Denver Post Broncos writer Parker Gabriel posts his Broncos Mailbag weekly during the season and periodically during the offseason. Click here to submit a question.

It seems to me that six Broncos have a legitimate shot at being selected as All-Pro: Courtland Sutton, Quinn Meinerz, Pat Surtain, Nik Bonitto, Zach Allen and Marvin Mims Jr. I’m sure that’s too optimistic, but who do you think?

— Fred Waiss, Prairie du Chien, Wis.

Hey Fred, thanks for writing.

Yeah, that’s probably optimistic in terms of actual results, but no doubt a bunch of Broncos have put themselves in position to at least be considered for All-Pro honors, Pro Bowl selections, etc.

Surtain is the easiest call, at least to me. He should be a Defensive Player of the Year candidate for his all-around work and that would obviously put him right in the mix for All-Pro, too.

Bonitto and Allen are also among the most productive at their respective positions defensively and each is having the best year of his pro career.

Meinerz got off to a slow start but has been much more dominant since then. He’ll be a regular in these conversations for years to come.

Sutton exits the bye week No. 16 overall in the NFL in receiving yards but obviously on a great run as of late. He’ll need a strong finish to get real All-Pro consideration, but it’s not entirely out of the question.

Mims is third in the NFL in punt return yardage but teams have been careful on kickoffs and, while he’s made some important plays in special teams he hasn’t ripped off a score yet. If he does that down the stretch, he’ll be right back in the mix after All-Pro honors last year as a rookie.

A couple of others who could warrant some consideration: Kicker Wil Lutz and nickel Ja’Quan McMillian. McMillian’s made more splash plays — highlighted by the game-sealing pick-six vs. Cleveland — of late but he helps Denver in a lot of ways in the secondary. He’s had a couple of rough patches and may not end up with big recognition, but certainly, the Broncos appreciate what he brings to the table.

Parker, thanks for your work with the ‘Bag. Now that the Broncos have cut bait with tight end Greg Dulcich, what’s your take on the Broncos’ plans for perhaps their most glaring position of need, tight end? I’m not seeing any real game-changing TEs in the draft, and with the TE position being such a vacuum for the Broncos, it’s obvious a SERIOUS upgrade is needed.

— Will Christensen, Orem, Utah

Hey Will, thanks for writing into the ‘Bag. And no doubt about it. Tight end is high on the to-do list this offseason.

Give Denver credit for this: They’ve figured out a functional mix of Adam Trautman, Lucas Krull and Nate Adkins as the season has gone along. But Sean Payton loves having a matchup problem at that position and at running back and Denver’s got neither at the moment.

There may not be a Brock Bowers-caliber player in the draft — they don’t come around all that often — but there are some interesting guys who will come off the board early.

Michigan’s Colston Loveland and Penn State’s Tyler Warren are both really good players who will garner first-round consideration. A handful of others should be in the Day 2/early Day 3 mix, but one interesting receiving-type is Syracuse’s Oronde Gadsden II. He had 61 catches for 975 yards and six touchdowns in 2022, then missed all but two games in 2023 due to injury. This year he’s got 69 catches for 860 and five touchdowns.

There’s always the trade market and free agency as well, and the Broncos will have more than just a position or two on their needs list, but tight end will be a big one.

Hi Parker, Cody Barton has played well this season and he’s only on a one-year contract. Alex Singleton and Drew Sanders are coming off major injuries. Wouldn’t it make sense to sign Cody to a two-year deal after this season? Do you think that is something the Broncos have in their plans? 

— Jeff, North Salt Lake, Utah

Hey Jeff, good question and thanks for writing. That could end up making sense, as could bringing Barton back on a one-year deal. Singleton will be coming off the ACL, as you noted, and carries a $7.33 million cap number with no guaranteed money in 2025, so he could be a candidate for some kind of action on his contract.

Denver hasn’t put premium draft capital into inside linebacker in recent years — not many teams do, unless there’s a special player available — and even when they drafted Sanders in the third round in 2023 it was with the idea that he could end up inside or on the edge.

Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph had an interesting comment earlier this season about their belief in developing starters at ILB and safety. We’ll see if they can do that with Levelle Bailey and if they end up taking a young guy in the draft. Teams are always looking to get more athletic in the middle of the field and the Broncos should be no exception.

Hi Parker. Help me understand why it took so long to get Levi Wallace out of the game last week.  It was so obvious he needed to get pulled out of the game.  He was getting beat by 5 yards on several occasions.

— Brandon Brown, Rogers, Minn.

What high school does Levi Wallace attend? He’s certainly not a pro football player.

— Ed Schofield, Mesa, Ariz.

Brandon and Ed had similar thoughts from last week’s game, so let’s lump them together. And yeah, Wallace had a bad night at the office. No doubt about it. I was a little surprised they didn’t try a different guy earlier in the game, too. We haven’t actually talked to coordinators or assistant coaches since the Monday night game — that’ll be Thursday — but a couple of thoughts on why: First, Wallace had been solid in his work before Monday night. Also, teams go into a game with a plan and sometimes changing roles mid-stream can be disruptive in its own right. Not to say teams should never do that, but Damarri Mathis, for example, had a specific role and found himself on tight end David Njoku several times on third downs.

All of that said, obviously Jeudy had a field day whenever Surtain wasn’t covering him. Rookie Kris Abrams-Draine was solid when he came in for the final two drives.

If Riley Moss isn’t back out there this weekend against Indianapolis, Denver’s plan at cornerback will be very interesting to follow.

Why do the Broncos continue to run up the middle when it did not work the first time? Can they use a slant or counter play for the run?

— James Jenkins, Mason, Mich.

It seems the Broncos never try running off the left side of the formation. Are Garett Bolles and Ben Powers the reasons why?

