Broncos special teams look to finally improve under Sean Payton

Denver’s special teams have been hot garbage the last seven seasons. Is this finally the year that improves?

Good morning, Broncos Country!

The Denver Broncos special teams have been awful since Super Bowl 50.

Much like the franchise, it’s been a seven-year run of hot garbage. It’s been of the few consistent aspects of the Broncos — horrible special teams play.

Sean Payton will ensure that gets fixed.

As an old-school coach who learned under Bill Parcells, Payton knows how vital special teams play is to a team’s success. That’s one of the reasons he has two coaches devoted to special teams for Denver.

The Broncos now have Mike Westhoff (assistant head coach) and Ben Kotwica (special team coordinator) overseeing the special teams. As I joked with Adam Malnati on the Broncos Odds and Endzones podcast, two coaches must make that part of the team better. Right?

But the other aspect is the attention to the returners. This part has been taken for granted the last seven seasons.

Enter Tremon Smith, who was signed as a free agent in March to a two-year contract. Smith is a cornerback/returner, with more of an emphasis on returner. Hence why Payton described Smith as “an elite special team player.”

The Broncos also just drafted Marvin Mims. No doubt a possible deep-threat option for Payton’s offense out of Oklahoma as a receiver, but Mims can also return punts.

It’s likely that Smith will return kickoffs and Mims returns punts.

This kind of focus should no doubt help an area of the Broncos finally improve.

Given the last season seasons, it can’t get much worse.

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