Paton doing what previous Broncos GMs refused to do

Denver's newest decision maker has proved patient, allowing him to implement his long-term plan for the Broncos franchise

BY JOHN DAVIS

Mar 22, 2021, 7:09 AM Updated: 12:34 pm

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A week into his first offseason as the Denver Broncos general manager, George Paton has done an outstanding job, avoiding making the infuriating decisions of past executives.

Paton retained Von Miller, Shelby Harris and Tim Patrick, all the while locking up Justin Simmons to a long-term deal. And the Broncos general manager shouldn’t shoulder the blame for the team agreeing to mutually part ways with hometown favorite running back Phillip Lindsay.

A lot of fans were extremely upset by Lindsay walking away under Paton’s watch, but it was a big mess long before the general manager inherited it. Hurt feelings between Lindsay and Denver existed since last season — and possibly before — when the Broncos brought in Melvin Gordon III as competition.

And while losing Lindsay is upsetting to Broncos Country, it’s not a move that will set back the organization. Paton made the decision to move on without emotion, and he wasn’t tied to Lindsay in any way. If anything, it was probably a distraction thrust upon him, and Paton was tasked with cleaning up a mess he did not create.

In the end, it’s best for both parties, as the saga no longer serves as a distraction and Lindsay moves on to a team who he believes appreciates him and will utilize his skill set better than the Broncos have.

As far as Paton’s approach to rebuilding the Broncos, it makes total sense.

In 2009, when Josh McDaniels took over as Denver’s head coach, he inherited an 8-8 football team that had the No. 1 offense in the NFL. If McDaniels could just improve the defense, the Broncos were potential Super Bowl contenders.

In two seasons, McDaniels managed to deplete that offense and make the Broncos worse. He took over a team on the rise and destroyed it.

Comparatively, Paton did not inherit a young, up-and-coming 8-8 football team with a bright future. In fact, Paton didn’t inherit a No. 1 anything.

Instead, Paton inherited the first team to win a Super Bowl and miss the postseason the next five consecutive seasons — a 5-11 mess devoid of talent across the roster.

There’s nothing for Paton to destroy; it was destroyed long before his arrival.

Since being hired, Paton has immersed himself in studying the current state of the Broncos and judging by his actions thus far he is unimpressed. What Paton saw was a team that needs a complete makeover.

The problem with the past four seasons is John Elway was unwilling to be honest about the state of the franchise. He made short-term decisions with the idea that they would catapult Denver back to the playoffs.

The end result was a team that slowly burned through its elite players while failing to develop draft picks.

In 2020, Justin Simmons and Garett Bolles were the only two players on Denver’s roster one could legitimately argue deserves a top-five spot in their position group in the NFL. And while the Broncos have some nice pieces, there are holes in multiple positions.

The Broncos lack depth.

Paton is not running out making splashy free agency signings because it would be pointless. Overpaying big name players to go 7-10 in 2021 is a waste of money.

Instead, Paton has been patient, which paid off in the form of Kyle Fuller.

I’m not a big fan of paying top-dollar for free agents given the Broncos current state, but Fuller is a really solid signing. He provides Denver flexibility at the No. 9 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

While paying more than I’d like, the value of adding Fuller extends beyond the cornerback position.

Ronald Darby, a solid player at a position of need, is a quality signing as well. And Paton didn’t have to break the bank for him.

Darby can be relied upon while the younger players develop around him and Fuller.

Now for Paton’s biggest challenge: the quarterback situation.

The understanding heading into free agency was Denver was going to sign a veteran quarterback, but that has not come to fruition. Paton has essentially not even made a move for a free agent quarterback, and whatever reason he has for not doing so is the right reason.

Ryan Fitzpatrick and Andy Dalton would do nothing for the Broncos, immediately or long-term. They might make Denver slightly better in 2021, but next season the team would still be searching for an answer under center.

It’s much better to let the Lock situation play out. Either he improves or they cut their losses and get in a position to draft a quarterback in 2022.

Paton did pursue Matthew Stafford because he would legitimately make the Broncos a much better team. Those other veteran free agent QBs serve no purpose.

The patient approach from Paton has provided him the opportunity to keep core players and not be reckless in free agency. Paton is doing what Elway refused to do: make a long-term plan without getting desperate in the moment.

None of the moves so far makes Denver a 10- to 12-win team in 2021, as there is more work to be done before the Broncos are a true playoff contender. But Paton’s decisions will have the club building next offseason rather than starting over, again.