

Joly was the highest-drafted player from this year’s class to be waived Sunday.

Still, head coach Sean Payton acknowledged Monday that the Broncos thought he would ultimately would clear waivers and make it to Denver’s practice squad.

Instead, Joly was claimed by the Miami Dolphins along with Broncos nickel Reese Taylor and five other players.

“If he’s not claimed, he’s coming back — we felt strongly that he’s coming back to our practice squad,” Payton said Monday. “It����ap hard to predict. I would have thought (running back Jaleel McLaughlin) would have been claimed, and yet that didn’t happen. It����ap hard to predict that.”

Payton talks regularly about how part of the calculus ahead of the roster cutdown deadline is who the club thinks it can get through waivers and to the practice squad.

“What you’re trying to do is get them all and we felt like we were able to do that for the most part,” Payton said. “If you sat in all those meetings, the final 12 hours of meeting are revolving around four players. Let����ap say three are going to find a 53 spot and one’s going to be a (practice squad). Who is least likely to be claimed?”

The Broncos each of the past two years have had a pair of players claimed by other teams.

When general manager George Paton talked Sunday after the club waived Joly and many others but before the Dolphins had claimed him, he expressed confidence in Joly’s future but also sounded as if he knew losing him was a possibility.

“Justin is a talented player,” Paton said then. “We knew it when we drafted him. We knew he was raw. We still like the player. He was coming on towards the end of training camp. Tight end position is a tough position for a rookie. He missed a lot of the offseason — just a little bit behind. We wish we had another game or two. We still like the player.

“We think he’s going to have a nice career. You just have to make tough decisions to build the best 53 you can make.”

Instead, the Broncos kept seventh-round tight end Dallen Bentley, who was a more accomplished blocker than Joly in college at Utah but was not much of a receiving threat (three catches in two seasons) until he burst onto the scene with 48 catches for 620 yards in his final season with the Utes.

“They’re entirely different type players but we felt like Bentley earned that,” Payton said of Bentley vs. Joly.

Frank Crum and Caleb Lohner start on injured reserve

Payton called the decision-making process for putting offensive lineman Frank Crum and tight end Caleb Lohner on injured reserve to start the season “pretty clean.”

They’ll each miss a minimum of four games.

Lohner spent the summer rehabbing from one injury that caused him to miss OTAs and minicamp, but was tracking toward being ready to practice near the start of training camp. Because of that, the team did not place him on the physically unable to perform list in July.

However, then Lohner sustained another injury what Payton described as “24 hours after” the deadline for placing players on PUP to start camp. Lohner was seen watching practice during camp with a boot on his left foot.

He was working on the side field Monday, but Paton said Sunday that he’s likely not going to be ready to play until late October.

Drew Sanders to injured reserve, but could be done in Denver

Outside linebacker Drew Sanders was waived with an injury designation Sunday and reverted to Denver’s injured reserve list Monday. That typically precedes an injury settlement that results in a player’s contract terminating and the player becoming a free agent.

“It����ap difficult because you watch the process and the effort and the calories and the energy and the amount of time,” Payton said of Sanders, who has only played in four games over the past two years and was hurt again in Denver’s preseason opener at Atlanta earlier this month. “I know more than anyone he was frustrated. And so, those are never easy because of the makeup and the toughness. It really came down to just the injuries. And that����ap always difficult.”

Que Robinson, Marvin Mims out Monday

Outside linebacker Que Robinson was on the side field Monday and receiver Marvin Mims Jr. was not in attendance. Neither matter is considered serious. Payton on Friday said Mims had “a bruise” he sustained early in the preseason finale against Minnesota.

