Sean Payton met with George Paton for six hours to determine Broncos roster

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton had some tough decisions to make this year when it came to the team’s initial 53-man roster.

That’s the case every season, but given the 2025 Broncos appear to be very deep, this was an agonizing process.

Guys like Audric Estime, Blake Watson, Damarri Mathis, Sam Ehlinger and Caleb Lohner were all cut.

The practice squad will take shape in the next 24 hours, but for now, Payton and GM George Paton had to make some hard calls.

Sean Payton spoke with the media on Tuesday afternoon after practice, and said in years past that he and Paton met for an hour or two hours the night before cutdown day.

This season, it was a lot longer.

“Last night was closer to six hours. There was a lot of discussion, film. It was very evident that we’re deeper. And I would say just strictly based on the length of the meeting and the process itself. That was very clear,” Payton said.

For Broncos Country, that’s great news. Every fanbase wants a team that is deep.

For the players, perhaps not so much, as even though Denver rolled through their exhibition schedule, not every guy can secure a spot on the team.

“I think it was evident in the preseason games as you watched them, when the second wave or the third wave went in, you saw good football,” Payton said.

That good football means some guys will be looking for new teams, some will be back on the practice squad and for others it’s the end of the road.

Frankly, it’s a good “problem” for Sean Payton to have to navigate. And as the season goes on, we’ll see if he and Paton ultimately picked the right 53 players.

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