— Larry, Canon City

Another set of related questions. Thanks for the notes, James and Larry. The Broncos do run to the right most frequently, but the numbers aren’t overly dramatic. According to Pro Football Focus data, they’ve run 159 times right of center and 138 left of center — not accounting for jet sweeps and quarterback runs.

That’s less an indictment on the left side, I would imagine, and more about Meinerz and Mike McGlinchey being regarded as among the better run-blocking duos in the NFL.

In recent weeks we’ve seen some of the linemen get out in space, whether on outside run or screen game, and that picture looks pretty good. For the most part, though, Denver’s approach to keeping defenses from overplaying the run is more about play-action, RPO and the threat of rookie quarterback Bo Nix running than it is about dialing up a bunch of true counters or misdirection runs.

I’m interested to see what the approach looks like coming out of the bye week with some extra time to drill down on what the offense is currently doing well.

Parker, appreciate your thoughtful Broncos coverage. How much football does a sports reporter have to know, and how did you learn the finer points of the game: On-the-job training, or through other means?

— Jacob Riger, Columbine

Hey Jacob, terrific question. I’ll use football as the example since that’s what I cover.

Generally speaking, I think the answer is the more the better. But you don’t have to watch 40 hours of film a week and be able to take a Payton-esque 15-word play call and diagram it on the grease board to be a good football reporter.

That’s because there’s a lot of other stuff that goes into covering the NFL, for example, than knowing how the quarterback reads a high-low or exactly how the keys change for an inside linebacker depending on formation strength. Not that that stuff isn’t interesting or useful, but it’s not the whole job.

You also should know the ins and outs of the salary cap, the way different types of free agency work, rules on practice squad and injury lists and all kinds of other stuff. And just learning the way particular leagues or organizations work. And how information flows. And how to listen to and talk to people.

In terms of learning, it’s in a lot of different ways. One of the coolest parts of this job is that no matter how much stuff I learn about any of those subjects, most of what I do is talk to people who know a lot more about them than I do.

Here’s one example of many: After the Broncos had that field goal blocked vs. Kansas City, I watched every place kick Denver had taken on the season. The left-side pressure became the thrust of what I wrote about, but another thing that caught my attention was that Denver lines the left side of its starting offensive line up to the right of the long-snapper on place kicks and vice versa. So the five in the middle of the protection unit are like an inverted offensive line. Left to right for Denver, that quintet goes: Mike McGlinchey, Quinn Meinerz, Mitchell Fraboni, Ben Powers and Garett Bolles.

I didn’t know why, so I asked Meinerz about it in the locker room and he explained that it’s about the stance and footwork. The way they protect, the footwork stays the same by switching sides from their normal spots on offense.

If not for this mailbag question I might have never had a reason to write that, but it’s a finer point that you learn as you go.

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Pat Swilling knows what’s coming next. He knows Sean Payton has found the Frank James to his Jesse, the Bonnie to his Clyde. He knows that when he sees Bo Nix, he sees a young man who’ll tear the heart from your chest while wishing you a Merry Christmas.

He knows the AFC is in trouble.

“Let me tell you something: You’re fortunate (in Denver). You’re fortunate,” Swilling, the ex-New Orleans Saints linebacker and five-time Pro Bowler, told me by phone Monday, laughing like a wise uncle.

“Just you wait. Bo Nix will be so much better after this year. And with the (rapport) that he is building with Sean, all of that, I think you guys are just getting started.”

Swilling knows he’s seen this movie before. When he sees the Broncos, 8-5 and a Sunday win against the Colts from sandblasting the franchise’s postseason demons, he sees his beloved Saints from 15-16 years back. When he sees Vance Joseph’s defense, he sees a team too young, and having too much fun, to know that they’re not supposed to be here. He sees an orange and blue version of the brick house Payton and Drew Brees built atop the NFC South, daring the rest of the big bad wolves to blow it down.

“I think Sean sees a little of Brees in him,” Swilling said of Nix. “And I think he thinks he can help him reel it in a little bit. …

“(There’s) going to be a long-standing relationship, I think, between those two. Those two are going to be together for a while.”

Swilling knows a killer coaching job when he sees it. The Broncos opened the season with the 31st-ranked roster in the NFL, according to the wonks at Pro Football Focus. They’re carrying $87.4 million in dead-cap costs ($53 million eaten up by Russell Wilson), per Spotrac. In Nix, they ran out a rookie at QB1 from the jump. Vegas set the preseason over-under at 5.5 wins.

Payton passed that exit three weeks ago by curb-stomping the Falcons. Just like old times.

“They might not make it to a Super Bowl, or win a Super Bowl, this year. But I think in the next year or two, he’s going to have (the Broncos) in a position to do that,” Rickey Jackson, the old Saints’ pass-rushing great and Pro Football Hall of Famer, told me Monday. “I’d give him about three years to do it.”

Even in the AFC West, which is loaded like a Cracker Barrel baked potato? A division that now runs three deep in good coach-QB combinations, with Payton-Nix joining Reid-Mahomes and Harbaugh-Herbert?

“Yeah,” Jackson replied. “You look at Kansas City, they’re beating teams by one or two points. That’s not going to keep happening. … I don’t see anybody dominating everybody. With all those teams, it can go either way on Sundays.”

If it goes the Broncos’ way against Indianapolis this weekend, Payton will have won at least nine games as an NFL coach for the 11th time in 17 seasons.

“Just as a coach, with Sean Payton, you’re supposed to win eight-nine (games), just from his coaching ability. Regardless of who he’s got out there,” Jackson said.

“One thing with Sean, as he showed in the Russell Wilson situation is, he’s going to do it his way. He doesn’t want one man being the team, you know?”

The Broncos opened the season with the youngest roster in the AFC with an average age of 26 years, one month, 19 days, and the third-youngest in the NFL after the Rams and Packers.

