4 Year-1 Saints Improvements Sean Payton Will Also Make With Broncos

When Sean Payton became the head coach of the New Orleans Saints in 2006, he took over a team that had finished the prior season with a 3-13 record. The Saints had only one winning season in the previous five before his arrival.

Needless to say, the future was bleak for New Orleans. In his first season, Payton coached a massive improvement as the team went 10-6 and claimed a playoff victory. That seven-win turnaround was impressive.

Payton is attempting to do the same thing with the Denver Broncos in 2023 and has already created a similar approach this offseason. There are parallels between what was different with the Saints' offense from 2005-06 and the Broncos in 2023.

Four changes can be pointed to that had a significant impact on New Orleans morphing a 31st-ranked offense into a top-5 unit in a single offseason in 2006. Obviously, Payton calling plays made a huge difference, but personnel and position improvements also played a large part.

The single biggest impact would be the Saints' improved quarterback play, which will be addressed, but there were three other items back then that look very similar to the current Broncos team.

The Offensive Line

The 2006 Saints offensive line was completely revamped. First, Jon Stinchcomb got healthy and allowed Payton to move Jammal Brown to left tackle. Jeff Faine took over for a departed LeCharles Bentley, and Jamar Nesbit was promoted to starting left guard. Payton also drafted a potential future Hall-of-Famer Jahri Evans to play right guard.

Does this sound familiar? Garet Bolles is returning to the Broncos' lineup after suffering an injury last season where he missed all but five games. The Broncos spent significant money to bring in two of the top offensive line free agents in Ben Powers and Mike McGlinchey.

This was not the complete O-line overhaul that the 2006 Saints orchestrated, but it's close. It wasn’t necessary to replace Quinn Meinerz at right guard, as he is an up-and-coming player with a bright future.

The only 'unknown' piece is center Lloyd Cushenberry III. However, Payton seems perfectly content with Cushenberry as the starting center and made no attempt to replace him. But Payton has a track record of using veterans at the center position.

The revamping of the Broncos' offensive line was necessary to accomplish what Payton wants to do on offense. It will greatly improve the running game and brings up the next crucial point.

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Quarterback Improvement

The 2005 Saints had Aaron Brooks at quarterback. Now, Brooks was not a terrible quarterback during his career, but his 2005 season was bad.

Replacing him with Drew Brees the next year was a massive improvement. Payton designed an offense that turned Brees from a solid quarterback to a Hall-of-Famer.

The improvement was incredible. On a per-game basis, New Orleans' completion percentage increased by 15%, yards by 25%, and passing touchdowns by 63%. The decrease in interceptions was a whopping 47%.

Payton is not tasked with finding a new quarterback in Denver, but returning Russell Wilson to his former self. Now, generating a 15% and 25% improvement in completion percentage and yards, respectively, will be a bit of a stretch for 2023, but getting Wilson to at least his career average would be a large improvement. It would put him at about 65% completion and 4,000 passing yards for the season.

However, Payton impacting the touchdown passes and interceptions to the same degree he did in New Orleans circa 2006 is not a stretch. Wilson would need to toss 30 touchdowns, which he has done five times in his career, and reduce his interceptions to seven, which he has done four times.

Improved quarterback play in Denver is not about replacing the quarterback, but getting Wilson back to his regular form. With the disaster of Nathaniel Hackett and his offense, it's not a stretch to believe that Payton will accomplish this task in 2023. The improvement to the O-line will help tremendously in both keeping Wilson upright and improving the rushing attack.

Running Back Health

The 2005 Saints lost Duece McCallister to injury five games into the season, replacing him with Antowain Smith, who was a serviceable, but not great running back throughout his career. Smith was at the end of the road at 33 years old in 2005, and New Orleans' running game suffered greatly.

That team ranked 27th in rushing yards. In 2006, McCallister returned and made the Saiints' running game respectable again.

The Broncos had a similar fate. In 2022, Javonte Williams was lost for the season four games in and appears to be returning to full health in time for the season. With that said, the Broncos improved the running back depth over the fumbling backup Melvin Gordon. The team should improve on its 21st ranking in 2022.

Investment in the Tight End Position

Payton brought in new faces at the tight end spot back in 2006, including an experienced player in Mark Campbell. The coach is doing the same thing with this year’s Broncos.

Payton signed Chris Manhertz in free agency and traded for ex-Saint Adam Trautman. The investment didn’t necessarily pay off for the Saints in 2006, due to missed games, but that lack of production was counterbalanced by the team lucking into Marques Colston in the seventh round of the draft that season.

Denver's investment in the tight ends this season should pay dividends. Pairing Trautman with Greg Dulcich will give the offense a solid 1-2 punch, and Manhertz will aid the running game tremendously.

The Takeaway

These four similarities should give Broncos Country more hope for a turnaround of the team’s fortunes. Payton improved the Saints by seven games in a single season.

The Broncos have a solid roster, and when Payton gets more out of Wilson than in 2022, it won't be a stretch to expect a multiple-win improvement for the club. Five additional wins is not out of the question, which would give the Broncos their first winning season in six years at 10-7 and could even vault them into the playoffs.

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