Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos CONFIDENCE In Troy Franklin Rises | Evan Engram's Role Showcased

Episode Date: June 6, 2025

The Denver Broncos confidence in Troy Franklin is showing as he enters his second season. What has Franklin done that's impressed head coach Sean Payton? Plus, Evan Engram's role as the Joker in the Broncos offense is showcasing itself at Broncos OTAs and Denver's offensive line is something Payton believes permiates throughout the entire building. Cody Roark is a credentialed beat reporter for Mile High Sports and covers the Broncos daily in person. Sayre Bedinger is the site expert for Predominantly Orange. Both bring Broncos Country the most in-depth and objective coverage of the Denver Broncos. WANT MORE DAILY DENVER BRONCOS CONTENT?For all of the latest Denver Broncos news today -- Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOBroncos?sid=YouTube Locked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNFL Follow on Twitter: @CodyRoarkNFL and @SayreBedingerFollow the show on Twitter: @LockedOnBroncos Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!LinkedInPost your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFL. Terms and conditions apply. FanDuelRight now, new customers can get TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA. Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNFL at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Denver Broncos wide receiver. Troy Franklin is growing more comfortable in his role, going into year two inside of Sean Payton's offense. We'll tell you why Sean Payton is excited about the second year receiver and his connection potentially coming up here with Bonix on today's episode, Locked on Broncos. You are Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. What's up, Broncos country, happy Friday, and welcome into another episode of Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast. part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, where it's your team every day. For all your Broncos news, content coverage analysis, and more, don't forget to become an everydayer. Broncos country, hit that subscribe or that follow button,

wherever you get your podcast or on YouTube. So you never miss out on what's going on with your favorite team, a special shout out to all the everydayers. Thanks for making us your first listen of the day, however you choose to do so. I'm Cody Roark, Broncos reporter for Mile High Sports. You can check out my written work over there daily, milehysports.com. And I'm Sarah Bedinger's side expert at predominantly orange.

You can check out my written work there as well. And make sure look, Broncos country, stay dialed into everything that's going on with your favorite team. We are your hub. We are your go-to. We appreciate you so much here. But here's what you're going to get on today's episode of the show following the Broncos final LOTE practice. We recap the initial thoughts of the day in yesterday's episode. So make sure you go check that out if you haven't done so already.

But we're going to go through why Troy Franklin is impressing Sean Payton here this off season and why he's growing more confident in the role that he's establishing for himself in the offense this upcoming season. We'll also talk about Evan Ingram, why he's excited to be in the Mile High City, things that appealed to him coming to Denver in free agency and what he brings to the table, according to Broncos head coach Sean Payton. And then we're going to talk about why Sean Payton believes that the offensive line is the most crucial element of this entire team, offense, defense, special teams. It permeates the building.

We'll tell you why Sean Payton said that here on today's episode of the show, Sare. Let's dive into it here. Obviously, Troy Franklin has been a talking point here this offseason. one of the more impressive young players that the Broncos do have. You certainly see the intangibles. You see the speed. You see some of the skills that he has.

It never got a chance to really formulate as much in his rookie season because he was buried on the depth chart behind guys like little Jordan Humphrey, Devon Valle, and even Josh Reynolds. So there wasn't necessarily a big need early on to see Troy Franklin. And the opportunities we got to see him, you know, there were some moments, some highs and obviously some low, some drop touchdown passes. But more importantly, you got to see the dynamic there.

according to Sean Payton, we talked to him after Thursday's OTA practice. He said that he's very impressed and he's pleased with what Franklin has done this offseason. So to put himself in the role he's going to be in here in 2025. Which I think is going to be a lot more expansive than we saw last season. Hopefully a lot more opportunities to make plays in space, which I know Sean talked about that as well, Cody. But Troy Franklin has special speed. And he's one of those types of guys that you want to get him the ball however you can. You can threaten a defense deep down field with his.

his vertical speed. And you can also utilize him when just get him, get him the ball and get a little pick route, a little rub route, little mesh concept, get him the ball and just let him work because that's where he's at his best. And I love that he's building confidence this off season. We know it's not the end all.

We've mentioned it before. He switched to number 11. And he posted on his own Instagram, Cody, about how it's just something about being in that number 11. I think that it's just that whole, all right, now this is like my role to take.

