George Paton should have been fired.
Now, he deserves his flowers.
Of all the stunning improvements experienced by the Broncos over the past two seasons, one transformation has gone largely unnoticed. It doesn’t involve a player, like Jonathon Cooper. Or a formerly embattled coach, like defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.
It is the remarkable rebound by Paton. You remember him? He was John Elway’s handpicked general manager in 2021. He hired Nathaniel Hackett and traded for Russell Wilson — two of the biggest embarrassments in Broncos history.