Broncos ranked in bottom tier of NFL teams: 'Good luck in 2025'

Sean Payton appears to have his work cut out for the 2024 NFL season as the head coach of the Denver Broncos.

Payton helped the Broncos make a three-win turnaround from their previous season, going from 5-12 in 2022 to 8-9 in 2023. But it wasn’t without turbulence, as the benching of Russell Wilson led to his release this past spring.

So, while Payton has Jarrett Stidham, Bo Nix and Zach Wilson as potential replacements for Wilson, Jarrett Bailey of Touchdown Wire thinks this won’t be enough to make the Broncos a respectable team this fall.

Bailey recently ranked all 32 NFL teams into seven tiers, with the last tier titled “See you in 2025.” He put the Broncos in that bottom tier alongside the New Orleans Saints, Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants.

“Speaking of directionless franchises, hello Denver. Drafting Bo Nix in the first round was certainly a choice,” Bailey wrote. “The Broncos lack star power and they have a head coach [whose] lure is overstated.”

Perhaps a bit harsh.

Will Payton, a renowned culture builder, rise above this projection? Only time will tell. However, we all know that real work doesn’t come from behind a keyboard but from the field. We will see soon if the Broncos can take a Year 2 leap under Payton.