George Paton’s use of the Broncos owner’s deep pockets hasn’t been good

A few weeks ago, George Paton was the toast of the town. Denver’s general manager had pulled off an impressive 180, going from one of the most-loathed figures in Broncos history to a guy who many were heaping praise upon at an unprecedented level.

Paton was forgiven for making one of the worst trades in NFL history. People had seemed to forget that he compounded that blunder by dolling out one of the worst contracts of all-time. Heck, they even had amnesia when it came to the fact that the GM doomed both of those decisions by hiring of the worst head coaches to ever walk the sideline in the league.

All forgotten. Why? Well, that’s a good question.

Prior to the start of the season, hope sprang eternal. As is often the case, optimism was running high in Broncos Country.

The team was coming off of a 10-win season. They were looking to build upon their first playoff appearance in nearly a decade. And they had made some intriguing moves in the offseason.

Denver had added Talanoa Hufanga and Dre Greenlaw to an already-talented defense, signing both via free agency from the 49ers. They drafted Jahdae Barron in the first round, bringing in a cornerback to some day line up opposite Patrick Surtain, the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year. And they had inked three veterans to new contracts, keeping Zach Allen, Nik Bonitto and Courtland Sutton in the Mile High City for the foreseeable future.

Things were looking bright. Paton had built a roster that was generating Super Bowl talk.

He had a young quarterback that was supposed to finally end the carousel at the most-important position in sports. He signed J.K. Dobbins and drafted R.J. Harvey to solve the Broncos running game. He inked Evan Engram as a free agent to bring a pass-catching tight end to town for the first time in ages.

Everything was looking good. But there was one big problem… NFL games aren’t played on paper.

At the end of the day, the players who were drafted, signed and given extensions have to live up to the hype. Ultimately, they have to perform on the field.

And just three weeks into the season, the litany of moves made by Paton have taken on an entirely new sense. The sweet smell of roses has turned into a rotting stench.

Greenlaw was signed to a three-year, $35-million deal, despite playing in just two games last year for San Francisco. The talented, but oft-injured linebacker has yet to see the field for the Broncos. He injured his quad during the offseason, missed most of training camp, didn’t play in the preseason, hasn’t suited up yet in the regular season and just went on the team’s injured reserve list.

Engram has been almost as bad. So far this season, the tight end has a whopping four catches for a grand total of 33 yards. He missed Sunday’s loss at the Chargers with a back injury. That’s not exactly what the Broncos had in mind when they gave him a two-year, $23-million deal.

The bad investments don’t end there. The Broncos offensive line is currently under fire. They’re an expensive group to be struggling.

Garett Bolles is in the middle of a four-year, $82-million contract. He’s never made a Pro Bowl.

Ben Powers is in the third year of a four-year, $51.5-million deal. He’s never been All-Pro or selected to a Pro Bowl.

And Mike McGlinchey is in the third year of a five-year, $87.5-million contract. His resume is missing any postseason accolades, as well.

For those keeping score at home, that $221 million invested in three guys who have never been selected by their peers as among the best at their respective positions. Yikes.

On the other side of the ball, Zach Allen falls into the same category. In 2023, Paton gave the defensive tackle a three-year, $45.75-million contract to leave Arizona and come to Denver. This past offseason, he upped the ante, ponying up a four-year, $102-million deal. Allen has never made a Pro Bowl.

He’s not alone in double dipping with the Broncos. Courtland Sutton has, too.

The wide receiver signed a four-year, $92-million deal with Denver this offseason. That comes on the heels of the four-year, $60.8-million contract he inked in 2021. Sutton hasn’t made a Pro Bowl since 2019.

That’s five players, with deals totaling more than a half billion dollars, who have one Pro Bowl in their collective careers. And that came six years ago, before Sutton ever was signed to a big contract.

Oh, but it doesn’t end there. John Franklin-Myers has the fifth-highest cap hit on the team this season ($10 million). Zero Pro Bowls. Brandon Jones is sixth ($9,062,153). No Pro Bowls. Jonathon Cooper ($8,153,120) is eighth, Alex Singleton ($6,922,154) is ninth and D.J. Jones ($6,601,890) is 10th. Zero Pro Bowls for those three players.

That’s a lot of money for very average players. While a Pro Bowl nod doesn’t mean what it used to, it is a barometer of a player’s value. It’s never been easier to earn an invite, with so many players skipping the festivities, so it’s even more worrisome how few the Broncos highest-paid players have received.

To be fair, not every move has been a bust. Hufanga looks like a player. Through three games, the safety has 27 tackles, but he’s yet to record a sack or haul in an interception. He’s been good. He’s been fine. But on this team, with all of the misses, he seems like an absolute steal.

Dobbins does too. He’s ninth in the NFL in rushing with 222 yards. He’s also scored three touchdowns; Javonte Williams and Bo Nix led Denver in rushing TDs a season ago with four apiece.

But that’s about where the good news ends.

This year’s draft class has been underwhelming. Barron has five tackles and one pass defended through three games. Harvey has 80 yards on 13 carries. And third-round pick Pat Bryant has just two receptions for 18 yards. Outside of punter Jeremy Crawshaw, the entire class has basically been a non-factor.

So what exactly is Paton being praised for? Why the resurgence in pro-George support?

Yes, Surtain is an elite player. He got the No. 9 overall pick right in 2021. And Bonitto is a player, as that four-year, $106-million deal has a chance to age better than other big contracts shelled out by the general manager.

But the “hits” have been far too few. They certainly don’t outweigh the big “misses” (Russell Wilson trade and contract, and Nathaniel Hackett).

And the ho-hum, middle-of-the-road, mediocre moves are far too prevalent. That’s where Paton gets a free pass.

If it’s not a disaster, no one seems to notice. If they’re a decent player, there’s no talk of them not living up to expectations. That has to stop.

The Broncos have forked over a lot of cash in recent years. It’s time they started getting a return on their investment. If they don’t, the guy who made the deals will have (or at least should have) a lot of explaining to do.

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