Sean Keeler: Clearly, Badie found out who was taking pictures for Lil’Jordan Humphrey and got that dude under contract. I mean, I get it. I do. And I don’t. It’s a victory of film over eyeballs, the clever over the obvious. Badie blocks. Badie’s critical on special teams. Fine. Name something else he does better than McLaughlin. Tough yards north and south? According to Pro-Football-Reference.com data, Jaleel has a career “successful” rush rate of 53.5%. Badie’s at 35%. “Successful” reception rate? McLaughlin: 37.7%, Badie 37.1%. Fumble rate? McLaughlin has one in 285 regular-season touches. Badie’s had one in 43. Trust is a two-way street, but the only direction a Badie run play went last fall, by and large, was backward.

Renck: McLaughlin endeared himself to ����apountry with his ability and story. From sleeping in his car as a kid to making the team as an undrafted rookie from Youngstown State, McLaughlin made it easy to root for him. His work ethic was the stuff of legend, putting in a full day before teammates punched the clock. But, the reality is that keeping Badie made more sense. The fourth running back is a niche role. And Badie has responsibility as the up-man on the punt team, a spot he filled last season and during training camp this summer. He is also the reason the Broncos beat the Bills in the postseason. According to Sean Payton, a fake punt on fourth-and-11 in overtime — “Rutgers Special” — was called off despite the coach saying they got the right look. Video shows Badie scan the defense and look back at Jeremy Crawshaw before going ahead with the punt. If the trick play had not worked — the odds were against it — the Broncos would have almost certainly lost on a short field goal. That is a feather in the cap of the fourth back.

Keeler: So vetoing Sean Payton out of an embarrassing call on national television saves your bacon? That makes sense. Actually, it might be the only thing that makes sense. If you keep McLaughlin over Badie, you’ve got four backs who, in sets of two, sort of mirror each other. J.K. Dobbins and Jonah Coleman are super early-down and between-the-tackle runners who can catch and block enough to keep defenses honest. RJ Harvey and McLaughlin are smaller, elusive scatback types, capable of a house call anytime they touch the ball — especially if that call comes on a wheel route. If McLaughlin is in the game, it might be a run. Might be a throw. If Badie’s in the game, defenders can pin their ears back and make a beeline for Bo Nix, because No. 28’s in there to block. How is that a strategic advantage?

Renck: Fake punts aside, Badie is more trusted as a backup, third-down back. McLaughlin really had no spot on the offense, barring injury. He was also hurt by the fact that he struggled to gain any yards after contact. Not that Badie padded his resume. He was the featured performer in a running back screen, a play that was so ineffective we can only hope that new offensive coordinator Davis Webb ripped it out of the playbook, buried it under the Pat Bowlen Fieldhouse and demanded it never be spoken of again. In the end, having a slight foothold on third and fourth down gave Badie more traction for the final roster spot and I am fine with that.

Keeler: We scribes don’t play favorites when it comes to your most beloved team/player/coach. Honest. But, by golly, we do root for narratives, sometimes. And McLaughlin’s hooked our hearts, full-stop. But we already know that Payton’s soft spot is only about as big as the Grinch’s heart in early December, with the hugs reserved for guys who played for him in New Orleans. Mark my words, good sir: Badie might have rescued Sunshine Sean from himself once. Yet there will be a critical game in December, or in the postseason, when injuries or circumstances force Badie to be on the field when he shouldn’t. And we’ll remember this day. And shake our heads.

Vanity, typically, is the least of an offensive lineman’s concerns in the first place.

This one, though, has a story behind it. Throckmorton was helmet-less at the bottom of a pile during the Broncos’ biggest training camp scrum a couple of weeks back.

When asked about it Friday after Denver’s preseason finale, the veteran offensive lineman and fringe roster player smiled.

“A little reminder of this training camp and hopefully what it����ap going to lead to down the road,” Throckmorton told The Post.

Throckmorton will indeed be with the Broncos down the road despite being released on Sunday. He’s one of four veterans to sign back to Denver’s practice squad Monday as the team filled out its 17-man group.

Standard practice squads are 16 players, but teams can get an exemption for a 17th if one qualifies as an international player. For the Broncos, that’s outside linebacker David Agoha.

Of the 16 others, up to six can be vested veterans.