I have to go, I'm not just kind of soaking everything up as a rookie. I'm not trying to learn an offense. I'm not just trying to impress this new coaching staff. Now I have sort of an established spot here on this team, and I have to go earn my role. And I think we're starting to hear about, I know there's no pads. You know, you know there's no, it's not like completely physical out there. But Troy Franklin is doing all that he can to impress early on. And he's catching the eye of head coach Sean Payton.

Well, let's take a look at what Sean had to say following OTA practices on Thursday here about Troy. And look, he's been making plays in the practices that us in the media haven't necessarily been able to attend. Out of all the offseason practices, there have been six altogether. We've been able to attend two OTAs out of those six there. And obviously, there's three extra practices with rookie minicamp. We only had access to one of those. Troy obviously was not part of that. But here's what Sean Payton said about Troy Franklin.

There's been, you haven't been able to see all the plays, but there have been a number of explosive plays. He can run. And I would say a strength of his is ball in hand after the catch. You know, he can run after the catch. So he's doing well. And look, Sarah, I think the biggest thing we have to see here from Troy, like what have we been talking about?

Like, yes, we love Troy Franklin on the deep ball, the goal routes, but find a way to get him the ball in space. Like you go back to his time at the University of Oregon, who was his quarterback, who was Bo Nix. We didn't get to see them try to develop. up that same connection that they had at the University of Oregon, whereas I feel like here in 2025, that'll be a major emphasis on those concepts that you mentioned specifically, crossers, mesh concepts, I think just getting him the ball quickly and then letting him do damage and yards

after the catch. Let's go back to that connection because I think some people are saying, wow, they just, you know, they just don't have that connection. They don't have that chemistry. That's a lie. They didn't have the timing down between the two of them at the NFL level. But here's what they did together at the college level. 2022 when Bo Nix first came to the University of Oregon. Troy Franklin had 61 catches for 891 yards, nine touchdowns through the air in 13 games. The next year in Bo Nix and Troy's final season at Oregon,

they had 81 catches combined, both threw him the ball 81 times. He had 81 catches, 1,383 yards, 14 touchdowns overall, and an average depth of target when you're looking at where he was at, yards per catch, 17.1 yards. The 20-22, 14.6. So while obviously the deep ball aspect was there between those guys at the college level, you got to get that timing down at the NFL level. But mainly we saw Troy and Bo connect on 10 to 12-yard crossing routes, you know,

across the middle of the field. Sometimes you'd see some drag routes underneath and then to be yards after the catch. So that's where I think we need to see a little bit more Troy Franklin. I tell you, he's embracing that role. He's very excited. He looks more confident right now than he did last year at this juncture, which is a positive development. That's what you want to see.

I think we'd all be concerned if that wasn't the case. Absolutely. It's easy for people to say, well, it's OTAs. You can't really put too much stock into it. But if we weren't hearing about Troy Franklin, you'd be hearing about it from a lot of the fan base. I'd be saying, this guy's a bus. This guy's not going to play any sort of role for the offense.

And so it's good that we're hearing good things about him and that he's already showing off that explosive ability in practices. and that's one of the things that I think was left behind by Jerry Judy last year, Cody, that got so underrated. Jerry Judy was the Broncos best guy after the catch before he left the team. And that was something that he could do when you get him the ball out in space, you get him the ball on a slant route, you get him the ball on those deep daggers. You know, he could really do some damage after the catch because he's so creative with the ball in his hands.

It's not just about straight line speed, as you've mentioned before. It's how fast can you take the right angle? How fast can you play the game? How can you make guys miss when you're out in space? The Broncos really missed that for the majority of last season until Marvin Mince just absolutely exploded Cody in the second half of the season to lead the team in yards after the catch. I think Troy Franklin has even a little bit more potential there because there's seemingly to me, there's more ways that you can get him the ball, right?