If it weren’t for Kevin O’Connell making a Minnesota Miracle out of Sam Darnold and Dan Campbell turning the Lions into a Honolulu Blue killing machine, Payton would’ve wrapped up the NFL’s Coach of the Year honors by now. With a bow.

“And that says a lot about Sean Payton,” Swilling said. “I think it’s his ability to coach, his ability to make good decisions, by getting rid of Wilson and getting rid of some other veterans and bringing in other guys. …

“It’s not just coaching (this year’s) personnel. It was having an idea a year ago, to be able to see where he wanted to be now. He knew where he was going a year ago. … ‘Get me some cap room, give me some room to do some things,’ and look at what’s happened, man. He’s a winner.”

Second verse. Same as the first.

“You know what makes (Payton) go?” Swilling laughed. “Sean Payton is one of the few guys that can command the room. And it doesn’t matter what superstars are in the room, he will jump their (expletives). That’s the difference — that’s what’s missing in today’s sports. Nobody else wants to criticize the superstars. … If you’re on his team, you better come to work every day, because he demands that. I like that about him.”

When it comes to Payton, as Saints fans don paper bags again, a Bayou legend knows this, too. And only too well.

“I know,” Swilling sighed, “that I wish we had him again.”

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The Broncos’ bye week is over.

The stretch run has arrived.

Meaningful December football is back on the Front Range in a big way.

The Broncos come off their rest week squarely in the AFC playoff mix and facing perhaps their most impactful regular-season game since 2016 when they host Indianapolis on Sunday afternoon.

A quick reset: Denver is tied with Baltimore and the Los Angeles Chargers at 8-5 heading into the final four weeks. Sean Payton’s team has a loss on its books to each of those teams already and faces the Chargers again a week from Thursday in Los Angeles.

Because of those losses, the Broncos are in the No. 7 slot currently. And though they’re two games clear in the loss column of the Colts and Miami (each 6-7), this weekend sets up major ramifications.

The Dolphins have been rolling, reeling off four wins in their past five thanks to a resurgent offense and a red-hot Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback. They may need to win their final four to make it, which is a tall task but not impossible.

The Colts, meanwhile, have Denver’s more immediate attention. The head-to-head matchup Sunday essentially counts double.

“This is as late of a bye that I’ve been a part of, and yet I think it fell at a good time,” Payton said Monday. “We have a good month of football ahead of us here that’s going to be — obviously all of those games are going to be important.

“You want to be as healthy as possible and as rested as possible, but it starts with the game this week at home.”

Both Indy and Denver are coming off their bye weeks into the stretch run.

“That’s what you work for is games like this. Games that matter,” Denver running back Jaleel McLaughlin said Monday. “I just feel like this team is ready. That’ll be on display for sure.”

The New York Times’ playoff probability model shows just how critical the matchup is.

Here are three sets of odds according to the simulation.

Current playoff chances: Broncos 70%, Colts 26%

If Denver wins Sunday: Broncos 87%, Colts 8%

If Denver loses Sunday: Broncos 39%, Colts 68%

So, it’s not a true elimination game for Denver, but the team’s playoff fortunes will either be crystalized or get murky in a hurry depending on the outcome.

“For us, we’ve just been handling every game and focusing on that week,” Broncos defensive lineman Zach Allen said. “We’ve got a really good opponent this week, so we’ve got to make sure we’re prepared. Obviously coming off the bye week, the bodies are feeling good. I know they just came off their bye week. It will be a good matchup, and we’re really excited about just trying to get our next win.”

After Sunday, the Broncos have tough back-to-back road games at the Chargers and Cincinnati (Dec. 28 or 29) before finishing at home against Kansas City.

That leaves multiple paths to 10 wins, but none more straightforward than getting No. 9 against the Colts.

“I know what this team is capable of, and it’s great for that to be on display with wins,” McLaughlin said. “I just think it’s expected. We’re going to keep working hard, take it one game at a time and we’re focused on Indy this week. It should be a great game. It’s fun. It’s great. We’ve got a great group.”

Reynolds did “a great job.” Payton on Monday spoke for the first time since the team waived veteran receiver Josh Reynolds almost a week ago.

Reynolds played in the first five games for Denver this season but broke his finger and needed surgery after a touchdown grab against Las Vegas in October.

“From a roster management standpoint with Josh, it just became a numbers game,” Payton said. “He’s done a great job. We would have liked to have been able to keep him, but as guys got healthy and came back from injured reserve, we had to have space.

“Some of the younger guys have been playing well. I wish him the best. He’s one of those guys that helped us get to where we’re at right now.”

While on injured reserve, he sustained “minor” injuries when shot twice in what the Denver district attorney’s office called a coordinated attack against him and two others.

Reynolds was claimed by Jacksonville on Wednesday but did not play in the Jaguars’ win Sunday against Tennessee.

Broncos work out CB. The Broncos worked out veteran cornerback Jerry Jacobs on Monday, a source confirmed to The Post.

Jacobs, 27, played 40 games for Detroit between 2021 and ’23. He spent part of training camp with the Los Angeles Rams but was waived injured due to a groin issue in August. He hasn’t signed with a team since but has been healthy and working out for teams in recent weeks.

Denver has a practice squad spot open after losing ILB Kwon Alexander to Detroit late last month.

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Full disclosure: The football guys in the Grading The Week offices liked Tim Patrick. A lot. Liked talking to him, liked watching him play, liked seeing that he was healthy again.

Lukewarm take: All that being said, the Broncos might’ve done the right thing for the franchise by moving on from him.

And the right thing for Patrick, too.

Much as it pains us.

Hindsight is 20/20 during a bye weekend, and we need something to get chippy about with Thanksgiving finally in the rear-view mirror and the Broncos on a well-deserved break.

