Sean Payton may not have endorsed the recent scuffle that took place during the Denver Broncos' training camp, but he is using it as a teachable moment.
Payton had to watch as his star quarterback, Bo Nix, got into it with Nik Bonitto. Both players were held back, but it did catch a lot of media attention.
However, the longtime Broncos coach isn't ready to use the F-word to describe the situation yet… No, not that F-Word.
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
Speaking to reporters the next day, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton explained why he didn't want to call the situation between Bo Nix and Nik Bonitto a 'fight.'

#payton #Broncos #bonitto #situation

Training camp gives the opportunity to get the perspective of many different voices within an organization. FanDuel TV's Kay Adams has been traveling around the league, going to different teams, and Monday was her opportunity to sit down with several Denver Broncos players and coaches.
Adams interviewed coach Sean Payton, quarterback Bo Nix, cornerback Pat Surtain and pass-rusher Nik Bonitto about a wide range of topics.
We take a look at highlights from each interview Adams conducted below.
In her interview with coach Payton, Adams asked Payton to do her job for a minute. She asked Payton what is the question about the Broncos heading into 2026. Payton gave a very thoughtful answer. "They won 11 to 13 fourth-quarter games," Payton said. "Historically speaking, when you look those numbers and you find the 12 teams or the 10 teams that have done that, this is what they've done the next year. And so I think it's important for us to look closely at, 'all right, where is the room for growth still?' And there's a lot of things we didn't do well. The first thing is to not play in as many one-score games... We want quicker starts... You want to be uncommon. And so those are all the common stats that we're looking at. And I think we have an uncommon team."
Payton also spoke about attending the Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony for Drew Brees, quarterback Bo Nix's health and mobility, Jaylen Waddle's superpower, new offensive coordinator Davis Webb and more. You can view Adams' full interview with Payton below.

#payton #interview

Following three straight days of full pads, the Denver Broncos had a lighter practice on Thursday, Day 6 of training camp. Among the players working on a side field was wide receiver Courtland Sutton, who was given veteran rest days on Tuesday and Wednesday. Denver coach Sean Payton was asked about Sutton's status following Thursday's session.
"Rest," Payton said. "He got some walk-through. Tomorrow, he'll be back. Just our protocol." Sutton also spoke after practice and confirmed that he's healthy. The team wants to keep him fresh for a long season that they want to last into February.
Sutton, who will turn 31 in October, has drawn 259 targets through quarterback Bo Nix's first two seasons in the NFL. Sutton hasn't had that level of workload since drawing 208 targets through his first two seasons (2018-2019).
Here are five other quick takeaways from Thursday's session.
1. Broncos injury report: Denver WR Jaylen Waddle (muscle tightness), OLB Nik Bonitto (undisclosed), C Luke Wattenberg (undisclosed), CB Jaden Robinson (undisclosed) and OLB Dasan McCullough (undisclosed) all worked on a side field for recovering players. Meanwhile, tight endCaleb Lohner (knee) remains sidelined. Lohner's chances of making the 53-man roster are probably decreasing with every practice he misses.

#undisclosed #payton #players

EA Sports unveiled Madden NFL 27 ratings for top-rated players earlier this week, leading up to the full ratings reveal on Friday. We now know the ratings for every Denver Broncos player in this year's version of the NFL's popular video game.
Notably, star cornerback Pat Surtain was snubbed from the "99 Club," reserved for the only players in the game with a perfect 99 overall rating. Surtain also dropped from being the No. 1-rated cornerback in last year's game (97 OVR) to now ranking second (97 OVR), trailing Christian Gonzalez (98 OVR).
Elsewhere on the defense, outside linebacker Nik Bonitto (91 OVR) is the ninth-best pass rusher in the game, and left tackle Garett Bolles (96 OVR) and guard Quinn Meinerz (95 OVR) are the third- and sixth-best offensive linemen in the game, respectively.
View complete player ratings for each Broncos position group below.
Bo Nix has improved from his 79 OVR rating last year.

