After setting roster, Broncos look ahead to regular season

ENGLEWOOD, Colorado — The initial roster is set and the practice squad is largely formed.

Soon it will be time to see how the Broncos measure up.

After months of work during the offseason, training camp and preseason, Denver is on the brink of Week 1.

And when the Broncos arrive in Seattle, they will have the chance to face their first challenge of the season.

“A real opponent that’s actually going to count for the record?” running back Javonte Williams said. “I’m ready to go.”

Heading into Week 1, Denver has sent a consistent message that the level hasn’t changed. General manager George Paton stressed Tuesday that the team’s 53-man roster was built to win, and inside linebacker Alex Singleton pushed back Wednesday on a reporter’s suggestion of a rebuild.

“We’ve got to win football games,” Singleton said. “We’re trying to win. We’re trying to win now.”

While head coach Sean Payton said he prefers to stay away from season-specific predictions, he did mention he’s eager to see how his team stacks up.

“I’m excited to see how we perform,” Payton said. “Because throughout the preseason you have different combinations of teams playing players and there’s a lot going on. But I’m excited about the energy, some of the things you can see just with the naked eye.”

Payton acknowledged the team’s need to get off to a quick start and said he will talk with his team about what it takes to find success.

“I think the team is playing well early in the season,” Payton said. “… What does that mean? We can’t get off to the same start we had a year ago and get stuck in a hole. I think that’s important. I think leadership is constantly evolving because there are a number of former leaders, former captains that were here and aren’t. It’s a process, and I never talk in a team meeting about what our record should be. I talk about things like the division, I talk about things like (making the) playoffs, what to do. I talk about things like opponents. We’re going to look at the first quarter of the schedule and then really focus on Seattle.”

Payton acknowledged, however, that the NFL offers teams the opportunity to make quick changes.

“Look, our league has shown us every year: Tampa Bay, Los Angeles Rams, Houston Texans,” Payton said. “Don’t pay attention (to the noise). Again, there’s the entertainment part of our business, and then there’s the football part of our business. A lot of times, we understand both very well. There’s a mentality of ‘prove them wrong.’”

On September 8 in Seattle, the Broncos will have their first opportunity to do just that.