But we’re done arguing about Devaughn Vele vs. Patrick on the Broncos roster. Sean Payton’s gotten arguably the same production, if not better, from a player in Vele who’s the same body type (6-foot-5, 210) but who’s also five years younger and a whole heck of a lot cheaper.

Vele’s been one of the sweeter revelations of a pretty sweet last two months in Broncos Country. Over the Broncos’ last eight games (Denver’s 5-3 in those tilts), the former Utah star is averaging four catches for 43 yards with two drops and 19 first downs. The chemistry he’s building with fellow rookie Bo Nix is palpable, the kind of trust that’s made him a viable, if not particularly sexy, WR2.

Vele’s given the Broncos starting production at a bargain rate (average annual salary: $1.03 million). Given the dead cap money left behind in the Russell Wilson breakup, you have to hit on a few of those guys, and the Broncos have hit on five or six.

Ex-Broncos receivers — A (Just not for Broncos Country)

Jerry Jeudy breaks a Broncos (opponent) record on Monday Night Football. Tim Patrick dices the Packers on Thursday Night Football. Talk about happy divorces.

That said, GTW is always happy to see TP make it big on the big stage up in Detroit. The Lions were already fun, fast and nasty, and his size and sure hands have proven to be one of the missing pieces on a roster that isn’t missing a whole lot of them right now. (One GTW wisecracker was at that brutal Lions-Broncos game last December and still can’t get Detroit’s weird, weak, ear-wormy fight song out of his head.)

In Patrick’s last three games with the Motor City Kitties, he’s logged 12 catches, 146 yards, 10 first downs and two scores — both coming against Green Bay on Thursday in a 34-31 Lions win.

The Broncos could use that kind of help, and that kind of veteran savvy in the red zone. But not urgently. One of the singular joys of the last five or six weeks has been seeing Nix and the baby Broncos build their relationships, and confidence, in real time. The WR room at Dove Valley is painfully young — but it’s no longer painful to watch.

So, yeah. If it comes down to Patrick or Vele, the Broncos went cheap and landed a winning lottery ticket while becoming one of the surprise packages in the AFC this fall. TP is staring at home field advantage in the NFC Playoffs and a front-row seat on a Super Bowl contender. We’ll concede to George Paton and Payton there. Happily.

Although, when it comes to a question of Lil’Jordan Humphrey or Patrick, give us the latter. All day long.

CSU volleyball’s journey  — A

The Rams’ first NCAA volleyball tourney ride in five years came to an end Friday at the hands of Texas A&M, but that shouldn’t dilute the journey. A belated GTW tip of the cap to coach Emily Kohan for the program’s first Mountain West championship sweep — regular season and conference tournament — since 2011. Fort Fun is even more fun when the trophy case needs new shelves.

Sean Payton didn’t listen to the critics in 2006 when he inherited a Saints team that went 3-13 the previous year and then led them to an NFC title game.

Nearly two decades later, Payton still doesn’t entertain the outside noise.

Entering his second season as Denver’s head coach, Payton knew the challenge that awaited him. The Broncos released Russell Wilson and swallowed more than half of his $85 million dead cap hit. Safety Justin Simmons, the team’s respected leader, was let go. Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy was sent to Cleveland. And there wasn’t much cap space to fill in the blanks.

But what appeared to be a rebuild with Vegas projecting Denver’s win total at 5.5 has instead turned into a rebirth. With rookie quarterback Bo Nix and a host of unproven players thrust into key roles, Payton has returned Denver to its winning ways, and he didn’t have to wait 2-3 years to do so.

“I don’t have time to spend time on that, nor do I wish to spend time on that. I understand they have a job to do and where we are selected,” Payton said during the first week of training camp. “None of that means anything. It’s stuff to talk about when the media cycle is quiet. We will get ready to play. We expect to compete and expect to win.”

Through 13 games, the Broncos have defied expectations. At 8-5, Denver sits in seventh place in the AFC with a 73% chance of making the postseason, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats’ Playoff Probability model.

Nix has played himself into the Offensive Rookie of the Year conservation after a rocky start. The former Oregon QB has thrown for 2,458 yards, 17 touchdowns and four interceptions with an 8-3 record since Week 3. Meanwhile, Denver’s defense has turned into a juggernaut, with players like outside linebacker Nik Bonitto becoming a household name.

With four games left in the regular season, here’s what we’ve learned about the Broncos thus far:

Nix, Payton are perfect match

The first two weeks were rough, as Nix threw four interceptions and the Broncos relied heavily on the short passing game, with 67.5% of his pass attempts going fewer than 10 air yards.

But as Nix has improved, Payton’s trust in his quarterback has strengthened, leading him to open up the playbook. Through Weeks 1-9, Denver used motion on 29% of dropbacks. Since then, the Broncos have motioned on 47% of dropbacks, according to Next Gen Stats. Nix has completed 46 of 68 passes for 459 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions when Denver uses motion in the last four games.

The trust between Payton and Nix was also telling against the Browns when Nix averaged a season-high 12.5 air yards per attempt, completing 6 of 14 passes downfield (10+ air yards) for 196 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions, according to Next Gen Stats.

In the Broncos’ last 11 games, their passing game is 14th in yards (2,491), 12th in total EPA (15.2) and tied for 10th in EPA per dropback (0.04). Nix has thrown the ball for 10-plus air yards on 33% of his attempts. He has a passer rating of 113 on throws of 20-plus air yards during this span.

As the Broncos’ passing attack has made strides, its has been able to put points on the board. Denver has averaged 25.4 points since Week 3 and has scored more than 25 points in five of its last seven games.

 Moss is quality CB2

Though Riley Moss hardly played as a rookie, Payton believed that he could be a quality outside cornerback in the NFL. The former Iowa standout’s speed and athleticism were noticeable during training camp, and those traits have translated into the regular season.

