Watching the Denver Broncos go through roster cuts is an interesting glimpse into the world of Sean Payton. There are plenty of moves to follow in the tracker, as the team is slimmed down to the final 53-man roster.
And the news of Wil Lutz being acquired for a 7th round draft pick answers the questions at kicker for now. Albert O. played well enough in the final preseason game for the Philadelphia Eagles to send a 6th round draft pick to the Broncos so that he didn’t hit the waiver wire.
The team is reaching its final shape, but that shape won’t be all that rigid. Sean Payton has said that the roster will be fluid up until the start of the season.
Roster cuts were due at 2 p.m. for the Broncos, but after Tuesday's practice coach Sean Payton said some guys shouldn't get too comfortable -- “You’ll see in the next, probably, 10 days there will be a lot of shuffling with teams and ours will be one of those teams.’’
— Jeff Legwold (@Jeff_Legwold) August 29, 2023
What that means is today’s final roster moves won’t be the last adjustments made before the Broncos kick the season off against the Las Vegas Raiders. As Ian St. Clair and I discussed on Odds and Endzones, Payton is putting his stamp on the team. The cuts made haven’t been Earth shattering. The surprises have been small, if there have been any surprises at all.
But the painting is incomplete. As the basic structure of the team is obvious, the little moves, the roll players, the chiseling away and adding on will continue until Payton is happy with the team he has assembled.
Following an offseason and preseason of saying, “whatever Sean Payton wants” Broncos Country is close to getting to see the fruits of his labor. Call it cautious optimism. Call it apprehensive anticipation. Whatever it is, the final countdown to the opening kickoff of the Sean Payton era has begun.
With the way Denver has approached everything it is safe to assume that this team is expected to win now. In a difficult division, forced to play Patrick Mahomes twice a year, the task is not simple. Still, the “shuffling” is the mark of a coach that is always looking to improve the team.
Whatever Sean Payton wants to do. That’s been the mantra all through the preseason. Now we are on the doorstep of finding out if it was all worth it.
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