Brandon Johnson excited about seeing playbook of Sean Payton ‘fully opened up’

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — There is the Sean Payton offense you’ve seen in recent weeks. And there is the Sean Payton offense that evolved and exploded in New Orleans over 16 seasons from 2006 through 2021.

They’re not the same, of course.

And wide receiver Brandon Johnson finds himself tantalized over what could transpire as the page turns to the games that count.

“I’m excited to see the playbook fully opened up,” Johnson said Thursday. “You know how preseason is — you get a watered-down version. We’re trying to run basic plays, make sure everybody knows what they’re doing.

“But I can’t wait until he really opens up the playbook. I’m excited.”

SEAN PAYTON HAS LAID THE GROUNDWORK

Payton has been preparing his players in the film room for something more, Johnson said.

“Coach do a good job of showing us cutups of how exactly they want plays run, splits, assignments and things like that,” Johnson said.

And now, it appears the Broncos are ready for more after getting the core concepts down in the last four months.

“It’s gonna be good,” Johnson said.

AS FOR BRANDON JOHNSON, HE’S BACK TO FULL HEALTH

The ankle injury he suffered during training camp did not prevent him from making the 53-player roster. That came just under a year after he suffered an ankle sprain that moved him off the team at the cutdown. He returned to the practice squad a month after that, which led to him playing seven games down the stretch as a rookie.

This year, his recovery was quicker. Further, he never fell into the “Here we go again” trap.

“I didn’t really have any moments of, ‘Oh, man,’ you know what I’m saying?” Johnson said.

Johnson returned last week. He played well in his only preseason action last Saturday. And now, with only Johnson, Marvin Mims Jr. and Courtland Sutton currently healthy among receivers on the 53-player roster, he’s pegged for a significant role in Week 1.

“They haven’t changed at all,” Johnson said. “It’s the standard in the receiving room. That starts with our coach, and starts with us as players. And whoever’s playing, we’ve got to play to that standard.

And Johnson feels ready for that. The first-year bumps now sit behind him.

“Just being out there this last game, I felt like my approach to the game was a little bit different,” Johnson said. “Last year, you go out there, like, ‘Oh, it’s my first NFL game.’ The nervousness, the jitters wasn’t as much this first (preseason) game.”

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