Moss’ emergence as CB2, opposite star cornerback Pat Surtain II, has been critical. Moss has allowed 595 yards, two touchdowns and a passer rating of 89.4 on 78 targets — third-most in the league. He also has an interception and eight passes defended in 12 starts.

Moss has proven to be difficult to create separation against. He has forced a tight window (less than 1 yard of separation) on 29.5% of his targets — the ninth-best percentage in the league with a minimum of 300 coverage snaps, according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats. Surtain is third at 35.9%.

Moss’ value was magnified during Week 13’s win over the Browns. While he was sidelined with a knee injury, the Broncos gave up 475 passing yards — the second-most allowed by any team in a game this season. Veteran cornerback Levi Wallace, who filled in for Moss, was picked apart, giving up six catches for 151 yards, a touchdown and a passer rating of 137.5.

Denver still needs playmaking TE

The Greg Dulcich experiment didn’t go as planned.

Dulcich caught five passes for 28 yards in four games played before being a healthy scratch for nine straight contests and eventually waived. Now, the Broncos are back to square one.

This season, Denver’s tight ends have combined for 34 catches, 356 yards and three touchdowns on 53 targets. While the group has a chance to finish with better numbers than last year (39 receptions, 362 yards, four TDs), nobody has emerged as a consistent threat. Adam Trautman (nine receptions, 158 yards) had four catches for 84 yards and a touchdown against Carolina in October but has totaled 41 yards on five catches in the following five games. Lucas Krull (13 catches, 120 yards) has averaged 13.3 yards per game. And it doesn’t get any better after that.

Adding a tight end will likely be near the top of Denver’s to-do list this offseason. Looking ahead, New Orleans’ Juwan Johnson (30 catches, 313 yards, two TDs) and the New York Jets’ Tyler Conklin (33 catches, 284 yards, two TDs) are among the top unrestricted free agents in 2025. Meanwhile, Penn State tight Tyler Warren, who has 81 catches for 978 yards and six touchdowns, is worth monitoring.

Surtain II has DPOY case

After Surtain became one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in league history, he took his game to another level.

Surtain has 31 tackles, three interceptions (one pick-6) and nine passes defended. He has given up a 60.5 passer rating when targeted — fourth among cornerbacks with at least 300 coverage snaps, according to Next Gen Stats.

Surtain was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Month for November after not allowing a touchdown as the nearest defender in four games — and is likely in the Defensive Player of the Year discussion.

The former Alabama standout has matched up against the opponent’s best pass catcher every week. In Week 3’s win against Tampa Bay, he lined up against Mike Evans on 24 routes, allowing just one catch for eight yards. Against Kansas City in Week 13, he gave up two catches for 13 yards when facing DeAndre Hopkins. And when the Broncos played the Raiders on the road, Surtain lined up against rookie tight end Brock Bowers six times, allowing one catch for 9 yards on four targets. Surtain has given up 207 receiving yards — the fewest among cornerbacks with a minimum of 300 coverage snaps, according to Next Gen Stats.

Surtain’s resume is good enough to be considered for the award and he might not be the only Bronco.

Nik Bonitto has stated his case all season but needed the national spotlight to make everyone else aware. The third-year edge rusher recorded a sack and a pick-6 in Denver’s thrilling win over Cleveland on Monday Night Football.

Following Denver’s eighth win of the year, Bonitto is second in the league in sacks (11), a half of a sack below NFL leader Trey Hendrickson of Cincinnati. He also has 43 pressures and has recorded at least four in a game five times.

With five sacks in his last four games, the former Oklahoma standout just might make a strong closing argument.

Broncos face dilemma with Bolles

Garett Bolles’ performance this fall is making the Broncos’ decision this offseason even tougher.

Bolles, who is in the final year of a four-year, $68 million deal, has a projected market value of two years, $39.3 million, with an average salary of $19.64 million, according to Spotrac. And his production thus far could command such a deal.

In 476 pass-blocking snaps, Bolles has given up one sack, 24 pressures and a pressure rate of 5%. He has only eight pressures and no sacks in the last five games. He is the only left tackle in the league who has given up one sack with a minimum of 350 pass-blocking snaps, according to Next Gen Stats. He also has a one-on-one win rate of 81.3% — 12th among his position group.

Bolles anchors one of the best offensive lines in the league — one that has allowed the fourth-lowest pressure rate at 27.4%.

At the same time, Bolles is 32 and Denver could use the draft to get younger at left tackle. Payton hasn’t been afraid of moving on from veterans. But If Bolles continues to produce at a high level, it will be difficult to let him walk.

Joseph could be in line for interviews

Denver’s emergence as one of the best defenses in the league could have defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s name featured in the head coaching carousel this offseason.

After the Broncos ranked 30th in yards allowed last season, they jumped up to ninth (315.7) in 2024. Denver was ranked as high as third in total defense before giving up 552 yards against the Browns.

Perhaps the biggest area of improvement is Denver’s pass rush. The Broncos are first in sacks (47) and pressures (212) after finishing 22nd in both categories last year. Players have lauded Joseph’s aggressive scheme because everyone eats. Denver has 12 players with at least one sack, including five with at least five sacks.

Denver’s pass-rush success goes hand-in-hand with the unit’s stout run defense. With the help of new additions up front like defensive linemen John Franklin-Myers and Malcolm Roach, Denver is sixth in rushing yards allowed per game (94.7) and fourth in yards per carry (3.8). In 2023, Denver was 30th in yards allowed per game (137.1) and last in yards per carry (five).

Chicago, New Orleans and the New York Jets have already fired their head coaches. Las Vegas could also open up if the organization moves on from Antonio Pierce, who has guided the Raiders to a 2-10 record in his first full season at the helm.

Joseph’s first crack at being a head coach didn’t go as planned. He went 11-21 in two seasons as the Broncos’ coach before getting fired. However, there have been numerous instances where a team hired a coach after a rough tenure at the previous spot. Perhaps Joseph is the next?