The Broncos lost fifth-round tight end Justin Joly and reserve nickel and special teams standout Reese Taylor to the Miami Dolphins on the waiver wire. They also will not have waived running back Jaleel McLaughlin to the practice squad after Tyler Badie made the 53-man roster and Cody Schrader was signed to the practice squad.

McLaughlin, waived Sunday in what general manager George Paton called the toughest cut Denver made, was weighing options with other teams as of Monday.

“All of those (running backs) really played well,” head coach Sean Payton said Monday. “The edge goes to the kicking game, which is important. We were still able to end up with five. So much of the final equation comes down to special teams as we’re trying to project a vision when it’s close.”

While Denver lost Joly, two other Day 3 picks waived Sunday cleared waivers and returned to the team in safety Miles Scott and linebacker Red Murdock.

Scott told The Post after Friday’s preseason game that he felt like he’d steadily been making progress in training camp.

“It����ap definitely a gradual thing,” he said. “I feel like this past week was my best week of practice. I was like, man, this is how it should be. I’ve got to develop and become a better player. I’ve only played safety for a few years.

“In college, the defense was pretty simple. Here, this defense is definitely more complex. That����ap why it works, though.”

Now he’ll carry on developing on Denver’s practice squad.

“Smart player,” starter Talanoa Hufanga said of Scott on Monday. “A guy that is still picking it up, as always, it’s hard to learn, but he sits next to me in meetings. He’s picking the brain. A guy that’s willing to learn. As he grows and as he learns in this league, he can be a really good player.”

As for Murdock, Payton made the overarching point on Monday when asked about waiving him on Sunday in favor of Karene Reid and Jordan Turner.

“Some of what you said is true,” Payton said. “And yet, they’re all here.”

Indeed, practice squad players are essentially an extension of the overall roster, though they are restricted to playing in a maximum of three games and the pay is different.

“I look at it as a 70-man roster and that was my message to (the team),” Payton said. “Man, these guys play.”

Here’s a look at who Denver is bringing back

FB Adam Prentice (veteran)

LS Mitch Fraboni (veteran)

TE Lucas Krull (veteran)

OL Calvin Throckmorton (veteran)

WR Kolbe Katsis

WR Michael Bandy

WR Dane Key

OL Gavin Ortega

OL Tyler Miller

OLB Johnny Walker

ILB Red Murdock (7th round pick)

CB Brent Austin

CB Sean Fresch Jr.

S Miles Scott (7th round pick)

RB Cody Schrader

LS Luke Basso

OLB David Agoha (international exemption)

It����ap actually basically a 55-man roster.

It����ap a little bulgy here, a little slim there.

It����ap uniquely constructed and Denver hopes it����ap also uniquely constituted to thrive despite a gauntlet of a regular-season schedule, a deep playoff run and, ultimately, a Super Bowl championship.

The NFL might be a young man’s game, but this roster is not for the light-on-experience. Time and again the Broncos chose sure bets, roster continuity and familiarity over the unknown of inexperience.

Only four of seven draft picks made the cut. General manager George Paton, head coach Sean Payton and their staffs will hope for smooth sailing and calm winds on the waiver wire until 11 a.m. Monday to deliver some of their younger and less experienced players to the practice squad so their development can continue there.

“This year, I think we spent more time on this roster going through a lot of different scenarios with a lot of these players that were released,” Paton said. “It����ap a puzzle. It����ap ongoing. Now we’re building the practice squad, we’re looking at the wire tonight obviously.

“So, it����ap fluid and yet, yes, this was a tough roster to make.”

For a team trying to follow a 14-3 season in 2025 that ended in AFC title game heartbreak on their own field, the 53-man roster is about trying to win Sept. 14 in Kansas City and the weeks beyond.

At position after position, the final spots came down to specific roles rather than youth or upside.

Tyler Badie over Jaleel McLaughlin? Look no further than pass protection and Badie’s history of being a trusted part of Denver’s punt protection unit.

