Sean Payton got what he wanted after an exciting start. Now he must prepare Bo Nix to justify the big bet made on the rookie QB.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — A year later, there’s a decided ease on Sean Payton’s shoulders as he sits back and mentally runs through the Denver Broncos roster.

Sitting on a bench Thursday, you could almost feel the stress of his re-entry into the NFL coaching ranks had finally subsided. The sparks and heat of many of the thoughts he conveyed in the early months of his Broncos tenure were gone. The outstanding questions about how he would establish a relationship with the front office or quarterback Russell Wilson have long been answered. And after all that, a more relaxed Payton finds himself in charge of a more stable camp.

The feeling, perhaps even the aura that surrounds you for now, is tangibly good and unquestionably less confusing. Probably because the football floor in front of him is no longer filled with holes tied to the previous coach, the previous quarterback, or the tremendous sense of dread that permeates the Broncos fan base following the 2022 season. Instead, the future is Now a winding path through What can it be instead of What the hell happened?.

“It’s different,” Payton said with a smile. “This is a different team than a year ago.”

He glanced at the team’s practice field, where rookie quarterback Bo Nix was finally breaking ground after putting in an extra 30 minutes of post-practice work with a handful of veterans.

“We’re a much younger team,” Payton said. “And it’s no coincidence.”

You never want to get too caught up in moments like these, because training camp always carries a discernible siren song of possibilities for each franchise. There is the promise offered by the rookie classes and young players taking their next steps. A squad’s health is typically at its highest point on the season schedule. And the league-wide loss column is exceptionally pristine, save for the occasional contract holdout or unexpected PED suspension.

It’s a time when everyone generally feels really good. So betting too much on Payton’s situation now is getting into deep water, especially when the hangover of a season is just over a month away and entire seasons could be sucked into an abyss of futility at the end of October. Payton knows this all too well, considering he dealt with it in 2023, which saw the Broncos turn around with a 1-5 start and then recover respectably – but too late for a playoff spot – with a 7-4 finish .

What makes 2024 a little different is the simplest thing: A year ago, Payton didn’t have a team he wanted. Now? Well, he definitely has some players he wants and is that much closer to getting the squad and culture to a place where big strides can start to happen. Maybe in 2025… maybe throughout this season… maybe even between now and the first week of the season in September.

An excellent illustration of this is Nix, who doesn’t have the starting quarterback job defined, but certainly appears to be trending toward that outcome in the first week of the regular season. Payton won’t say it now, but Payton’s excitement about teaching Nix every day leaves little room for doubt: This is his quarterback, and getting him into the fold was a pivotal moment in making Payton’s Broncos team. Going back to Nix’s private workout with the Broncos on March 13, which ended with Payton turning to his general manager, George Paton, and declaring “That’s the guy.”

When Payton remembers that moment now, he fills it with a series of topics about Nix that could block out a healthy part of his day if left uninterrupted.

“First in third-down quarterback class,” Payton said. “First in class in negative game differential. Zero errors in two years. Very good off-schedule capacity. End of time, two minutes – first in the class. End of the critical game, first in the class. Accuracy, the most accurate in the history of college football.”

Finally, Payton stressed, “There’s just a calmness to his game.”

With all due respect to Jarrett Stidham — who Payton also shares a rapport with as a veteran who will illustrate to Nix how to be a pro — Payton’s glow when he talks about Nix is ​​more than enough of a barometer on where this is all headed. Not that it’s really necessary. Nix was selected with the 12th overall pick in the draft to be the franchise’s long-term guiding light. And there’s no doubt he’s Payton’s guy, with any success or failure going straight onto the head coach’s quarterback resume.

Not to mention the team’s amplified youth, which will have areas across the roster competing to define a depth chart – from wide receiver to running back to the defensive secondary. And that’s just the beginning, as Payton and Paton are just in the early stages of reshaping the entire roster with young talent.

As Payton said: “Young and hungry is a dangerous thing in the league.”

This attitude did not go unnoticed by the veterans either. Cornerback Pat Surtain II — who is now the best player and most decorated leader on the roster — said the change in the building has been palpable from one year to the next.

“I can feel the energy, the camaraderie, all of us really coming together as one,” Surtain said. “We’re building this team from the ground up in a way and everyone is coming together. We are a young team that is hungry and eager to fulfill our goal and our destiny.”

Fortunately, the head coach is also part of this, as he has returned to live in a familiar space as a teacher, culture builder and demanding presence. So much so that he is repeating his favorite jokes when it comes to putting pressure on players. One that Payton repeated a few times this season pointed to the weight loss of running back Javonte Williams, who dropped from 232 pounds to 221 this offseason. But it’s a moment that preceded the weight loss that has become one of Payton’s favorite stories when strangers visit him.

At the time, Payton was watching old college tape of the North Carolina offense when he came across Williams, who was showing the speed, explosiveness and power that made him a 2021 Broncos draft pick. , Payton stopped the tape and called Williams into the room, showing him some of the footage.

“How much did you weigh here?” Payton asked. “That’s the back I want.”

Six weeks later, Williams returned to his college weight of 221. And Payton officially had a story to tell when he showed up to camp looking and practicing better than ever.

That’s the kind of thing that rounds out Payton’s training camp. Having your quarterback picked. Filling the squad with youth and competition. Seeing players respond to their personal challenge to be better. That’s how calm settled over the Broncos, and someone else’s team ended up becoming Payton’s – young, hungry and dangerous.

Coaches can feel this way too. And if you doubt it, ask Sean Payton to sit down and review his list.