Broncos’ RB rotation too big

Denver’s three running back rotation of Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime has been based on whoever has the hot hand.

McLaughlin has been the most productive out of the three recently, rushing for 128 yards on 21 carries in the last two games. The second-year running back had his best game vs. Cleveland, totaling 84 yards on 14 carries.

Entering the final stretch, the Broncos could lean on McLaughlin and Estime as their one-two punch. Williams has had an up-and-down year, rushing for 446 yards and four touchdowns on 124 carries. He is in the midst of another rough stretch with 59 yards and two touchdowns in the last four games.

He has a success rate (percentage of carries resulting in positive EPA) of 33.1 while averaging 3.6 yards per carry in 13 games, according to Next Gen Stats.

McLaughlin and Estime have each shown positive signs, but they need more opportunities. McLaughlin has 11 explosive runs (attempts for 10-plus yards) — the same number as Williams despite 44 fewer carries. He also has a success rate of 47.5%. In 41 carries, Estime has 191 yards, 4.7 yards per attempt and five explosive runs. He has a success rate of 36.6%.

Vele turning into draft-day steal

The emergence of rookie wideout Devaughn Vele made the Broncos’ decision to waive veteran Josh Reynolds much easier this week.

Vele could go down as one of the draft’s bigger steals. The seventh-round pick has 33 catches for 377 yards (ninth among rookie wide receivers) and a touchdown on 45 targets. He has a passer rating of 105.5 when targeted — third-best among rookie receivers with a minimum of 40 targets, according to Next Gen Stats.

Payton has been impressed with Vele’s ability to catch the ball in traffic. He has 13 receptions for 162 on 16 targets with 1-3 yards of separation. And Nix has a passer rating of 126 when targeting Vele on third down.

Denver’s receiving corps isn’t a finished product. But Courtland Sutton becoming a true No. 1 target and Vele’s productive first season provide optimism moving forward.

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By MARK LONG

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Josh Reynolds was ready for another change of scenery after getting shot in Denver in mid-October.

The Jaguars (2-10) claimed Reynolds off waivers from the Broncos on Wednesday, adding the journeyman to help offset season-ending injuries to Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis. The 29-year-old Reynolds missed the last eight games, with the bulk of those coming after the shooting.

“Yeah, man, one of them things I had rather put behind me,” Reynolds said following practice Friday, his first public comments since the incident. “But I mean anybody going through that, man, it is a crazy ordeal. But, hey, I’m here now. I’m in sunny Florida. I’m just blessed to be here.”

Reynolds and another man were shot as they drove from a strip club in the early morning hours of Oct. 18, about the time the Broncos were returning from a 33-10 win at New Orleans.

Denver police arrested two men in connection with the shooting, which involved at least 30 rounds getting fired into the vehicle carrying Reynolds and his companions. The men have been charged with six counts of attempted murder, assault and other felonies.

Reynolds was shot once in his left arm and once in the back of his head.

“Was tough for a few weeks, but I had a good support system behind me,” Reynolds said. “A lot of the organization over there was helping me out a lot, so they made it easier for me to kind of transition through that whole process.”

His mom was there, too, taking off work to be with him on weekends.

“She’s always been a big part of my life,” Reynolds said. “Always been in my corner whenever she can. It’s been awesome to have her traveling and just seeing her at my games, man. It’s awesome.”

Reynolds has 12 receptions for 183 yards and a touchdown this season. He has 232 catches for 3,116 yards and 20 scores in eight NFL seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, Detroit, Tennessee and Denver. He signed a two-year, $9 million contract with the Broncos in 2024.

“You put on the tape, he’s obviously been in a couple of spots, and he’s been a guy that’s a bigger, taller, athletic receiver,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said. “Again, gives us depth where we’re obviously missing Christian and Gabe. Definitely gives us something that we can continue to develop that room, I think.

“It helps us in the way that we’re trying to win these games. We’re trying to go out and play well, and he gives us an opportunity to do that. So, we’re excited to get him going a little bit and see how he can help.”

The Jaguars play at Tennessee (3-9) on Sunday.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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Courtland Sutton stood at his locker Monday night and lavished praise on his former teammate.

Cleveland receiver Jerry Jeudy had just gone nuclear on the Broncos to the tune of 235 yards and a touchdown, though Sutton got the last laugh in a 41-32 Denver win.

“He shined really bright when the lights were the brightest,” Sutton said of Jeudy. “He did his part to help his team be successful, and it just came a little bit short. Seeing him have the success that he had today was heartwarming.”

Jeudy, as it happens could easily have been justified in saying something similar about Sutton.

The Broncos’ top receiver didn’t put up eye-popping numbers and didn’t find the end zone, but his fingerprints were all over Denver’s offensive outing.

Sutton finished with six catches and 102 yards. Four of the grabs went for third-down conversions, all on scoring drives that ended in a pair of touchdowns and a fourth-quarter, go-ahead field goal.

Basically, he did what he’s been doing for several weeks now: played like a true No. 1 receiver for rookie quarterback Bo Nix.

“He practices every day extremely hard,” Nix said in the lead-up to the game against Cleveland. “He’s out here practicing like it is a playoff game or it’s the Super Bowl. He gets every rep — he hates missing a rep. He hates having to sub in and out, but that’s just him.

“When we get into a game, I know he’s going to be in. I know he’s going to take the rep. I know we’ve gotten that rep during practice, so I have all the confidence in the world throwing it to him.”

It’s shown over the past six weeks.

Sutton in that span has 42 catches (57 targets) for 569 yards and three touchdowns. Over a 17-game season, that’s a 1,611-yard pace. On the season, he’s up to 846 yards, which is good for No. 10 in the NFL and is already the best mark for Sutton in a season since his breakout, pre-injury 1,116-yard 2019 season.

