If Broncos season goes poorly, two scapegoats will lose their jobs

The Denver Broncos season is essentially here.

The team will hold a press conference with head coach Sean Payton on Tuesday, followed by the annual media BBQ. This marks the start of training camp, with two practices on Wednesday and Thursday before fans can come to Broncos Park beginning on Friday.

It doesn’t feel like football weather outside, but alas, we’ve arrived.

And while no one wants to think about a new Broncos season going poorly, unfortunately that feels more likely than not. Many respected sites have called Denver’s roster the worst in football. As of this moment, they have a three-man QB competition going on. It’s not the same conversations folks are having in cities with Super Bowl aspirations.

If the year goes awry, there will be scapegoats who lose their jobs. There always is. Last year Payton ran Russell Wilson out of town, but he’s got two more men he can blame if the Broncos are near the bottom of the NFL.

The first and most obvious is GM George Paton. Quite frankly, it’s remarkable Paton still has a job. Owner and CEO Greg Penner has been great since taking over a couple of years ago, but not dismissing Paton yet remains puzzling.

Paton made one of the worst trades in NFL history in acquiring Wilson. He then proceeded to give out one of the worst contracts in league history, an extension Wilson never played a down of in a Broncos uniform. And before all that he hired arguably the worst head coach in NFL history in Nathaniel Hackett. Penner had to fire him after just 15 pitiful games.

So while many were surprised Paton wasn’t let go with Hackett, or after last season, he’s still here. That could be by design. Payton wants folks to take the blame before him if things go wrong. Outside of Penner, he has the most power at Dove Valley, and a 6-11 season or worse could easily result in Paton being let go.

But there’s another name to watch. And that’s defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. Many thought “VJ” might lose his job after the disastrous 70-point game by the Dolphins early last season. It didn’t happen, and to Joseph’s credit, the group was the catalyst of a surprising five-game winning streak.

However, respected defensive mind Jim Leonhard was brought in this offseason to coach the team’s defensive backs. In a lot of people’s eyes, he’s Joseph’s replacement. One or two bad games from the defense in September or October, and Joseph could be gone, with Leonhard waiting in the wings.

One of the common narratives last year about letting Joseph go was, “who will take over for him?” Payton now has the answer to that question already in the building.

The reality is Payton’s seat is ice cold. He’s not going anywhere, as he embarks on year two of a five-year contact. However, the temperature on Paton and Joseph is heating up. Many thought they’d both be fired last year, but Payton blamed most of Denver’s failures on Wilson. He’ll need a new target this year if this Broncos season lands them in the bottom of the AFC West.

Paton would be a scapegoat, but he’s also done enough wrong to get himself fired. The same can’t be said for Joseph, whose defense created plenty of turnovers a season ago to keep Denver in the playoff hunt surprisingly late in the season.

Are dismissals in the NFL fair? Sometimes yes and sometimes no, but they’re a cruel reality of the league. No one who pays an ounce of attention to the Broncos would be shocked if Paton and / or Joseph lose their jobs in the next six months.

We’ll just have to see which one Payton picks, if not both. Or even better yet, Denver shocks the world, makes the postseason, and everyone keeps their current gigs.

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