Payton: Broncos are capable of winning the Super Bowl
Broncos head coach Sean Payton has high expectations for his team entering his third season as Denver's head coach.
"The short-term goal is winning the division," Payton said last week, according to Yahoo's Charles Robinson. "But this is a team capable of winning the Super Bowl. I've coached six teams that I thought could win the Super Bowl. Some went to championship games, some to the playoffs. This is my seventh team that I think has that."
Denver is coming off a 10-7 season in which it lost to the Buffalo Bills 31-7 in the wild-card round. The Broncos won five of their last seven games entering the playoffs to secure the club's first winning record since 2016.
The Broncos' defense was spectacular in 2024 on the heels of a disappointing season. Led by defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, Denver ranked first in EPA/play and second in success rate, according to Ben Baldwin's database. Many of Denver's significant defensive contributors will return in 2025.
For the Broncos to take a leap this year, however, they'll need quarterback Bo Nix to build on his solid rookie campaign. The first-round pick in the 2024 draft finished the season with 3,775 passing yards and 34 total touchdowns. Nix excelled down the stretch, ranking sixth in EPA/play and seventh in completion percentage out of 30 qualifying quarterbacks during the final eight weeks of the season.
"He's going to be one of the top four or five quarterbacks in the league the next two years," Payton said of Nix. "That's what we're seeing right now. He doesn't take sacks. He's got exceptional arm strength. ... He threw the longest ball - (67) air yards against Cincinnati. He can run. He can throw in funny body angles."
General manager George Paton was active this offseason in trying to improve his club. The Broncos made several high-profile additions, including Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga, Evan Engram, and J.K. Dobbins.
Denver will kick off its season against the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 7.