Perhaps even more impressive in this six-game run is Sutton’s work on third downs. He’s caught 21 of 23 targets for 297 yards and 18 conversions, including a 32-yard touchdown at Kansas City. That’s as close to automatic as you’ll find in the NFL.

Good players get on hot streaks — Jeudy’s remarkably similar six-game run at the end of 2022 (37 catches, 523 yards, three TDs) in Denver looked like his ascent into the pass-catching stratosphere, but it didn’t carry over to 2023.

This current run for Sutton, though, feels at the very least like an unlocking.

Head coach Sean Payton’s figured out more and more how to feature him. Sutton’s built a good rapport with Nix, who looks like Denver’s long-term answer at quarterback. And he’s playing, really for the first time in his career, for the same offensive braintrust for a second straight season. Sutton played for offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur in 2020 and 2021 but missed nearly all of 2020 with a knee injury.

All of that adds up to make this the best rhythm of Sutton’s career and a flow that seems, at least generally speaking, sustainable.

It also adds up to dollars now and in the future for the former second-round pick out of SMU.

Sutton’s already cashed his end of $1 million in incentives added to his contract this summer. The Broncos only need to finish ahead of last year in either scoring or yards per passing attempt for him to get the money, and they’re tracking toward doing both — and he’ll hit another $500,000 if he gets to 1,065 receiving yards. He’s on track for 1,106. If he plays the final four at the same clip as his past six, he’d finish at 1,223.

It’s not a secret that the Broncos went into the season feeling like one of the items on their roster-building project was to find a No. 1 receiver. If this run doesn’t convince the Broncos that the 29-year-old can be it, at least for the next couple of seasons, then nothing likely will.

Sutton is one of a bunch of Broncos who have turned in good seasons at important points in their careers and probably made themselves a lot of money in the process.

Jonathon Cooper’s already earned a big extension. Nik Bonitto’s price tag goes up by the day. Impending free agents like left tackle Garett Bolles and defensive tackle D.J. Jones are still quality players who should have healthy markets this spring if they’re not re-signed by then.

Sutton’s under contract through 2025, though with a cap hit of $20.2 million.

When the Broncos restructured his deal and added up to $1.7 million in incentives instead of extending him before the season, they left themselves with options about whether to offer a true contract extension or part ways with the veteran receiver after this season.

That looked like good business then and it still does now, but Sutton’s play the past six games looks like that of a receiver worthy of being Nix’s go-to target well into the future.

Sutton can seal that deal by keeping up this run the next four games and into the postseason.

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Courtland Sutton stood at his locker Monday night and lavished praise on his former teammate.

Cleveland receiver Jerry Jeudy had just gone nuclear on the Broncos to the tune of 235 yards and a touchdown, though Sutton got the last laugh in a 41-32 Denver win.

“He shined really bright when the lights were the brightest,” Sutton said of Jeudy. “He did his part to help his team be successful, and it just came a little bit short. Seeing him have the success that he had today was heartwarming.”

Jeudy, as it happens, could easily have been justified in saying something similar about Sutton.

The Broncos’ top receiver didn’t put up eye-popping numbers and didn’t find the end zone, but his fingerprints were all over Denver’s offensive outing.

Sutton finished with six catches and 102 yards. Four of the grabs went for third-down conversions, all on scoring drives that ended in a pair of touchdowns and a fourth-quarter, go-ahead field goal.

Basically, he did what he’s been doing for several weeks now: He played like a true No. 1 receiver for rookie quarterback Bo Nix.

“He practices every day extremely hard,” Nix said in the lead-up to the game against Cleveland. “He’s out here practicing like it is a playoff game or it’s the Super Bowl. He gets every rep — he hates missing a rep. He hates having to sub in and out, but that’s just him.

“When we get into a game, I know he’s going to be in. I know he’s going to take the rep. I know we’ve gotten that rep during practice, so I have all the confidence in the world throwing it to him.”

It’s shown over the past six weeks.

Sutton in that span has 42 catches (57 targets) for 569 yards and three touchdowns. Over a 17-game season, that’s a 1,611-yard pace. On the season, he’s up to 846 yards, which is good for No. 10 in the NFL and is already the best mark for Sutton in a season since his breakout, pre-injury 1,116-yard 2019 season.

Perhaps even more impressive in this six-game run is Sutton’s work on third downs. He’s caught 21 of 23 targets for 297 yards and 18 conversions, including a 32-yard touchdown at Kansas City. That’s as close to automatic as you’ll find in the NFL.

Good players get on hot streaks. Jeudy’s remarkably similar six-game run at the end of 2022 (37 catches, 523 yards, three TDs) in Denver looked like his ascent into the pass-catching stratosphere, but it didn’t carry over to 2023.

This current run for Sutton, though, feels at the very least like an unlocking.

Head coach Sean Payton’s figured out more and more how to feature him. Sutton’s built a good rapport with Nix, who looks like Denver’s long-term answer at quarterback. And he’s playing, really for the first time in his career, for the same offensive braintrust for a second straight season. Sutton played for offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur in 2020 and 2021 but missed nearly all of 2020 with a knee injury.

All of that adds up to make this the best rhythm of Sutton’s career and a flow that seems sustainable.

It also adds up to dollars now and in the future for the 2018 second-round pick out of SMU.

Sutton’s already cashed in his end of $1 million in incentives added to his contract this summer. The Broncos only need to finish ahead of last year in either scoring or yards per passing attempt for him to get the money, and they’re tracking toward doing both — and he’ll hit another $500,000 if he gets to 1,065 receiving yards. He’s on track for 1,106. If he plays the final four at the same clip as his past six, he’d finish at 1,223.

It’s not a secret that the Broncos went into the season feeling like one of the items on their roster-building project was to find a No. 1 receiver. If this run doesn’t convince the Broncos that the 29-year-old can be it, at least for the next couple of seasons, then nothing likely will.

