Cutting Russell Wilson forced Sean Payton’s Broncos to improve

You’ll thank Russell Wilson one day.

Not because he showed up. Oh no. Because he left.

Having him was a risk. Extending it was complicated. But cutting Big Russ forced the Broncos to get angry in record time, eat a ton of money and go young all over. This forced an exodus of long-time popular veterans, established cultures and cliques. This allowed Sean Payton to rebuild a locker room in his image and with the kind of players he likes: namely, with kids who are scared to death of him.

“We’d all like to go out and shop for ‘X’ number of groceries, but we’re going to have to go down a different aisle,” Payton explained Monday, a day after the head coach finally broke the eight of the Broncos. -season playoff drought.

“(We said), ‘We’re going to have to develop quickly and not be afraid to play younger players earlier than usual.’ (We need to) hunker down a little bit here and take on that challenge and then find those guys who are like-minded and competitive.

Nearly a quarter of the Broncos’ cap was gobbled up by Wilson, who just threw 16 touchdowns for the Steelers. Nearly 36% of the 24 cap was dead money. This took Payton out of his comfort zone.

It also put general manager George Paton back on his feet.

Scouting. Editing. Development.

“I use this term, ‘Young and hungry can be dangerous,’ and it’s true,” Payton said. “There is even a bit of naivety in not knowing. It’s inspiring as a coach to work with players like that.

The most dangerous locker room in the NFL is the entitled one. Coaches like their players on edge, waking up three days a week with the idea that they could be fired at any moment. It’s cruel, but it works. Bill Belichick was a master.

“At the beginning of the season, you try not to see what people are talking about you,” guard Ben Powers said Sunday after the Broncos crushed the backup Chiefs 38-0, earning a 10th win and a trip in Buffalo this weekend. “But it’s inevitable, you know what I mean?

“And so the fact that we’re able to prove people wrong… that gives us a lot of confidence.” We are a young team. We’re hungry, man and the future is very bright.

Just before the start of the regular season, PhillyVoice.com ranked the Broncos as the 10th youngest roster in the NFL (average age: 25.7) and the fourth youngest (behind the Chiefs, Jaguars and Chargers) the AFC.

These are of course just numbers. Unless the children know how to play.

Paton could do it. Don’t just look at last April’s draft. Frame it.

Wide receiver Devaughn Vele with the No. 235 pick. Touch.

Tailback Audric Estime with pick #147. Potential touchdown.

Cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine with the No. 145 pick. Hit.

Wideout Troy Franklin with the No. 102 pick. Promising success.

Linebacker Jonah Elliss with the No. 76 pick. Hit.

Quarterback Bo Nix with the No. 12 pick. Franchise-changing hit.

Paton knows how to write, man.

Then again, he always could. He arrived in Broncos country with a reputation for bringing back diamonds in the rough.

But things got…well, weird. In a coach-QB league, everything Paton threw at the wall when it came to the two most important and essential rookies for an NFL franchise stank instead of sticking.

His first coaching hire (Nathaniel Hackett) was an abject disaster. His first swing at a franchise QB (Wilson) missed so badly that cartoon characters pointed at him and laughed.

When it came to the big stuff, the macro stuff, Paton looked over his skis. Maybe he needed a partner, a sounding board, a second opinion. Payton has never lacked the latter.

And based on the last 18 months or so, this arranged marriage appears to be successful. Payton needed recruits to help clean up this Big Russ mess, and the tandem proved to be one of the most profitable freshman classes in franchise history.

“I remember in the offseason talking with (Rams coach Sean) McVay and the year before for them, they (had) $70 million in dead cap (costs),” said Payton. “In other words, almost a third of your team’s talent budget is unavailable. We had a joint practice with them, and they had a lot of young players — I couldn’t tell you who those players were, (but they had) young undrafted players. It was impressive what they did this season… sometimes these kinds of challenges (you have to) roll up your sleeves.

Once Paton and Payton went to the grindstone, looking back, it was highway robbery. John Franklin-Myers was stolen from the Jets. Replacing Justin Simmons with Brandon Jones was a masterstroke. Malcolm Roach. Cody Barton. Matt Peart. Dondrea Tillman. Many “anonymous” veterans either came with a specific goal in mind or quickly found one.

“They stepped up,” Powers said. “…All these guys are doing exactly what they need to be doing right now. It’s fun to watch and it’s exciting for everyone in the town.

So yes, Russell Wilson fixed the Broncos. In the wrong way. The long way.

“Your players definitely get a little tick when they see these initial predictions or whatever,” Payton said. “Then eventually, when you’re in this business long enough, you overlook these things because half of these people don’t have a clue what they’re talking about. “Who has ever done this with over 80 million (in dead cap)”, all these things that you think about, (that) no one has done this before. Let’s be the first. »

Here they are. And Paton can do my shopping any day of the week.

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Originally published: January 6, 2025 at 8:16 p.m. MST