And maybe that's not completely accurate because now we've found creative ways to, you know, Marvin Mims utilize him out of the backfield. things like that. Troy's not necessarily going to be that kind of a guy, but I just feel like he's one of those players. He can create that separation quickly. You can get him the ball on slant routes. You can get him the ball on a curl route and he can juke a guy and make him miss in space. You know, you can get him the ball in the deep daggers, deep downfield. He can make plays after the catch so many other ways besides screen passes and swing passes and things like that. So I just feel like, man, isn't it kind of just bubbling right now? It feels like Troy Franklin is getting ready for that

year two breakout. Yeah, his stock is rising here. And look, there's also something, too, I would love to bring up here to Broncos fans and even just any NFL fan in general. Like, sometimes we get asked in the media, how come you guys always always report on the positive stuff going on at OTAs and you never cover like the negative stuff? There really isn't a lot of negative stuff unless there's something blatant. Like, for example, if Bowdoch is out there and almost every pass he throws is intercepted, tipped, or nearly intercepted, or, you know, a wide receiver has a drop on every single target. You know, that would be something like, you know, they struggle with drops. They had

drops right now in OTAs it's just about building progress where we have a chance now and look our job of the media is to look at everything but for us there's nothing really to be negative about when it comes to OTAs because you don't get the full picture now when training camp comes around that's when we start to evaluate things a little bit more as to like who's really ascending who's struggling who obviously had rough days those get put into context a little bit more because every rep is more meaningful in training camp than it is right now in OTAs or even mandatory minicamp when the pads aren't on. So I think that's something that we have to highlight at this juncture of the off season. Of course, everything right now, there's going to be hype 100%. We're looking at guys who

maybe can become those bigger training camp stories and then it also gives us an idea as to, okay, who didn't have a good offseason program necessarily? And it's not negative, right? Because you could have a negative OTA, but then go on and have a really good training camp. It's all about progression. So we have a baseline here, what we've seen with all these guys. I think that's very important to clarify and put out there right now because I know a lot of people are asking that. I know a good friend Andrew Mason was asked. said on Twitter the other day. I think that was something definitely we should acknowledge, you know, yes, of course, like everything we talk about here on the show, like,

it's not going to be like personal in a sense. Like we're going to be objective. We're going to highlight the positivity because we're also going to look at the good things because that's what Broncos country wants to know about. We'll talk about the things that are negative that are ongoing. We'll look at it from an objective lens. That's our promise to you, the listener here at lockdown Broncos. Make us your go-to source every single day. When it comes to Denver Broncos conversation, we appreciate you here. But obviously, Troy Franklin ascending up here going into a second. season in the NFL, but also we're going to take a look at Evan Ingram, why he was excited to join

the Denver Broncos and what Sean Payton says he brings to the table. We'll break that down here on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. Today's episode of Lockdown Broncos is brought to you by Monarch Money. Ever check your bank account and wonder, where did all my money go, right? I know you and I have both been there, right? Between dining out, online shopping, and entertainment, it's so easy to lose track. And that is where Monarch Money comes in. Monarch Money is your personal CFO giving you full visibility and control over your finances.

And Monarch Money isn't just a budgeting app. It's a complete financial command center. You can track all your accounts, your investments, and all your spending in one place. So you stop just managing your money and you start building wealth. You said it perfectly right there. Why go to all these different apps to try to manage all this when you can get the all-to-one convenience inside the Monarch Money app? Instead of juggling those multiple apps, you can use Monarch to try.

check your finances to track your spending and your habits and even plan your long-term financial goals. So take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code locked on NFL at Monarch money.com for 50% off your first year. That's Monarch Money.com code locked on NFL for half off your first year today. Monarch Money. Evan Ingram was one of the biggest offseason additions made by in my opinion, Cody, any team in the NFL based on what we saw from the Broncos last year. Remember, 188 yards led this team in terms of receiving from the tight end position. 19 catches. Evan Ingram almost set an NFL record with catches at the tight end position just two years ago. And we know now after hearing him at the podium after OTAs that he is excited

about his role in Denver. He's embracing this idea of being the Joker. But he also had another name for himself, Cody, that I thought was really interesting and helps us kind of get even a little bit more excited about Evan Ingram. He called himself the cleaner, right? And he's kind of come in here to Denver. And I think he's going to play such a big role in this offense that it's hard to wrap our brains around at this point in time, you know? And it's something that we didn't see last year with Adam Troutman or Lucas Krull or Nate Adkins or any of these guys. It's going to be very fun to see what Evan Ingram can bring to this offense. I'm fascinated to know. Now you've seen him out there for two practices. What's your general vibe and what you're getting and understanding about,

