George Paton has to impress Sean Payton by nailing 53-man roster

The time is now for Denver Broncos GM George Paton to impress head coach Sean Payton.

That might feel like a funny sentence to read, but it’s the truth.

In most NFL power structures, the general manager is the boss of the head coach. That’s not the case here in Denver.

Both Paton and Payton report to Broncos CEO Greg Penner. But Penner only hired one of them, giving the leg up right now to Payton in terms of who the owner trusts more.

It’s not that there have been reports of Penner being unhappy with Paton, but it’s only natural. The GM was hired from the Vikings by Joe Ellis and John Elway. Neither works for the Broncos any longer.

Meanwhile, Penner hired Payton to replace the inept Nathaniel Hackett, a man who was fired just 15 games into his first season after Paton hired him.

You got all that?

Such is life of a team that’s been in flux over recent years, cycling through head coaches, transitioning from Elway to Paton running the show and ownership changing hands.

But for as messy as this all sounds, it’s actually quite simple. Payton is going to be here for a long time. Paton’s future is far murkier. At the end of the day, Penner is going to take Payton’s thoughts to heart on if he wants to work with Paton long-term.

Perhaps Paton’s biggest test to date has arrived. He has to nail the 53-man roster, giving Payton the right ingredients to cook with this year and hopefully return Denver to at least a winning record.

Sure, Paton already traded for Russell Wilson and gave him a lucrative contract extension, but that’s in the past. He still has a job and needs to be focused on keeping it. Picking the right players on cutdown day is one of the most important things a GM does all year.

How do Paton (and Payton, let’s be honest) address the kicker position? Does Brett Maher keep the job, or do they look elsewhere?

Are Jaleel McLaughlin, Albert Okwuegbunam and Elijah Garcia all on the 53-man roster? And do those tough cuts find their way back to the practice squad, ready for a promotion at a moment’s notice?

Paton can’t let any future stars get away, nor can he keep guys not up for the task on the 53. Every single decision, down to the very last cut, will be heavily analyzed by Payton throughout the season, along with Penner.

If this year goes awry, the two most likely people to pay the price are Paton and Wilson. And Paton’s contract is certainly a lot easier to move on from than the QB’s deal.

There’s always a fall guy or two for an NFL season gone wrong. In the case of the Broncos, there’s no doubt whose job(s) will be on the line.

Paton’s a good man who’s made some bad decisions. The Wilson trade and contract still has time to work itself out, but No. 3 needs have a monster year. The Hackett hiring blunder can never be fixed.

And that’s why Payton is here now, to clean up the mess that Hackett made. If he decides Paton was part of it, it won’t be hard for him to suggest to Penner they move on. If he perfectly constructs the 53-man roster and Denver wins 10-plus games, Paton will be here for the long haul.

It’s a pivotal day for the 2023 Broncos. Perhaps their most important of any that’s not a gameday this season.

It’s time for George Paton to work his magic, because you know Sean Payton and Greg Penner will be watching with very close eyes.

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