Broncos have a top six NFL coach according to one major outlet

The Denver Broncos upgrade from Nathaniel Hackett to Sean Payton can’t be overstated.

One looks like one of the worst head coaches in NFL history. The other has a Super Bowl ring and will be pursuing a second in the Mile High City.

And while Payton hasn’t coached a game yet for the Broncos, he’s already getting respect from around the league thanks to his Hall of Fame resume in New Orleans.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk is releasing his top ten coaches, and Payton checked in at No. 6. He even beat out the likes of Kyle Shanahan at No. 8 and Sean McVay at No. 7, two of those most respected young coaches around.

Here’s part of what Florio wrote about Payton:

Of the men making the 2023 PFT list of top 10 head coaches, only one didn’t coach at all in 2022. He nevertheless did enough during his years before 2022 to land at No. 6.

Sean Payton — offensive expert, Bill Parcells disciple, quarterback whisperer, and Super Bowl XLIV champion — will try to add another label to his football story: Russell Wilson fixer.

That’s the challenge for Payton in 2023, the thing that will cement his status or jeopardize it. Then again, if Wilson doesn’t improve this year, chances are Payton won’t be blamed.

Yes, if Payton can “fix” Wilson he will be labeled a hero in Denver. If not, as Florio points out, the Broncos will almost certainly move on and Payton will be tasked with leading a rebuild.

But there’s no doubt Broncos CEO Greg Penner appears to have a hit a home run in hiring Payton, particularly after GM George Paton whiffed on the Hackett decision so badly.

Yes, there’s still a season to play, but even now folks around the league know Payton is a massive improvement for a Denver team desperately in need of a real leader.

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