The Denver Broncos turned from dysfunctional losers to playoff contenders in three seasons. From a 5-12 finish in 2022, they ended their playoff drought last season after a 10-7 regular season record.
For esteemed sports media personality Colin Cowherd, the biggest credit for the Broncosâ transformation goes to one man: Sean Payton. The Fox Sports 1 host believes that the Super Bowl-winning coachâs imprint prompted ESPN to rank the Broncosâ roster sixth-best in the NFL.
âWhat Sean Payton has done, what he’s had to overcome, lack of draft capital, dead cap money, it is remarkable. Right now, they’re considered to have the sixth-best roster in the league,â Cowherd said in the July 22 episode of âThe Herd.â
For ESPNâs analysts, only the Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills, and the Kansas City Chiefs have better overall rosters than the Broncos. Cowherd sees this as a remarkable turnaround, considering what Payton faced when he took over the squad.
âThink about what he inherited? Russell Wilson’s contract, the largest at the time dead cap number ever when they moved off him. By the way, Denver also gave up two first-round picks to get Russell Wilson,â Cowherd said. âSo, they didn’t have ammo. They lacked elite draft capital, and they had the worst dead cap situation ever in a division with Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and GM Brett Veach. It’s only gotten stronger; it’s Harbaugh in the division.â
The Saintsâ Loss is the Broncosâ Gain
While the Broncos are among the leagueâs best, Paytonâs former team, the New Orleans Saints, is dead last in the rankings. Cowherd sees it as a coincidence because, to him, offensive-minded coaches like Payton are underrated decision-makers in terms of roster building.
âIf you look at the awful Saints, if you look at the rising Broncos, the fact, and this is something offensive coaches do very well. When he got there, not only was the culture broken in Denver. The quarterback was broken. The dead cap money was going to be unbelievable. The offensive line was a mess.â
Working with general manager George Paton and the Walton-Penner ownership group, the Broncosâ situation got quickly better. Conversely, the Saints havenât made the playoffs since Payton left in 2022. During his tenure, New Orleans made nine postseason appearances, reached three NFC Championship games, and won Super Bowl 44.
âBy the end of his first year, it was a top 12 offensive line. Now, it’s viewed. I just saw this, I think on PFF it’s like the second to third best offensive line in football. That’s Sean Payton. That’s not the GM or the new owner. That’s not the defensive coordinator. That’s not Bo Nix. That’s Sean Payton,â Cowherd added.
Sean Payton Made it Work with Bo Nix
Cowherd also pointed out that Nix wasnât universally lauded when he declared for the 2024 NFL Draft. âThey looked it up this morning. This was PFF’s scouting report on Bo Nix. They said, ‘limited ceiling, no truly elite trait. Nix has a rather high floor due to his age, but very limited ceiling. Tough to justify spending overly valuable draft capital on him.â
However, Payton found his guy and made it work. His play calling and confidence allowed Nix to throw for 29 touchdowns, the second-most among first-year quarterbacks. Likewise, Nix became one of only two rookies to enter the NFL Top 100 Players of 2025 list.
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