Broncos HC Sean Payton Gives Critique of WR Courtland Sutton's Camp

Week 2 of Denver Broncos training camp has seen quarterback Russell Wilson click into high gear, alongside players like wide receiver Courtland Sutton. On Wednesday, head coach Sean Payton maintained his cool demeanor as he explained how emphasizing team-first values has paid dividends for players like Wilson and Sutton.

“I’m just making sure we are progressing as a team,” Payton said. “Certainly today, Courtland had a fantastic practice. I said this before—there are always ebbs and flows to this training camp with defense and offense. Having success offensively is important because you gain that confidence you need, and it only comes from it actually happening. Overall, we’ve had a good week.”

Just like Wilson, serious question marks have hung over Sutton's head for the entirety of the offseason. Trade rumors swirled around Sutton and fellow receiver Jerry Jeudy, but they seem like ancient history now.

That being said, if front-office leaks were intended to light some kind of fire under the 27-year-old Texan old, it worked. On Wednesday, Payton talked about how Sutton's return to premium, trimmed-down shape has allowed him to excel.

“I think he’s strong. I think he’s healthy,” Payton said of Sutton. “In fairness to him, I think he’s healthy. He’s moving well. His body weight was just what we wanted when he reported to camp. I like how he’s been working. Today was really good. It was really good.”

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Sutton seems to be in a good head space. Perhaps getting married has played its part, but both his body and mind are primed for football after some difficult times post his ACL in 2020 surgery.

"As a team, [we were] not seeing the results that we ultimately wanted to see, and then individually, the past couple years have been the same result," Sutton said of embracing making changes. "There hasn't really been any drastic change in my play. I wanted to see something different. I couldn't continue to do the same thing and ultimately hope that something was going to change. Changed up the routine, changed it all up so that I can hopefully see something different."

The Broncos' buy-in to Payton's program shows how the veterans are just sick and tired of losing. Wilson, in particular, has had to carry the can after having to wade through the miles of the mess Nathaniel Hackett left behind.

Payton hasn't breezed into Dove Valley looking to break people down; in fact, it's been quite the opposite. Instead, building the Broncos back up again has been about trusting that they're competent enough as professionals to deal with advanced levels of detail.

Driving home the importance of end-of-game two-minute drills has provided a light bulb moment for the Broncos, who now realize Payton plans to have his team in games with the intent to win them. It's been music to Wilson's ears, who cut his teeth under the tutelage of the detail-driven Pete Carroll in Seattle for over a decade.

“We've done a really great job in those two-minute situations, I feel like, for the most part, in terms of really executing when we needed to,” Wilson said on Tuesday. “Coach Payton does a great job of putting us in situations that we're going to have to win and be in these close games. Obviously, last year, we felt like we were unable to capitalize on some of those, and this is a great opportunity to really establish how we're going to go about it and our thought process.”

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