Lil’Jordan Humphrey over the fleet of undrafted receivers in camp? Payton says all the time that Humphrey makes game-planning easy because they know exactly what he does well. He blocks at the point of attack; he’s good in the middle of the field, and he can play wherever you need.

Tycen Anderson as a fifth safety? He’s not a safety, really, but he’s a core special teams player and that earned him a spot.

Jordan Turner over Red Murdock? Turner’s played special teams in Denver already, and the Broncos are banking on getting “Mr. Irrelevant” from April’s draft through waivers.

Murdock isn’t alone in that regard. It only takes one look at Denver’s 2026 draft class to get an idea of the competition up and down the roster.

Fourth-rounder Jonah Coleman is the lone rookie who looks poised to potentially make a splash right away as a complement to fellow running backs J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey. Third-round defensive lineman Tyler Onyedim, Denver’s lone Day 2 pick, might make the rotation out of the gate, but will be behind a veteran group that will command much of the playing time. Same for fourth-round offensive lineman Kage Casey.

From there, the fifth through seventh rounds did not fare well on cutdown day. Three of the four players Denver drafted from the fifth round on — TE Justin Joly, S Miles Scott and Murdock — were waived Sunday. The Broncos hope they can get all three back to the practice squad after 11 a.m. Monday. The only rookie from that stretch to actually make the club was the one perhaps least talked about during training camp: Tight end Dallen Bently.

Likewise, none of Denver’s undrafted rookies made the active roster to start, either.

If they’re back in the building Monday afternoon, that����ap terrific. If not? “We’re going to shake their hand, we’re going to give them a hug and root for them,” Paton said.

The Broncos pulled out every stop to maximize the numbers they could keep. Fullback Adam Prentice and long snapper Mitch Fraboni are not on the 53, but as vested veterans, they have already agreed to start on the practice squad, so they’ll contribute as game-day elevations from the jump. Denver also used its two short-term injured reserve placements allowed Sunday on OL Frank Crum and TE Caleb Lohner.

So, there’s a 53-man roster expanded by four, basically.

“Remember it����ap the right 53 and getting the proper evaluation,” Payton said after Friday’s preseason finale against Minnesota. “I will spend more time concerned with who’s making it as opposed to the ones that maybe possibly aren’t. And I just finished saying this in the locker room: Oftentimes in those tough meetings the next two days, within a month, within two months, all of a sudden, a player will be back in your building. That happens.”

Nearly all of the players who know they’ll be back with the Broncos as of Sunday night have been here before. Literally.

Overall, there are only seven players on the initial roster who have not played at least three  games for the Broncos: Star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, QB Sam Ehlinger, Anderson and the four rookie draft picks who made the cut.

Continuity has been a theme. Payton says this team is still young, but really it has some young players amidst a group now steeped in experience, expectation and the Payton Way.

This is a team built for now. It����ap not all-in the way some of Payton’s late New Orleans teams were: Recklessly and without regard for salary cap consequences.

It����ap all in the way Payton, Paton and CEO Greg Penner want to be: With a recognition that the future is a reality but primarily a sense of urgency right now.

Every roster cut this time of year is difficult.

The player sitting across the table wants nothing more than to make the team and to know his NFL career is continuing.

More than 1,200 players were let go in some form or fashion across the league this week.

Not many were tougher than the Broncos letting running back Jaleel McLaughlin know he was being waived on Sunday.

McLaughlin made the team as an undrafted rookie in 2023 but has seen the room change and advance around him.

He was left off Sunday in favor of J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey, rookie Jonah Coleman and fellow bubble candidate Tyler Badie.

“That was really tough,” Denver general manager George Paton said Sunday. … “Jaleel, he’s something else. He was really important to this team, the passion, everything he brings.”

Renck: Jonathon Cooper’s actions put Broncos in a tough spot against Chiefs in opener

McLaughlin sometimes grew up without a place to sleep at night. His work ethic is the stuff of legend, from pre-dawn hill running and workouts to the time he bought a JUGS machine with his own money to try to improve as a pass-catching option with the Broncos.