Sutton is one of a bunch of Broncos who have turned in good seasons at important points in their careers and probably made themselves a lot of money in the process.

Jonathon Cooper’s already earned a big extension. Nik Bonitto’s price tag goes up by the day. Impending free agents like left tackle Garett Bolles and defensive tackle D.J. Jones are still quality players who should have healthy markets this spring if they’re not re-signed by then.

Sutton’s under contract through 2025, though with a cap hit of $20.2 million.

When the Broncos restructured his deal and added up to $1.7 million in incentives instead of extending him before the season, they left themselves with options about whether to offer a true contract extension or part ways with the veteran receiver after this season.

That looked like good business then and it still does now, but Sutton’s play the past six games looks like that of a receiver worthy of being Nix’s go-to target well into the future.

Sutton can seal that deal by keeping up this run the next four games and into the postseason.

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Around the AFC

Hit hard: There is no defense for how Houston linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair laid out sliding Jacksonville QB Trevor Lawrence last week. It’s why he was immediately ejected. And it’s why, on top of previous transgressions that included punching a helmeted Cincinnati player, he was suspended three games. After the suspension, Al-Shaair took to social media to declare in all-caps, “If you want me to be your villain, I’ll be your villain!” along with a middle finger emoji and pictures of the Joker and his My Cause, My Cleats support of Palestine. The obvious implication is that his suspension had more to do with his off-the-field views than his on-the-field hits. Our viewpoint: If Al-Shaair doesn’t want to get suspended, he should stop delivering Chuck Cecil-style hits in NFL games. Problem solved.

Play to win: On the opposite end of the suspension spectrum is Ravens receiver Diontae Johnson, who was suspended by his own team for … refusing to go into Baltimore’s game against Philadelphia!? Not to state the obvious here, but maybe that’s sort of what Johnson wants given that he … refused to go into Baltimore’s game against Philadelphia!? At the heart of the dispute appears to be a lack of playing time for Johnson, who’s been on the field for just 39 snaps since the Ravens acquired him from Carolina for a sixth-round pick, according to ESPN. So, to sum things up: A player peeved about a lack of playing time actively turned down playing time, leading to the team denying him playing time. What fun.

Hoodie goes Heel?: This technically isn’t AFC or even NFL news, but we couldn’t resist commenting on a report that former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has spoken with North Carolina about its head football coach opening. This means the Tar Heels are considering replacing 73-year-old Mack Brown with a 72-year-old NFL lifer with about as much charisma as a bag of unsalted potato chips. We’re on to Wake Forest!

Around the NFC

Campbell’s coup: Why do we love Dan Campbell? The fiery postgame speeches? Of course. The promises of knee cap biting? No doubt. But more than anything, it’s calls like the one he made Thursday against the Packers when the Lions head coach opted to go for it on fourth-and-inches while already in field goal range with less than a minute left in a tie game. Detroit converted with a run up the gut, then won the game on a last-second field goal. Nine times of 10, NFL head coaches take the points and hope their defense shuts the door. Broncos head coach Sean Payton faced a similar decision last week and opted to kick a field goal. But Campbell loves to roll the dice, sometimes to his detriment (see: 2024 NFC Championship). And that’s the kind of good, ol’ plain fun we’re here for.

Fare thee well, C-Mac: Sometimes, it just isn’t your year. San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey said as much in an Instagram post after suffering a season-ending injury in the Buffalo snow last Sunday night. An MVP candidate a year ago, the Valor Christian product will appear in just four games in the 2024 season due to a series of injuries — an unkind cut coming in the NFL’s Year of the Running Back. Throughout a sterling NFL career that’s included two All-Pro selections and last year’s AP Offensive Player of the Year award, the only thing that’s slowed McCaffrey down has been his health. Here’s hoping that takes a turn for the better in 2025.

ROY race: The NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year race has turned into a two-man tussle between Broncos quarterback Bo Nix and Commanders signal caller Jayden Daniels. After wobbling a bit over three straight losses, Daniels regained his footing last Sunday with 206 yards, three TDs and one interception in a win over Tennessee. With both of their teams sitting at 8-5 entering their bye week, Nix has a slight edge in passing yards (2,842-2,819) and passing TDs (17-15), while Daniels has a better QB rating (99.4-87.9) and more rushing yards (590-304). Translation: This could be a photo finish.

Game of the Week

L.A. Chargers at Kansas City

How long can Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs keep dodging bullets? A week ago, it was the Raiders’ turn to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, with Las Vegas botching a snap well within range of a game-winning field goal attempt in the closing moments of their Black Friday showdown at Arrowhead. Now it’s the Chargers’ turn to find a way to squander a sure-fire win. And if there’s any franchise that knows how to do that, it’s the Bolts.

Chiefs 20, Chargers 18

Lock of the Week

Carolina at Philadelphia

You know who suddenly looks frisky? The Carolina Panthers and former NFL draft bust Bryce Young. The 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick has thrown for 561 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions in a pair of narrow home losses to Kansas City and Tampa Bay. Now the Panthers head to the City of Brotherly Love as 13.5-point underdogs to the red-hot Eagles. Do we want a piece of that action? No, we want all of it.

Eagles 28, Panthers 24

Upset of the Week

Atlanta at Minnesota

A week after throwing four interceptions in an all-time dud against the Chargers, QB Kirk Cousins returns to his old Minnesota stomping grounds as a 5.5-point road ‘dog. It’s been a month since Cousins last threw a touchdown pass — a three-game span that’s also seen Atlanta lose three straight and relinquish a commanding lead in the lowly NFC South. Can the 36-year-old gunslinger rediscover his mojo against a salty Vikings defense? We say yes. We like that.

Falcons 24, Vikings 20

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