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Oct 6, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton during the second half against the Las Vegas Raiders at Empower Field at Mile High. Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Broncos HC Sean Payton's Ranking as a Play-Caller Decided by NFL Peers

Originally posted on Denver Broncos on SI
By Carl Dumler | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 1:56 PM ET

NFL Network just finished up its annual top 100 players rankings, as voted on by the players. We saw four Broncos make the list, with the highest being cornerback Patrick Surtain II at No. 10.

In a similar vein, The Athletic's Ted Nguyen polled six NFL defensive coordinators and coaches from around the league to create a list of the top offensive play-callers of 2025. These defensive coordinators and coaches were asked to create a top 10 list and give a little summary of why they chose each guy on the list.

Denver Broncos' head coach and offensive play-caller Sean Payton was among those chosen, ranking as the eighth-best play-caller in the league.

"The first issue defenses have when facing a Payton offense is to get the right personnel on the field and line up correctly. Other offensive coordinators are systematic in how they break defenses down, but Payton throws a barrage of personnel groupings and pre-snap movement that defenses must handle," Nguyen wrote.

As a play-caller, Payton has been questioned a bit over the last few years, clouding where his ranking should be following his decade-plus with Drew Brees as his quarterback in New Orleans. Payton's scheme is meant to put a lot of strain on the defense with constant personnel changes while also mixing in a change of pace.

A Defensive Coach's Two Cents

One AFC defensive coach explained to Nguyen why it's so difficult to game-plan and execute against a Payton offense.

“The first 15 (plays) is a m*********** with them. It’s big (personnel), little (personnel) every play, and they try to just create chaos with the subs and play games with all that s***, and then they mix modes with the no huddle and all that,” the coach told Nguyen. “They put guys in the right spots, fit the pieces together well, where like everyone has their role with that. And then it’s a diverse offense where you’ve got to defend two-back, one-back, four-by-one, RPOs, QB-driven, YY sets. And it’s all the stuff you got prepared for. And that makes you just say, f*** it, we just got to be simple. There’s so much noise where you can’t really pin them down.”

This also puts pressure on a quarterback to get everyone organized, read the defense, and make quick adjustments depending on the defensive personnel on the field. This is part of why Payton fell in love with Bo Nix ahead of the 2024 NFL draft, as he showed an incredible recall ability for plays and formations.

Weapons Galore

Payton could see his ranking vastly improve this year if Nix takes the next step and the Broncos prove that they finally have the pieces in place to run all the different formations and play set-ups that weren't possible last year. Much of what Payton likes to do offensively wasn't possible because of Denver's dearth of personnel, but it takes time to rebuild a team and craft a roster and offense in a coach's image.

The Broncos didn't have the ideal number of weapons to attack in the ways that Payton has traditionally schemed. This season, I would expect a more creative play-call sheet, knowing that he can attack with the running backs and tight ends, two groups that contributed very little to the pass and run game last season.

The Broncos' wide receivers should also take a step forward. The Broncos have cultivated a more diverse group of pass-catchers to work with, compared to last season.

The Takeaway

It won't shock me to see Payton ranked among the top offensive play-callers in football next year if Nix takes a leap forward and this offense enters the upper tier of production. We haven't seen this level of optimism surrounding the Broncos’ offense since the Peyton Manning era.

Payton is a big reason why. There's a difference between potential and production in the NFL, both individually and collectively. There is still a lot of unknown with this Broncos offense, being as young as it is and having the dreaded potential label associated with them.