Where Sean Payton ranks as a play caller may surprise Denver Broncos fans.
According to The Athletic, who interviewed NFL defensive coordinators, Payton is squarely in the Top-10.
But what makes him difficult to play against?
Where Sean Payton ranks as a play caller
According to those defensive coordinators and coaches, Payton is the 8th-best play caller in the NFL today.
After taking a year away from the league, there was a bit of a question whether he still had what it takes to run a successful offense. But he quickly quelled those worries.
Payton helped a team he didn’t build, with a quarterback he didn’t like, bounce back in 2023. The Broncos went from dead last in points per game in 2022 to 19th in 2023. Then, Denver improved to 10th last year, scoring more in the season than they did in any year since 2014.
The proof is in the pudding; Payton can still call a great game.
Even last year, he was working with a rookie quarterback and a lack of playmakers up and down the offense. So, the expectation this year is the Broncos offense will take another step forward.
But, what are the defensive coordinators saying about him?
The first issue defenses have when facing a Payton offense is to get the right personnel on the field and line up correctly. Other offensive coordinators are systematic in how they break defenses down, but Payton throws a barrage of personnel groupings and pre-snap movement that defenses must handle.“The first 15 (plays) is a motherf—– with them. It’s big (personnel), little (personnel) every play, and they try to just create chaos with the subs and play games with all that s—, and then they mix modes with the no huddle and all that,” an AFC defensive coach said. “They put guys in the right spots, fit the pieces together well, where like everyone has their role with that. And then it’s a diverse offense where you’ve got to defend two-back, one-back, four-by-one, RPOs, QB-driven, YY sets. And it’s all the stuff you got prepared for. And that makes you just say, f— it, we just got to be simple. There’s so much noise where you can’t really pin them down.”With the enormous playbook that Payton wants to use, it’s easy to see why he valued Bo Nix, who showed high-level recall ability when Payton tested him. Coaches raved about Payton’s ability to put Nix in advantageous positions and work around his limitations.
There are some really great tidbits in that snipped from The Athletic.
First, one would hope the Broncos could start games faster with that 15-play script which is clearly giving defenses fits. Of note, Denver ironically started with a lead in 10 games last year. They also went 10-7; but those numbers didn’t align. As in, some games they took an early lead and lost, and vice versa.
The second great tidbit is Payton forcing defenses into simple or watered down defensive schemes. When that happens, the Broncos should have the advantage.
And finally, Sean Payton ranks high as a play caller because he molds the offense to his players. They mention working around Bo Nix’s limitations here, but that goes for putting Marvin Mims in advantageous positions and more.
Kyle Shanahan of the 49ers was the best play caller, followed by Sean McVay, Ben Johnson, and Andy Reid.
Denver has more weapons on offense this year
In many ways, Payton was a perfect coach for the Broncos because their defense was stacked when he arrived and the offense needed a lot of work.
Together, Payton and GM George Paton have improved the offensive side of the ball with tons of playmakers.
Last year, they drafted their franchise quarterback in Nix at No. 12. Troy Franklin, drafted in the fourth round, is expected to make a leap this year. He’s been a standout all offseason and has spoken of his confidence improving as of late. And in 2023, they took Mims in the second round. The short and speedy wideout enjoyed a breakout season last year and will be a key part of the offense and special teams again this season.
R.J. Harvey, a second-round running back, is in line to start. Although he’ll probably split the workload with others. And Pat Bryant (4th-round WR) will likely see some playing time, although we’re not sure how much as of yet.
Besides the draft, free agency has been huge this year for Payton’s offense.
Evan Engram is likely the most important pickup on either side of the ball. He’s a legitimate playmaking tight end which the Broncos haven’t had since 2021 with Noah Fant. And Engram should be much better than Fant was, too.
It’s no secret that elite quarterbacks use their tight ends a lot. Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce for one. Josh Allen has multiple tight ends in Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox. Just like Lamar Jackson has two in Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely. Simply, Engram will be a massive improvement over what Nix had last year and should help the young QB grow.
J.K. Dobbins will help the run game alongside Harvey, and we may see more of the veteran near the goal line than the rookie.
And then there’s Nix, who should be able to pick up where he left off. “It’s just the mental side of the game that you can make strides in,” Nix said to Dianna Russini and Chase Thomas about meeting with Drew Brees this offseason. He won’t be adapting to the NFL, learning coaches, and learning terminology all at once this year.
Considering the quarterback position is so crucial, these Broncos are on track to be much-improved on offense in 2025.