Kiszla: Biggest upgrade for the Broncos in 2021? George Paton replacing John Elway as general manager

At the time, it didn’t feel like a revival.

Broncos Country mourned, shedding tears with linebacker Von Miller as he departed in a trade to the Los Angeles Rams, leaving the only NFL team he had ever known.

At the time, with the Broncos facing collapse for the sixth season in a row, the man that dared to trade Miller was unpopular in Colorado, even under the roof of his own home.

“I have a son. He didn’t appreciate that we traded Von Miller. He’s still not talking to me,” admitted Broncos general manager George Paton, barely 24 hours after trading Miller.

It didn’t seem like a moment of revival at the time. It felt more like the burial of another lost season for a franchise in disarray, with it difficult to tell who would be the quarterback, the coach, and the owner of the Broncos in 2022.

But know what? It turned out trading Miller, a stellar pass-rusher in decline, was a masterstroke by Paton.

One day short of five weeks since he swapped the Vonster for future draft choices, the Broncos awake in Kansas City, playing the hated Chiefs on “Sunday Night Football,” with first place in the AFC West on the line.

“I honestly think it was like a kick in the butt,” said Denver linebacker Bradley Chubb, who has seen reinvigorated teammates climb back in the playoff race by compiling a 3-1 record since Miller played his last snap for the team in late October.

Paton, the rookie G.M. that stepped into the long shadow of John Elway when replacing him in the front office, is beginning to look like a legitimate candidate for NFL executive of the year.

The best reason to believe a return to championship greatness might finally be within sight is the work Paton has done since being hired by the Broncos in January. In less than one year, he has driven a defeatist vibe from the locker room, with moves as carefully calculated as the shocking trade of Miller, which put players on notice.

“Might have some guys around here that got a little comfortable,” Chubb said. “When you see a guy like Von Miller get traded, you’re like, “Oh, we can trade anybody around here.’ That’s one of the best players to come through Denver. When we traded him, it gave everybody that sense of urgency. Nobody’s job is safe.”

Although the Broncos enter this game against Kansas City as 9.5-point underdogs, they have a plan to end an 11-game losing streak against the Chiefs. Horde the football with rookie running back Javonte Williams, who is expected to make the first start of his career. Make it difficult for K.C. to score against a secondary built to slow down quarterback Patrick Mahomes that features rookie cornerback Pat Surtain II, selected ninth overall by Paton over ballyhooed quarterback prospects Justin Fields and Mac Jones.

“We’re thrilled to have him,” coach Vic Fangio said of Surtain.

Hall of Fame cornerback Champ Bailey taught me the top way a pro football team improves during the course of a season is through the maturation of its young players. “I agree with that idea,” Fangio said. “And we have a lot of young players.”

Four Broncos rookies will start in Kansas City. While the game plan figures to feature Williams and Surtain in key roles, it’s worth noting guard Quinn Meinerz has stepped in to re-fortify a hurting offensive line and inside linebacker Baron Browning has contributed to the defense’s improved play since Miller’s departure.

Defensive coordinator Ed Donatell said Browning brings the speed and explosion that conveniently counters  K.C. offense’s most dangerous traits, while Fangio is impressed by Meinerz keeping his head while holding his own physically in the nasty fray of the trenches.

While it’s too early to issue final grades for the 2021 draft, the early returns suggest Paton’s first draft in Denver was deeper and stronger than any of the 10 compiled by Elway when he served as the team’s primary architect.

Paton has also proved to be a smart shopper in the trade market. Teddy Bridgewater, whose 98.9 quarterback rating is higher this season than the 94.7 mark of Mahomes, was obtained at the bargain price of a sixth-round draft choice. After Denver lost inside linebackers Josey Jewell and Alexander Johnson to injuries, the midseason acquisition of veteran Kenny Young from the Rams has been a steal.

A little more than a month ago, when he traded Miller for second-and third-round draft choices in 2022, Paton was accused of waving the white flag.

“This is not a fire sale,” Paton insisted after dealing Miller. “We believe in these guys.”

Well, do you now believe the team’s future is in good hands with this general manager?

And, just maybe, the Broncos might be close enough to becoming a legit championship contender to grab the attention of an accomplished NFL quarterback searching for a place to write Chapter 2 in a Hall of Fame career.

Paton has rolled up his sleeves and worked at revitalizing Denver as a destination city in this league.

Think maybe Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers has noticed?

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