In the end, the conversation came down to Badie’s ability to pass-protect and his more expansive special teams role, which includes playing on the team’s punt shield.

“Without getting into details, it was a really hard decision,” Paton said. “Obviously, special teams are involved, third-down ability. There’s a lot involved.

“That was probably the last decision we made, this fourth runner.”

Frank Crum, Caleb Lohner start season on injured reserve

The Broncos will start the season with a pair of potential future contributors on the shelf.

Offensive tackle Frank Crum was injured in the team’s second preseason game against Green Bay and now will miss at least the first four games. He’s a swing tackle, jumbo tight end and even caught a postseason touchdown in January.

The exact nature and severity of his injury are not known, but he’s expected to be ready around the time he’s eligible to return, sources have told The Post.

Lohner, meanwhile, will be out longer. The second-year tight end drew rave reviews from Payton after the club’s rookie minicamp in May, but then was out for all of OTAs and minicamp with an injury.

He was not put on the physically unable to perform list to start camp and was expected to join quickly, but then sustained another injury. He was seen watching practice with a boot on his left foot and never did get on the field.

Paton on Sunday said Lohner will not be back in the fold until the middle of the season, perhaps in late October.

Gone, but not really

The Broncos don’t technically have a fullback or a long snapper on their 53-man roster. Both positions, however, will be used in Week 1 against Kansas City.

Fullback Adam Prentice and long snapper Mitch Fraboni are each veteran players and thus not subject to waivers when released. That allowed the Broncos to strike a deal with each to start the season on the practice squad.

They did the same last year with quarterback Sam Ehlinger and he ended up on the 53 anyway later in the week when Malcolm Roach hurt his calf in practice and was put on injured reserve. If something like that happens, one or both of Prentice and Fraboni could be added to the 53 sooner rather than later. Otherwise, they can each be elevated from the practice squad three times. After that, they’ll have to be added to the 53 in order to continue playing.

Roger Goodell placed Jonathon Cooper on the commissioner’s exempt list on Sunday. Hopefully, he closed the door when doing the Broncos’ dirty work.

The team chose to support Cooper as he faced a felony assault charge for strangulation, along with three other lesser charges connected to a pair of domestic violence-related arrests in June.

I argued that the Broncos should have released him because of the details in the affidavit and the breach of trust following the initial incident.

For the first time, Cooper is suffering football consequences. He cannot participate in practices and games while the league investigates whether to suspend him under the personal conduct policy.

The team has his back.

“We continue to take this very serious. And we are going to monitor all the legal developments and continue to support Jonathon,” general manager George Paton said Sunday night. “Jonathon has worked very hard to better himself. It will be good to have him in the building.”

Cooper can attend meetings, work out at the facility and get paid — until the league reaches a resolution.

But he cannot play.

This is a bigger deal than most think, given the Week 1 opponent.

Cooper has performed his best against the Chiefs, delivering 4.5 sacks and 10 quarterback hits in 10 games, career-highs against any team.

His absence puts the onus on his teammates to step up, beginning in one of the toughest venues in the sport: Arrowhead Stadium. On Monday Night. With the return of quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

The Chiefs will pull out all the stops, save for Taylor Swift performing at halftime and “ChiefsAholic” getting a weekend furlough to wear his gray wolf suit one more time.

The Broncos are 1-9 in their last 10 games in Kansas City. But 1-0 in their last appearance, snapping a nine-game skid last Christmas.

Of the few concerns about this season’s team, one is consistently overlooked: defensive regression.

The unit quietly went from a roadblock to a detour a year ago.

The Broncos allowed 13.8 points over the first 11 games.

Over the final nine, including the playoffs, the number jumped to 19.8, and it would have been worse had they not faced forgettable backups Chris Oladokun and Trey Lance in the final two weeks of the regular season.

