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George Paton seeking 'secret sauce' to help Broncos close the gap
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- George Paton seeking 'secret sauce' to help Broncos close the gap
(Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)
The Denver Broncos made the NFL playoffs in 2024 with a 10-7 record, a sign that the team is trending in the right direction.
Denver still hasn't reached the level of 2025's presumed contenders, though. The Broncos got blown out by the Baltimore Ravens in Week 9, lost to the Kansas City Chiefs ' starters in Week 10, lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17 and got knocked out of the playoffs by the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round.
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So while progress has been made, Denver's roster has not arrived yet. Broncos general manager George Paton knows that, and he aims to find the secret sauce to help the team turn a corner in 2025.
"I think the beauty of — I kind of mentioned it — of going to the playoffs and seeing what it looks like is seeing how close we are or how far we are," Paton said on Jan. 15. "The players —I know felt after the game — that this has to be our standard moving forward. We have to go to the playoffs. You're going to play teams like the Bills, like the Ravens, like the Chiefs. So how do we get there? Really that's our goal this whole offseason — try to find that secret sauce. We need to have another really good offseason, another really good plan. I know we will.
"Sean [Payton], myself, Greg [Penner], the coaches, the scouts, we'll all get together and it starts with evaluating your own team. The determining your needs, your musts, your wants, as Sean talked about. Then you're chasing. You're trying to fill those all offseason. That's how you close the gap.
"Have another good offseason. Keep developing these young players. We're a young team. We have a rookie quarterback... We have a lot going our way. We have $52 million in cap room. We have a great coaching staff. We have I think the best ownership group in the NFL. We have a lot going in our favor."
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With a full selection of draft picks and salary cap space to spare, Denver is well-equipped to make substantial improvements to the roster this offseason. Now it's up to Paton and Co. to identify and bring in the right players to help the Broncos go from playoff fodder to a true AFC contender next season.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: George Paton seeking 'secret sauce' to help Broncos close the gap