#surtain #last

ESPN surveyed NFL executives, coaches and scouts this offseason to have them rank their top players at each position group across the league.
Leading up to today, ESPN had revealed rankings at running back, cornerback, edge rusher, defensive tackle, tight end, offensive tackle, interior offensive linemen and quarterback (linebacker, wide receiver and safety rankings are coming soon). So far, the Denver Broncos have had five players rank in the top 10 at their respective positions: CB Pat Surtain (No. 1), OLB Nik Bonitto (No. 10), DL Zach Allen (No. 8), OT Garett Bolles (No. 10) and OG Quinn Meinerz (No. 4).
When ESPN surveyed the NFL on top quarterbacks, 20 players received votes. The top 10 were ranked, followed by seven honorable mentions. ESPN then listed three QBs who also received votes: Bo Nix, Daniel Jones and C.J. Stroud.
The list of honorable mentions above Nix included Jalen Hurts, Trevor Lawrence, Baker Mayfield, Jordan Love, Jayden Daniels and Sam Darnold. The list of ranked QBs above Nix included Caleb Williams (No. 10) and Drake Maye (No. 8).
Now entering his third season in the NFL, Nix will look to climb the rankings ahead of 2027.

Perhaps the buzz about Jonah Elliss transitioning to inside linebacker this spring was overblown.
Earlier this year, Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton said Elliss would get snaps at inside linebacker in 2026. However, when the Broncos wrapped up the first week of organized team activities (OTAs) on Thursday with media members in attendance, Elliss was working at outside linebacker.
Payton was asked about Elliss' position after practice and the coach said OLB will be "home" for Elliss. “He’s doing too well outside," Payton said, via the Denver Post's Luca Evans. There will be packages where Elliss lines up inside (just like last year), but it won't be his primary position.
Elliss staying at outside linebacker was not influenced by Jonathon Cooper being arrested and charged with domestic violence. The Broncos practiced on Thursday morning and Payton spoke after practice. Hours later, Cooper was arrested after an alleged incident late Thursday evening.
If Cooper faces discipline — legal, from the league, or both — Elliss would be the obvious next man up to start across from Nik Bonitto at outside linebacker. Entering his third season in the NFL, Elliss will look to build on his 7.5 career sacks this fall.

One of the big offseason talking points surrounding the Broncos was edge rusher Jonah Elliss potentially moving to inside linebacker. Head coach Sean Payton mentioned he would be “getting some snaps” at linebacker, but never really clarified what that meant.
However, Sean Payton did meet with the media after the Broncos’ first OTA practice, which was open to them for the first time this offseason, and stated that Elliss would be staying at edge rusher after all.
Payton added that Jonah’s “home” will be on the outside, and that “he’s doing too good on the outside” to be moved. He did leave the door open for some inside work for Elliss, saying they could have some packages for him, but he’ll primarily be an edge rusher moving forward.
So, with Elliss staying at edge rusher, this move impacts both the edge rusher and linebacker positions. At edge rusher, the group remains very deep with Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper as your starters and Elliss, second-year player Que Robinson, and Dondrea Tillman as your rotational/situational depth pieces. Elliss will likely remain the top reserve player, but I would keep an eye on Que Robinson, who flashed some real potential last season. Regardless, the Broncos have a deep and talented edge rushing group.
As for the linebackers, we have a little more questions than answers. We do know that veterans Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad are your starters, but everything behind those two is up in the air. They did draft big hitting/force fumbling machine Red Murdock, but he was Mr. Irrelevant (the final pick in the draft), so he has to earn his spot on the roster. They also signed promising UDFA linebacker Taurean York, but he’s undersized and will need to prove he can survive in the NFL. Returning are second-year and former UDFA linebackers Jordan Turner and Karene Reid, as well as Levelle Bailey, who is entering his third training camp for the Broncos. So, they have some young developmental players at the position but lack true veteran depth, for now at least. I would anticipate the Broncos adding a veteran to this group before camp to provide some insurance at the position.