hey, this guy's, he's going to elevate the level of everybody or like, what are you seeing out there from him so far? I mean, you can definitely see the athleticism with him and the way he moves. And look, I think that there's this hybrid component to him because, yes, he's a tight end, but he's got a receiver skill set when you look at what he can do on the field and where you can play him. That's why Sean Payton brought him in to be the Joker. And look, like there were so many people disputing after he signed. They're like, well, he's not going to be the Joker. He is. He said it. The Broncos have said it. Sean Payton has said it. And obviously, Evan Ingram even went to Greater Link saying, hey, I feel like we have several guys on this

roster that can be the Joker as well. We've got a few jokers. He's being serious about that. There are guys that have specific skill sets, but it's all about earning that role, right? There's so much of a responsibility to take all that onto your plate and to be efficient at it. And I think that's something that Evan Ingram is working. that look this is a guy who's got a really good work at that you can see it on the field and on top of that thing is just a great teammate obviously a veteran guy bringing in a veteran of his stature into the mix i think is a great component especially when you talk about bow nicks and his development and his growth going into year two and everyone was talking about it in the national media about jaden daniels in washington oh you know jaden dan he's got these veteran guys he's got terry mclorne oh you know he's also got another guy oh he's got a veteran tied in and zach ertz and it's like bo necks didn't have that bo necks had courtland sutton but that was it bo necks didn't have none of those veteran security blanket options, whereas you look at a guy like Evan Ingram, he can be that weapon. He can be that move around piece here.

That's what I'm seeing from him. And I know here in a little bit, we're going to get deeper into what appealed him the most about coming to the Mile High City. But here's what Broncos head coach, Sean Payton had to say about what Evan Ingram brings to the table, what you're getting from him as a guy who can run routes and play against any coverage or different looks at defenses may throw at him. And the responsibility he can take onto his plate. No, I think there are nuances that you always discover with a player that whether he's a rookie or he hasn't been with you.

He's got real good instincts, awareness, zone man to man, that kind of thing. He's doing well. He's going to be such an asset to this offense. I think he may have the best hands on the team, Cody, based on what we've seen from him in his NFL career so far. And it's going to be interesting to find out how teams have to, you know, defend the Broncos differently because of Ingram out there. Like Sean said, right there, I mean, he knows how to sit down in zones. He knows how to beat man coverage. He knows how to utilize tempo in his route running.

People always ask, like, what does that mean when you say somebody's a good route runner, things like that? I think it's understanding, not just, hey, I know the route tree in the playbook. It's understanding how to manipulate your defender with the way that you utilize tempo, how quickly you can get. out of your breaks, you know, things like that. And so Evan just, he's a seasoned veteran. And how many times did you and I last year talk about how, man, the Broncos could really use another veteran out there who knows what they're doing to beat these types of coverage, even just to draw attention away from the guys that they, like the young players who

you just want to utilize their raw athletic traits. Ingram was once that guy and he's now developed into a true threat in every sense of the word. Yeah, he's athletic. Yeah, he's got speed. He's got strong hands, though, also, and he can run routes, and he can sit down against his own coverage. He affects the middle of the field. He can do a little bit of everything for you. And I just think that's like our good friend Ryan Edwards said it's going to be the easy button for the Broncos offense.

I think that's a perfect way to describe it. Well, look, here's what Sean Payton is trying to do. You really have to manipulate in today's NFL. If you can't attack the middle of the field, you're limited. That's why so much of Russell Wilson and Denver was limited because Russ was not attacked in the middle of the field. That's never been a really strong component of his game as a quarterback. And that didn't mesh well with the things that Sean Payton wants to do. Like you look at Drew Breeze, Drew Breeze could attack the outside, of course.

He could attack the inside. But Drew Breeze also attacked the middle of the field at a consistent rate. You had guys that could do it. And we have a quarterback who's not afraid of doing that. Like we've seen Bo Nix. I mean, Bo had arguably some of his best passes of his rookie season attacking the middle of the field. The one to Marvin Mims, that was attacking the hatches up the middle. the throw to Devon Veil against the Atlanta Falcons was a dart and a rope across the middle of the field.

