Latest news with #GeorgePaton
USA Today
16-05-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Broncos announce 2 hires and 9 title changes in scouting department
Broncos announce 2 hires and 9 title changes in scouting department And just like that, the Denver Broncos' personnel department is set. Broncos general manager George Paton lost assistant general manager Darren Mougey, V.P. of football operations Mark Thewes, college scouting director Brian Stark, national scout Rob Paton and senior personnel executive David Shaw this offseason. Through two outside hires and nine in-house promotions/title changes, Paton has now replaced those departures. The first known addition was Cam Williams as a co-director of player personnel. He spent the last decade with the New England Patriots. The second outside hire was Jordon Dizon as director of pro personnel. Dizon is returning to Denver after three years with the Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots. Following the announcement of the new hires and the title changes for in-house staffers, here's a look at the team's updated scouting department ahead of the 2025 NFL season. Bold signifies a new title or new hire. Broncos scouting department George Paton, General Manager Reed Burckhardt, Assistant General Manager Cody Rager, Vice President of Player Personnel A.J. Durso, Co-Director of Player Personnel Cam Williams , Co-Director of Player Personnel , Jordon Dizon , Director of Pro Personnel , Roman Phifer, Senior Personnel Executive Bryan Chesin, Director of College Scouting Pat Walsh, Pro Scout Ish Seisay, Midwest Area/International Scout Ty Murphy, Pro Scout Nick Schiralli, Senior Personnel Executive Sae Woon Jo, Western National Scout Eugene Armstrong, Southeast Area Scout Dave Bratten, Assistant Director of College Scouting Scott DiStefano, Senior College Scout Chaz McKenzie, Northeast Area Scout Deon Randall, National Scout Roya Burton, Player Personnel Coordinator/Scout DiStefano is the personnel department's longest-tenured employee, entering his 45th year with the Broncos. Up next are Bratten (27th year), Armstrong (19th), Schiralli (18th), Durso (13th), Chesin (12th) and Walsh (10th). Related: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Broncos Promote Reed Burckhardt to Assistant GM Amid Departure of Darren Mougey
The Denver Broncos have a strong two-headed leadership group between head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton. The two have been collaborating on building the Broncos roster, and have done so with the help of various assistants and team personnel. According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated on Twitter/X, the Broncos made some key changes to the front office. The Broncos promoted director of player personnel Reed Burckhardt to assistant general manager. The assistant general manager spot opened up when Darren Mougey joined the New York Jets to be their new general manager. While the Broncos lost a talented individual in Mougey, they promoted one of their own to a key spot in the front office. Advertisement Burckhardt and Paton have been connected in their NFL tenures for a long time. The two spent 16 years together, including over a decade with the Minnesota Vikings. When Paton joined the Broncos organization in 2022, Burckhardt came with him. Denver Broncos general manager George Paton speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Lee-Imagn Images The promotion of Burckhardt isn't the only front office move the Broncos made recently. They also added Cam Williams to become the Co-Director of Player Personnel after a decade with the New England Patriots as the Director of College Scouting. Both Williams and Burckhardt earned promotions, though they came from different backgrounds. In a post on Twitter/X about the recent Broncos promotions, Zac Stevens of DNVR Sports teased that there are more front office moves to come. While teams making changes to their front office is typically associated with poor performances, the Broncos situation is the opposite. With their personnel being picked up by other organizations, the Broncos front office is evidently on the right track. Advertisement Teams like the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs have routinely had their front office personnel poached, and the Broncos have joined that group. A strong organization is important to team success, and the Broncos front office being poached is a great sign that the Broncos are doing things right. The Broncos have made a few changes amid key departures in their front office. While there is reportedly more changes to come, the Broncos front office shuffling is a great sign for future success as the Broncos look to compete with the Chiefs for the AFC West. Related: Chris Harris Jr. Sends Message to Broncos First-Round Pick Related: Broncos Trade Idea Lands Disgruntled 77 Sack Edge Rusher
New York Times
11-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Broncos' RJ Harvey eager to make a needed ‘immediate impact' on run game
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The jump cut was sharper than a cleaver. It left Jahdae Barron grabbing for air and searching for an answer. So the Denver Broncos' first-round pick stood on the seat of an empty locker after Saturday's rookie minicamp practice and hoisted himself above a crowd of media members gathered around rookie running back RJ Harvey. Barron turned on his phone's camera, waited for an opening and lobbed a query of his own at his new teammate. Advertisement 'Why did you juke Jahdae today with that move at practice?' Barron asked. When the Broncos selected Harvey with the 60th pick in last month's draft, coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton were asked to project Harvey's potential impact as a pass catcher after being used relatively little in that role at Central Florida. They were questioned about the running back's blocking ability. Payton on Saturday was even asked whether Harvey, a high school quarterback who attempted four passes during his college career, could be used as a passer in a trick-play package. 'You can sell me on anything,' Payton responded, 'but I'm focusing on the runner right now.' To see the 5-foot-8, 208-pound rookie nimbly and powerfully make cuts during Saturday's practice was to be reminded that the Broncos drafted Harvey to run the ball and run it well. The Broncos have not had a running back produce a 100-yard game since Payton became the head coach in 2023. The team has not produced a 1,000-yard rusher in a season since Phillip Lindsay in 2019. Beyond being a stranger to those milestones, the Broncos simply have not been able to consistently enforce their will with the running game when it matters most. The lackluster performance during Denver's 31-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills, when the team's running backs gained only 35 rushing yards on 11 carries, serves as the most glaring example. RJ Harvey and the Broncos just wrapped up their second practice in a 3-day rookie minicamp. — Nick Kosmider (@NickKosmider) May 10, 2025 Harvey plans to be part of a quick fix. 