Determined to start fast in the face of a wicked opening six-game schedule, the Broncos will have to do it without Cooper, who has five quarterback hits and two sacks in five road games against the Chiefs.

Whether you believe Cooper is guilty or innocent — remember, he can still be banned for multiple games by the NFL without a conviction — his actions put the Broncos in a difficult spot.

Don’t be surprised if Nik Bonitto knows more about chips than the folks at Frito-Lay after the opener. He is going to get double-teamed more than Nikola Jokic.

Remember, Bonitto has never started a game without Cooper on the opposite side. And while Cooper is best known for setting the edge, his ability to reach the quarterback demands respect.

The Broncos chose to let Cooper practice, believing he deserved another chance after he completed inpatient therapy at a clinic near Vail for roughly 40 days. He took starters’ snaps, and played in all three preseason games, even though it was always likely he would miss time.

It can be argued that a heavy workload was appropriate given the possibility of a long layoff. It can also be reasoned that the bulk of those snaps should have gone to Jonah Elliss, the third edge rusher all summer, with a few extras sprinkled in for Dondrea Tillman and Que Robinson.

The Broncos began the offseason determined to move Elliss to inside linebacker. On June 4, coach Sean Payton ended the experiment, saying he was staying at edge. The next day, Cooper and his former girlfriend were arrested.

Elliss is relentless. His effort annoys tackles. But he has yet to reach his potential. Why? He has dealt with multiple shoulder issues and a hamstring injury during his first two seasons. He played one of his best games last year against the Chiefs, registering a half-sack and two quarterback hits.

It means Elliss can meet the moment. But it also means he must prove it because it came against a quarterback who looked like he should be throwing passes on the beach to Daejon Love.

Tillman is a playmaker. He is also a utility player. More snaps won’t necessarily make him more effective.

The man who can cover for Cooper is Robinson. He finished last season with four tackles for loss, four quarterback hits and 1.5 sacks in 162 snaps. But he never played more than 34 as a rookie.

Elliss and Tillman are steady and have played in big games. Robinson is capable of a starburst and has the highest ceiling.

“After the season, watching the cut-ups, when Que played, he played really well,” defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said. “He looked like a guy who can be a future starter.”

Those remarks made their way back to Robinson, providing a boost over the last month.

“It is a motivator for sure. I can’t get it out of my head. I know it takes a lot for a coach to say something like that,” Robinson said Friday. “With V.J., I just want to prove him right. Having the rest of guys, like Coop and Nik behind me and the rest of the guys believe in me. .. they can see it just as much as I do. That helps a lot.”

Entering his second season, Robinson has never been needed more. Cooper is out, and the Broncos don’t know when he will return.

Paton believes in the depth. But let’s be real, for the Broncos not to miss Cooper, they need a certain 25-year-old from the University of Alabama to go from in the queue to performing on cue.

“I thought about that during every preseason game, what that (Monday) night will be like. After I hear the national anthem I get a little emotional. I almost cry because as a kid this is what I would dream for. And you know, it seems surreal,” Robinson said. “But, I am a guy who is willing to dominate a game and take over if need be.”

Come Sept. 14, ����apountry will hold him to it.

Denver loves Sam Ehlinger. Head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton value the quarterback room as it was constructed in training camp. And they didn’t think it was a sure bet he’d be back if they released him.

That led to a fairly easy call for the Broncos: Keep Ehlinger on the 53-man roster and roll into the regular season with both him and Jarrett Stidham behind starter Bo Nix.

“We love the quarterback room. We’ve stated that a lot,” Paton said Sunday. “Sam, ‘Stiddy,’ we thought they both had really good offseasons, really good training camps and (played well) in the games.

Denver Broncos roster cuts tracker: See the initial 53-man roster

“Sam is a big part of this quarterback room. We didn’t want to lose him, and we felt we were going to lose him. He’s too important to our team and just didn’t want to risk doing that.”