That's such an important element in the passing game for Sean Payton's offense specifically, and of course for a lot of offenses in the NFL. But when you get those two high safety looks, if you're not getting a safety that's rolling down, often at times you get those two guys, and let's say they play a cover two man or a cover two or a cover four look where, you know, cover four, you have four guys playing deep, cover two guys playing deep. Cover two man, you have two guys playing deep while everybody on the outside is playing man-to-man coverage so you have safety help over the top. That compresses your deep ball ability in today's NFL.

The way to soften that up is if you have a guy that can move like Evan Ingram does and other tight ends who are really good movers, they don't necessarily have to be burners with speed, but it's can we isolate, can we win this one-on-one matchup against an inside linebacker? The moment you as an offense start attacking an inside linebacker in the passing game with a matchup, it's easy to keep going to. And then it forces your defensive coordinator kind of,

I'm going to cheat the safety down a little bit. We have to change it up. And then that allows for those pop shots there where you're going to get some of those single coverage look, single high safeties, man to man. And it's like, hey, we're going to take a shot right here. It's all about playing chess here. Evan Ingram is that move around piece that gives Sean Payton what he needs for this offense to succeed.

And obviously, I think we're all hoping. Ingram can stay healthy. Players on this offense can stay healthy. That's going to be a major component of it. But Sean Payton, I feel like he has. as his guys where he can finally bring his offensive vision that he's been longing for since 2023 when he first came in where he can bring it to life. He's got a really good nucleus to make that happen. How much better are those receivers going to be, Cody, if defenses start having to cheat

a safety down into the box and affect the middle of the field where Evan Ingram is, you know, basically your easy button in that way. I mean, we didn't get to see a ton of opportunities deep downfield like last year for Devon Valet. And I think that that's going to be an aspect of his game that grows this year. And it all stems from Evan Ingram. How many more one-on-one chances is Cortland Sutton going to get? You know, and if the timing between Troy Franklin and Bo Knicks is better, you know, there's just so many things that it's this spiraling snowball that's going out of control down a mountain. And you can already start to kind of see where Evan Ingram's presence out there. That's why it's so crucial that he stays healthy. I mean,

I know at this time of the year, you're kind of just like in optimism mode and you're sort of dreaming about the best case scenario. And for us, it's like, okay, yeah, the eventual reality of Evan potentially missing time, it could come up. And that's where the Broncos have to have somebody that's ready to step into that spot. But I mean, with him out there on the field, it is going to be such a dramatic. And maybe he's right, Cody. Maybe there's multiple jokers out there.

Maybe RJ Harvey can be another one of those guys for the Broncos to affect the middle of the field and keep that safety creeping up into the box where you can whoop take those little shots over the top to the guys that can affect downfield so well. So Evan Ingram overall, I just, I don't think we can overstate the importance of that offseason addition enough to this team, to the offense and to like you said, to Sean Peyton's vision for that unit. Arguably the biggest off season acquisition. When you talk about a veteran standpoint, I would agree there with Evan Ingram.

And it was nice to hear a kind of little background story about. how he's paid attention to Bo Nix. I mean, I forgot it as well, but he told us that, you know, he said, I was drafted with Davis Webb in New York, you know, so having that connection to Davis, you know, that was big in the recruiting process. He said, but I was also able to watch Bo Nix. You know, he saw him struggle early on, but then once he got it gone, wow, like this was a special player.

And now he gets to work with him. And obviously him coming down on the visit, Bo Nix was here, had lunch with him when he was in his free agency visit. That was a big thing as well. And so the Broncos have a really good locker room. They have a good culture. and that was something that was appealing to Evan Ingram coming to Denver. So that's something the Broncos can continue to build on and use as a selling point.

Even next year's free agency will creep up here once again in the month of March. But Broncos Country, let's know your thoughts on Evan Ingram, what you heard from him. And obviously Thursday's press conference after practice, we like what we're seeing at practice and OTAs from him. But we'll also dive deep into today's episode show. We're not done yet. Broncos Country. Sean Payton told us straight up. The offensive line is so crucial to our entire team and the makeup of who we are.

