What separates a Super Bowl contender from a team that goes home early? Sometimes, it’s a single player, the one who commands double coverage, demands respect at the line of scrimmage, and tilts the field before a snap is even taken. Sean Payton’s Denver Broncos don’t have that player. And one of football’s sharpest analysts is calling out what head coach Payton’s roster needs the most.

“I think they need a number one,” NFL analyst and former guard Brian Baldinger said on the DNVR Broncos podcast. “You look at Jackson Smith-Njigba, you look at A.J. Brown in Philadelphia, look at what Kansas City didn’t have this year when Rashee Rice was hurt and what they didn’t have at that position, look at how that offense went backwards.”

It’s a damning comparison. When Rice went down, the Kansas City Chiefs looked almost ordinary. Defenses kept pushing KC into a corner, mistakes mounted, and a dynasty built on postseason supremacy was left watching January football from home. That’s what an offense without a true No. 1 receiver looks like.

Denver’s offense ranked 26th in overall receiving grade last season per Pro Football Focus, even with Courtland Sutton posting a 1000-plus yard campaign for Mile High. Speaking about Sutton’s prospect as the WR1, Baldinger didn’t pull any punches either.

“Courtland Sutton, from the moment he came out of SMU, was a good player with a big body, but I don’t think he’s a true number one,” Baldinger said. “I don’t think he’s going to go out there and dominate Sundays.”

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It’s not an indictment of Sutton’s character; rather, Baldinger seems to be pointing at the positional truth. Sutton is best utilized as a WR2: a physical, contested-catch threat who thrives in a supporting role. But Denver’s offense needs someone who forces defenses to game-plan around them. Troy Franklin and the young core show promise, per Baldinger, but promise doesn’t win playoff games.

But the names being floated for WR1 are quite compelling. George Pickens, A.J. Brown, Drake London, Brandon Aiyuk, and Marvin Harrison Jr. have all surfaced as candidates. Additionally, the Broncos enter the offseason with cap space north of $27.4 million (per Over The Cap). That’s enough to be dangerous in the market if general manager George Paton swings boldly.

But finding the right receiver is only half the equation. The other half is building an offense around quarterback Bo Nix that can actually use that weapon. And that means Sean Payton is making structural changes that go far deeper than the depth chart.

A new voice in the huddle: Sean Payton steps back

Sean Payton is already rewiring Denver’s offense from the inside out. And it starts with surrendering one of his most prized possessions: the play-calling headset.

Payton is handing full play-calling duties to newly promoted offensive coordinator Davis Webb for 2026. At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, the head coach explained why.

“Davis Webb is one of those few players who came right from playing to coaching,” Payton explained. “After we interviewed him, I told George Paton we can’t let him leave the building. Called the driver and we hired him right there. He’s gonna be one of those guys.”

The move is quite significant for the Broncos’ 2026 campaign. They dominated the league last season with their defense, but their offense failed to come through at the most crucial moments. Payton has called plays for nearly all of his coaching career. Ceding that control now signals a strong belief in what Webb could do for the team.

“He’s extremely talented,” Payton said of Webb. “With regards to play-calling, I think he’ll be really good at it. I know it’s like, ‘Man, are you going to give up play-calling?’ And I would only do that if I felt like it would help the team.”

“I’ll still be involved in what we do offensively just as much as I am with what we do defensively,” Payton added. “But I do think he has a gift. I think he’s real sharp. I’m glad he’s on our staff.”

The blueprint is slowly taking shape for Mile High. A liberated head coach overseeing the big picture and a rising coordinator running the offense. Furthermore, if Payton and Paton get it right this offseason, they could also have a genuine No. 1 receiver, finally giving Bo Nix the weapon he needs to dominate 2026.