Clayton: Paton’s willingness to spend has created a Broncos strength

Broncos general manager George Paton has shown he’ll willing to spend when necessary to add talent to the team. The commitment he made to Denver’s secondary, as well as allowing Von Miller to return despite an $18 million cap number, illustrates that point.

The Broncos committed $39.75 million per year to the secondary. They paid $10 million a year for Ronald Darby and $9.5 million for Kyle Fuller, gave Justin Simmons a new deal and brought back Kareem Jackson at $5 million for 2021.

The Broncos now have one of the highest paid defensive backfields in football. Simmons is making $15.25 million a year. Returning cornerback Bryce Callahan is in the last year of a $6 million a year contract.

Think about it. The Broncos have invested $45.75 million a year for their top-five defensive backs. In their last trip to the Super Bowl, the Broncos relied on “The No Fly Zone” of Aqib Talib, Chris Harris, Darian Stewart, T.J. Ward and Bradley Roby to slow down offenses and quarterbacks. With so much money tied up in their new secondary, the Broncos now have created “The First Class Fly Zone.”

The secondary was the primary focus of the Broncos headed into the offseason. With these moves, George Paton has created a new strength of the Broncos roster.