Clayton: The NFL’s quest for parity is paying off, to the Broncos benefit

Former NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle wanted a balanced league that didn’t have teams that would dominate. Rozelle called it parity.

Sure, there were plenty of dominate teams during his era. The Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots and so many more.

But Rozelle would love this year. There is more parity in 2021 than we’ve ever seen. And now, it’s going to even out even more.

The explosion of COVID-19 across the country spread this week to the NFL. It makes the league even more balanced and uncertain.

Who knows how Washington will play down 21 players on the COVID list. The Cleveland Browns have 19. The Los Angeles Rams have 16. The Chicago Bears have 12 and all of their coordinators.

I pity the oddsmakers trying to figure out who is a favorite and who is an underdog this week. It’s crazy.

Things got even more confusing when the NFL decided to get players back faster. They announced that they would allow players with positive tests to come back if they have a lower viral level in their tests.

There is so much parity in the AFC that all but a few teams are in the playoff list. But the Broncos have a chance.

“Well, all the same reasons that’s it’s been in the past,” Vic Fangio said of this year’s parity. “More teams this past year that were in the bottom third last year made strong efforts and pushes through free agency and really strengthen themselves on the side of the ball they were weak. That’s part of it. I think the free agency effort is a big part of it. That’s the way the league is set up. It’s a fine line between going 6-10 and 10-6.”

The Broncos were a five-win team last year and have a great offseason of adding talent. It’s a league of parity.