Broncos HC Sean Payton Sounds Off on Preseason Debut of Wilson, Jeudy

Sean Payton's decision to get his first-team offense some snaps in the Denver Broncos' preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals has served its purpose. The Broncos fell to the Cardinals, 18-17, thanks to a defensive collapse on the home team's final possession.

As much as Payton wants to win every game, leaving the desert after a one-point loss in an exhibition contest will only cause him minor annoyance. Post-game, Payton was happy to see starting quarterback Russell Wilson play solidly during the limited action he got.

"Look, he was sharp," Payton said post-game. "He's had a good week of practice, and we'll keep working."

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Jumping to conclusions after a low-exposure exhibition game is always premature, if not futile. That being said, clearly, the Broncos' search for a full-time kicker suffered a setback in Arizona after both Elliott Fry and Brett Maher missed field goals from 50 and 47 yards, respectively.

Starting wide receiver Jerry Jeudy dropping a potential touchdown catch-and-run is something that the Broncos simply can't afford once the regular season begins. Jeudy redeemed himself by catching a 21-yard score o the very next play, but it brought back all the old specters of the past.

Errors came to define the Broncos' struggles last year, and Jeudy had his fair share of them. Somewhat unsurprisingly, Jeudy downplayed his gaff afterward, opting to put it all down to a fundamental lack of concentration.

The Broncos have already shown vast disciplinary improvement, as evidenced by the first penalty in preseason Game 1 under Payton not coming until late in the second quarter. As for Jeudy, he made amends on the play immediately after, with Wilson hitting him for a score when Payton went for it on 4th-&-4.

Payton is clearly going to put his trust in Jeudy to deliver when under pressure, and maybe that's a vote of confidence the entire offensive unit has been crying out for, which was driven home when the Broncos' head coach showed absolutely no hesitation in going for it on fourth down and calling Jeudy's number once again.

"It was easy to [go for it], just based on where we were on the field and really being more aggressive and showing them confidence," Payton said.

Restoring some confidence in a consistently losing operation will hinge on Payton trusting that his guys can make amends when he comes back to them on a play call. Practicing what Payton preaches began unabashedly in training camp and was self-evident on Friday night when Jeudy dropped a gimme.

Throwing Jeudy a bone is entirely understandable. After all, Payton is going to need his explosive pass-catcher to push through any lingering mental hang-ups. On the flip side, fans can fully expect that Payton will be far less forgiving of his kickers if they continue to misfire in their singular role as specialists.

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