Denver had been leaning toward keeping three before Friday night����ap finale, Paton indicated, but Ehlinger put an exclamation mark on his preseason by throwing for 233 yards and three touchdowns in about three quarters' worth of work.

That shut the door on any notion of trying to sneak somebody else onto the roster instead.

“Obviously, the game he played the other night was outstanding,” Paton said. “We love the room. We’re going to keep the room together.”

Offensive coordinator Davis Webb has been an Ehlinger fan since Ehlinger played at Austin Westlake High in Texas. He followed Ehlinger’s career from there and said last year that when he watched Ehlinger in Indianapolis early in his career, he saw a player with real upside if he got the right coaching and development plan.

Now he’ll get a second season with the Broncos.

Now comes the next interesting quarterback-related question: Who’s the actual back-up between Stidham and Ehlinger?

Same, most likely, for players who find themselves on the edge of Denver’s roster or any other NFL team.

Hard deadlines approach.

By the time players clear out of the locker room after the Broncos’ preseason finale Friday night at home against Minnesota, the cut-off for teams to reduce their rosters from 90 down to 53 will only be about 40 hours away.

That means coach Sean Payton, general manager George Paton and their staffs will go essentially right from the game to finalizing their 53-man roster. After Sunday’s 4 p.m. cutdown deadline, they’ll get back to scouring the waiver wire and assembling their 16-man practice squad, which can be finalized after 11 a.m. Monday.

For a team as deep and talented as the Broncos and with as many defined starters and roles as the club already has set, there are still a unique group of decisions to make.

Denver may place up to two players on injured reserve with designations to return on Sunday, but it����ap unclear if any of its injured players currently are set to miss enough time to warrant such a move. The Broncos, as of Friday morning, are awaiting clarity on Jonathon Cooper’s status with the NFL ahead of a Monday arraignment on a felony assault charge and other lesser charges. They have veterans who could be asked to start the season on the practice squad, too. Perhaps there’s a trade candidate or two on the roster, too.

Essentially, the playbook is wide open and Denver will use all tools at its disposal to keep as many players as possible in the building beyond just the 53 that make the initial cut.

But first, 60 minutes against the Vikings. Quarterback Bo Nix isn’t playing. If other Broncos starters do, it likely won’t be for long.

It����ap a bubblelicious weekend.

Here are five storylines to watch.

The closing days of bubble watch arrive with questions to answer on both lines

For the Broncos on the defensive line, the question is as simple as whether they’ve got room to go as heavy as last year. Denver kept seven on the 53-man roster a year ago. If it does the same this year, the likelihood is the same six plus plus rookie third-rounder Tyler Onyedim instead of the departed John Franklin-Myers. If the Broncos take six, then the question becomes whether the last spot goes to veteran Jordan Jackson or second-year man Sai’Vion Jones. Could Denver trade one of them? Jackson made the roster cleanly the past two years and is a trusted role player. Jones hasn’t cracked the rotation yet, but Denver traded up into the third round to draft him in 2025. The Broncos have been loath to part with depth up front in past years.

Questions on the offensive line are more injury-related. They have been without Alex Forsyth on and off for the past two weeks and without Frank Crum this week. How long will each be out? They have a pair of veterans in Calvin Throckmorton and Matt Peart who could be needed as key reserves but also could be asked to start the season on the practice squad.

That leaves several moving pieces. Could a young guy like Tyler Miller snag a spot? Tackles are popular targets on the waiver wire and the Broncos have lost one at the cutdown each of the past two years.

Looking for clues at linebacker and tight end

There are also interesting decisions to make at inside linebacker and tight end. They’re similar positions in a way, because there are a pair of veterans at the top of each room and then a lot of unproven first- and second-year players behind.