'I want to make an immediate impact in this league,' he said. 'I want to be like those guys. Darren Sproles, he went crazy with the Saints; (Alvin) Kamara, too. I want to be better than those guys, so I'm going to work every day to get better and just prove myself to all the vets and the coaches.' Advertisement Harvey will be used in the passing game more than during his college career, a process that began this week as he drilled choice routes and wheels out of the backfield. Harvey sat with Payton before minicamp began Friday and watched film of Sproles and Kamara doing damage with those schemes. It's an area of his game he is eager to expand, and he looked natural while catching all three wheel routes thrown his way Saturday. 'We didn't run a lot of routes at UCF, so it's something to get better at,' Harvey said. 'And I'm going to get better at it.' Harvey will also be used in pass protection, occasionally asked to stonewall a linebacker trying to make a beeline to quarterback Bo Nix. But Payton stressed that the Broncos won't pile too much onto Harvey's plate too soon. In 2024, for example, rookie Audric Estimé was asked to pass block on only eight of the 134 offensive snaps he played, according to TruMedia. 'I know the question: 'Is he a three-down back?'' Payton said. 'Well, he's going to play on third down. But he can play on third down where the tight end is in protection. There's a lot we can do relative to really suiting his strengths. It would happen with Darren (Sproles) where every once in a while you might get matched up on NaVorro Bowman or Patrick Willis, but I'm not going to get in a habit of doing that. But if you look at (Harvey's) stature, he's put together pretty well. There's a difference between a small runner and short runner. We're not interested in the small runners, but we're OK with the short runners.' The third-down responsibilities will take time to master. There is no one screaming through the 'A' gap to block during padless practices in May, after all. Harvey said his top focus right now is absorbing the playbook and getting acclimated to Denver altitude that is a mile higher — and thinner — than that of Orlando, Fla. Advertisement 'I'm getting adjusted to it. It's been a little tough, but I've been getting through it,' Harvey said. 'Everybody has said it'll take about a week or two to get used to it, so I'll be fine.' Harvey revealed Saturday that he had the Broncos circled as a preferred destination in the draft. The biggest reason? 'Bo Nix,' the running back said. 'I love how he plays.' Harvey was coached at Central Florida by Gus Malzahn, who previously coached Nix for two seasons at Auburn. Harvey heard from Denver's second-year quarterback immediately after being drafted and the two have been in constant communication since. 'He's a competitor. He's just like me. I've got that quarterback mentality and mindset, as well,' Harvey said. 'I just want to win and dominate every play. He's just like that.' Harvey and Nix will get on the field together for the first time later this month when the veterans and rookies begin OTA practices. Harvey will be a target for a quarterback who threw 116 passes to running backs last year, watering a route tree that will grow throughout the summer. He'll spend the upcoming weeks studying pass-blocking tape so that he can buy his quarterback an extra second when the pressure comes fast. But the best way Harvey can help relieve some of Nix's burden is to keep running jukes like the one he used to slip out of Barron's reach Saturday. 'Why did you do that?' Barron repeated above the crowd of reporters circling around Harvey. Harvey laughed, then shot back his response: 'I had to get that first round.' • Linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who suffered a quad strain while working out on his own last month, will be a full participant in training camp when it begins at the end of July. • Payton had a glowing review of Barron's first two days of work at minicamp: 'I would say (he is) exactly what we saw on tape: smart, savvy. If you're watching closely, some people transition and stop very quickly. He has really quick twitch; he's sticky in coverage. I think he's one of those players that already, at a young age, understands splits. I worry sometimes with the corners that if you're defending every route, you're defending no route. He's really savvy as to a tight split, he eliminates 80 percent of what could be run. You feel a veteran player.'
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Report: Broncos having discussions on Nik Bonitto extension
When Broncos General Manager George Paton spoke to reporters at the end of the team's season, he said they hoped to have edge rusher Nik Bonitto in Denver for the long term but that there had not been any conversations about a new deal. Those conversations have reportedly started. Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette reports that the team has started having discussions about an extension for a player coming off a breakout 2024 season. Advertisement Bonitto went from 1.5 sacks as a rookie to eight in his second season and then took another jump to 13.5 sacks as the Broncos advanced to the playoffs. The 2022 second-round pick also returned an interception 71 yards for a touchdown on his way to being voted a second-team All-Pro. Per the report, Bonitto is looking for more than $20 million a season and the question for the rest of the offseason will be whether the Broncos meet that number or if they wait to see how Year Four plays out before locking up Bonitto.
NBC Sports
07-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Report: Broncos having discussions on Nik Bonitto extension
When Broncos General Manager George Paton spoke to reporters at the end of the team's season, he said they hoped to have edge rusher Nik Bonitto in Denver for the long term but that there had not been any conversations about a new deal. Those conversations have reportedly started. Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette reports that the team has started having discussions about an extension for a player coming off a breakout 2024 season. Bonitto went from 1.5 sacks as a rookie to eight in his second season and then took another jump to 13.5 sacks as the Broncos advanced to the playoffs. The 2022 second-round pick also returned an interception 71 yards for a touchdown on his way to being voted a second-team All-Pro. Per the report, Bonitto is looking for more than $20 million a season and the question for the rest of the offseason will be whether the Broncos meet that number or if they wait to see how Year Four plays out before locking up Bonitto.
