The Sean Payton era in Denver will officially be underway when the team takes the field for their first preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals next week. And it seems like a number of high-profile players including Russell Wilson will be taking the field.
NFL coaches often vary on their plan for the preseason, as some lean towards keeping their players healthy while others want their starters to get meaningful reps in an NFL environment.
It seems like Payton wants to do the latter, as he announced that Wilson and the rest of the starters will be playing in their first preseason game, according to Mike Klis of 104.3 The Fan.
Sean Payton said Russell and the starters will play in preseason opener Friday at Arizona. On 9NEWS. #9sports
— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) August 5, 2023
This decision is certainly interesting, especially after reports emerged earlier this week of an extremely poor practice from the Broncos’ offense earlier this week, particularly from Russell Wilson.
Wilson reportedly threw two interceptions in practice on Thursday, which prompted a response from Sean Payton when asked about it.
“Yeah, no big whoop. He’s doing fine,” Payton said of Wilson’s practice struggles.
While Payton seems confident that the Broncos’ offense will be fine, his decision about the first-team offensive playing in their first preseason game certainly tells another story.
Payton has been largely credited as an offensive guru during his 15-year coaching tenure with the New Orleans Saints. But this stint in Denver may be a bit more of a struggle, and it seems pretty clear that Payton feels this Broncos offense needs as many reps as possible ahead of the regular season.