We'll discuss how that plays into a process, how it's impacted this team from an overall roster building standpoint. You'll get that much more here on today's episode, Locked on Broncos. The game of football is one in between the trenches on the offensive line, defensive line. We've certainly seen that, especially with teams that have won a Super Bowl as of recently. The Broncos did it back in 2015, and Sean Payton is hoping that they can get back to that same level of standard here going forward as he believes she's got the best offensive line group possible to get the job done and how it permeates through the building. We'll discuss that here on today's episode of the show here, Sarah. I mean, obviously, I think right now looking at the offensive line depth, going out there at OTAs, because there's no pads, you get a little bit more of an extended look at those guys when they're working individual drills. And Zach Streif, those guys, there are a lot of offensive linemen on this roster right now.

And obviously, you're returning Garrett Bulls, Mike McGlinchie, Ben Powers, Quinn Miners, who is an all pro and a pro bowl guard there. And then Luke Wattenberg, who Sean Payton is very impressed with and, you know, is looking to take a step forward. here. Sean Pate said something very interesting though after Thursday's practice when he talked about how the offensive line group, it's something that permeates through the entire building. Here's what he had to say. Look, that group played well last year. And it's an important group. It's the one group that permeates your building. And so, yeah, when we watch cutups where there runs that we felt like there were more meat on the bone, yes. and we feel like it's certainly a point of emphasis to improve in that area. Well, the Broncos ranked 21st in the NFL the last two years, Cody and yards per carry.

And I think if you grade out as highly as this offensive line has over the last two seasons, which Sean and George told us earlier this off season, that was one of the highest two graded position groups on the entire roster for them. Man, it's clear that you've got to make a change somewhere else because these guys are getting the job done consistently. Remember when Sean took over Cody and the Broncos spent so much money on the offensive line in free agency and you and I talked about for two straight off seasons with their investments on the offensive and defensive lines. We called that, hey, they're not going to be nearly as bad as people are saying because your team almost like

can't be bad if you're really good on the offensive line or especially if you're good on both the offensive and defensive line. Doesn't matter if you got a rookie quarterback. It doesn't matter if you get the most talented guys. Otherwise, if you win in the trenches in the NFL, man, you're going to keep games tight. And to have the offensive line, the Broncos have had the last two years, how much has that helped in every possible way, right? It is a domino effect. It does permeate the entire building. And their physicality, I think, dictates everything else.

You see the offensive line out there just mauling people. You see Quinn Miners. How inspired are the defensive linemen on this team by, what Quinn Miners does, you don't want to get the same treatment from another O lineman that Quinn Miners is driving dudes, you know, 20 yards down the field and burying them in the ground. That's the type of physicality that just you love to see that from the O line. And it was missing, just drastically missing. Even when Fangio was around, maybe it was a talent thing.

Maybe it was a coaching thing. But, I mean, even with the great Mike Munchak, the Broncos struggled to develop guys on the O line at Zach Streef, Sean Payton, that culture that they've created, it's been awesome to watch. You look at Denver's O-line and you look at their D-line and how good they are. It's the epitome of iron sharpens iron. When you look at those guys on the defensive line, as we know, as talented as they are, Zach Allen, J.FM, DJ Jones, Malcolm Roach, everyone that's getting out of the mixed Nick Minito, Jonathan Cooper, you know, they're going up against that offensive line.

Those guys are getting good looks. They're making each other better. So when you are facing elite level passers, should you have a quarterback who doesn't take sacks like Boe Nicks, that's a great formula for success here. Now, I think some people are wondering, what does it mean? Like, what does Sean mean when he said that the offensive line permeates throughout the building? Sean offered some clarification on what that means because there were some people in the media who were confused about that as well. If you're not real good in the offensive line, you don't know how good you are then in the defensive line.