At tight end, the room behind Adam Trautman and Evan Engram is going to come down to style preference and who Denver’s front office thinks it can get through to the practice squad. Justin Joly is a fifth-round pick, but he and seventh-rounder Dallen Bentley have each had relatively quiet camps. Nate Adkins had a down 2025 season due to injuries, but teams around the league like players with his versatility. Lucas Krull has been a regular presence here the past two seasons. Caleb Lohner is a wild card. Payton raved about him this spring, but he’s missed all of camp with lower-body injuries. Perhaps he’s an injured reserve stash candidate.

At linebacker, behind Justin Strnad and Alex Singleton, there are four candidates for two or three spots. The consistent No. 2 line recently has been Karene Reid and Jordan Turner, but the Broncos like seventh-round rookie Red Murdock and undrafted rookie Taurean York has done good things, too.

Will Denver roll the dice with Murdock (or Reid/Turner) on the waiver wire? Or do they feel the need to keep five from the jump?

QBs Sam Ehlinger, Jarrett Stidham again take center stage

With Nix not playing, Denver’s other two quarterbacks will take center stage for what the Broncos certainly hope is the final time this season. Stidham is set to start but ,Ehlinger is in line to play most of the game, perhaps as much as three quarters depending on how the game flows and how many possessions unfold in the first quarter.

This could just be a carbon copy of the 2024 season, where Stidham played 10 snaps in the preseason finale, Zach Wilson handled the rest and then shortly after they both found out they made the 53-man roster.

Or, it could be a continuation of an actual battle. Payton said categorically on Wednesday that the club had not yet determined who the No. 2 is behind Nix, though given the way the preseason and reps have played out so far, Stidham has played the role of a No. 2 every day but two that reporters have been present.

Ehlinger told The Post this week that he trusts the Broncos and has had good conversations with them so far through training camp. Perhaps it����ap just as simple as Denver keeping all three, whether that����ap on the 53-man roster or Ehlinger starting off with a brief practice squad stint like he did last year.

Either way, neither Ehlinger nor Stidham will want to leave anything to chance on Friday.

Any conspicuous players held out of the game?

Payton on Wednesday acknowledged that teams this time of year not only are careful not to show their cards scheme-wise, but they’ll also try to hide a player they’re trying to sneak through waivers. Payton’s tried it before — and eventually got burned anyway by his own mentor. He was excited by tackle Jeremy Parnell as a developmental project during New Orleans’ Super Bowl run and had plenty else on his mind when he invited Bill Parcells — then the Miami Dolphins’ president — to watch a pre-Super Bowl practice.

The next fall, Payton tried to sneak Parnell through waivers at the roster cutdown and get him on the practice squad. He hadn’t played in games and had essentially no film. And yet, the Dolphins claimed him.

“There was literally no evidence at all,” Payton recalled this week. “A year after that, Bill had retired and I asked him, ‘Hey, what allowed you guys to claim Parnell?’ And he said, ‘Well, you invited me to practice and every time you broke the huddle, all I saw was that 6-7 tackle.’

“And he said, ‘Don’t invite the fox in the hen house.’ I learned a lesson.”

Parnell played 111 games in his career, including 64 starts, but funny enough, they all came for Dallas and Jacksonville from 2012 on.

Payton also often says it����ap not easy to hold a lot of players out of preseason games because you risk exposing those who carry a heavier workload to injury. Plus, holding a player out could be a tip-off in its own right.

Regardless, it����ap good to remember that this is roster gamesmanship season.

Any conspicuous stat lines that add up to “trade candidate?”

The Albert O. Special, as it����ap known in Denver. In 2023, tight end Albert Okwuegbunam didn’t feel like a fit on Payton’s first roster. Then in the team’s preseason finale against the Los Angeles Rams, he caught seven passes for 109 yards and a touchdown. That����ap how you play yourself onto a 53-man, right? Well, yeah, but in Philadelphia. The Broncos traded the tight end to the Eagles between the finale and the roster cutdown. If Philly thought it could have landed Okwuegbunam as a waiver claim, it wouldn’t have traded for him. It wasn’t much — Okwuegbunam and a seventh-rounder for a sixth-rounder — but it was better than nothing.