Sean Payton wanted players on Denver’s roster bubble to make the final decisions as difficult as possible.
Good morning, Broncos Country!
For players on the roster bubble, the last preseason game is their last audition.
Even if it’s not enough to stick with the Denver Broncos, it’s an opportunity to show other teams they deserve a shot. After the 34-6 drubbing of the Minnesota Vikings, there are current Broncos who made their case for a roster spot. Namely, Sam Ehlinger, Justin Joly, and Cody Schrader. For others, the NFL dream may come to an end.
Now it’s in the hands of Denver head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton.
Payton had an interesting analogy for the guys on the bubble after the win against the Vikings:
“Look at the beginning of the night, just talking to these guys before the game. Historically speaking, it used to be four preseason games; obviously, it’s three now, but this game has had its moments. I’m talking about the last preseason game where Raheem Mostert goes for 140, (Victor) Cruz has three touchdowns, or there’s just so many times that all of a sudden somebody made a team.
“So we talk about that all the time, there are a number of guys that it’s not as important for, but there are a number that it’s the most important thing, period. I don’t watch a lot of TV, but my wife likes watching (The) Voice, where the singers sing. So today it was like, ‘Hey, make us spin the chair.’ Make us spin it.”
Payton and Paton want this to be difficult. The better the depth, the better the Broncos will be.
And for a team coming off a 14-3 season and hosting the AFC Championship Game, that pretty much brings everyone back, only making their roster decisions even tougher.
“I look back to my first year here, and we were looking to claim,” Payton said to the media after the win against Minnesota. “We’ll find spots, and that was like that in New Orleans early on, and as you build something that gets a little bit more polished, players are … Gradually, the quality of your team, it becomes a harder roster to make. So those teams out there that have new coaches that are rebuilding, they’ll be more active, and those are the teams sometimes that can end up with one of your players.”
The better the depth, the more likely it is that Payton knows he’ll lose quality players. The other factor in this, as Payton frequently says, is the release of players from other rosters. That’s the other factor in all of this.
“We’re rooting for every one of them,” Payton said. “Remember it’s the right 53 and getting the proper evaluation. I will spend more time concerned with who’s making it as opposed to the ones that maybe possibly aren’t, and I just finished saying this in the locker room. Oftentimes, in those tough meetings, the next two days, within a month, within two months, all of a sudden, a player will be back in your building, that happens.
“So nothing’s changed relative to this time of the season. The big change obviously is what we went from four to three preseason games. The roster has to be down by four o’clock Sunday. And then Monday, practice squads will be formed. So our practice Monday gets pushed back a little later because of that.”
To carry over Payton’s analogy to The Voice, we’ll find out who forced Payton and Paton to turn their chair.