And then you're not getting the first line of attack. And so when that group is playing at a certain level, then very quickly the defense of, front has to meet that standard or it's not good. And so from a football intelligence, it's probably one of the most important position groups. And so the building, the roster, everything we're doing, it's hard to accomplish when that group is not what it needs to be. hard to evaluate the quarterback, hard to evaluate the receiver because the quarterback's having true. It's hard to evaluate the runner. It's hard to evaluate the coach. You know, so it's extremely important to get that group right. Yeah, I think it's so crucial. And that's why

we've seen throughout his history, Cody. I mean, how many first round picks he used on the offensive line while he was with New Orleans? How much money did they spend? And in Denver, that was the first order of business, right? He gets hired by the Broncos. and you go out into NFL free agency, you slap a bunch of zeros at the end of a contract for Mike McGlinchie, and you do the same for Ben Powers, and you get Lloyd Cushingberry right, and you get him on a big money contract with the Titans, and you give Garrett Bowles a bunch of money, you give Quinn Miners a bunch of money. This is an important, important area for Sean Payton, historically speaking, but also he's right. You can't get a good evaluation on any other position, and how much does that matter for the running back position,

this offseason how the Broncos kind of emphasized that group as well. I think it's just, and it's been so fun to watch those guys develop and be better. And to have that, it's like, man, you know that you have something to lean on every single week. Ideally, his comments were more of an indictment on the running back room than the offensive line room, because as you mentioned with George and what Sean said at the end of the year, but even right there is that they just, you know, what they felt like with some of the runs, they left a lot of meat on the bone.

It was, hey, we, our running backs didn't have the vision to see where. they were supposed to go or they didn't trust her. They were impatient when the offensive line is doing their job. Now, of course, there's going to be times where the O line gets beat, you know, on certain plays. It happens. It's the game of football. But overall, the Broncos offensive line was very dominant, past blocking and also in run blocking. And those holes that were opening up, the backs weren't hitting them.

They weren't seeing them. And that was more of an indictment on the running back room here. And that's why you bring in a guy like RJ Harvey Harvey. That's why you're entertaining bringing in a guy like J.K. Dobbins still very much in the works as a possibility here for the Broncos. I think another big thing here too, Sarah, because I know Broncos countries listen to this. How come J.K. Dobbins left the building without a deal? We saw that happen to Evan Ingram. Of course, you never like to have a prospective addition to your roster leave without a deal,

but it's not like Dobbins is heading elsewhere for a visit right now. I will say this, to my understanding, my own personal belief, the obstacle getting away of J.K. Dobbins signing a deal before he left the building, I think it's predicated on the Broncos looking to sign R.J. Harvey and J. they bear into their rookie deals for strike. You want to get those things taking care of first before you bring anybody else in because once you have those rookie secure, you can figure out what your financial puzzle is going to look like. You can bring in a guy like Dobbins and then you can start to work on extensions for guys like Cortland Sutton, Zach Allen, Nick Bonito,

where they may look like, not saying those extensions are going to get done right away, but it gives your financial picture a little bit more of a clear landing strip a little bit to figure out like, all right, this is what we have to work with. We have to get this amount of money for our guys even though, hey, the rookie cap hits aren't going to be very high, but the overall structure of the deal guaranteed money, those things are very important. And for a guy like Jada Baron, a first round pick, that's not a, there's not like a, you know, hey, you're going to get a very team friendly contract. Your overall cap hit is going to be fine up until you get to that fifth year option.

But the overall guaranteed money and the building of it is the thing that's taking time here. So those guys remain unsigned, even though they have signed player protection injury agreements. So if they were to get injured during any of the mandatory minicamp or OTA practices, They're protected. They're covered financially. So that's obviously a good thing that they're still showing up and participating. Because I know there's some players who haven't signed that are not even participating as well. Congratulations, Cincinnati Bengals.

You guys are master contract negotiators. But anyways, the Broncos don't have to worry about that. And Broncos country, you never have to worry about not getting exclusive Denver Broncos coverage here on lockdown Broncos. So special shout out to all the everydayers. Thanks for tuning in making us your first listen. If you're not getting every day or if you're a brand new viewer or listener and you love today's episode show, join us every day. coming every day or by subscribing or following wherever you get your podcast. But Sarah and I, we're going to continue to preview the off season.

Mandatory minicamp is next week. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. We're going to be at practice. We're going to be able to see the Broncos final touches before they leave for training camp. It's going to be very, very fun. We're excited. Broncos country, stay locked in here on the lockdown Broncos podcast. We'll see you on Monday for a brand new episode of the show.

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