George Paton, Broncos general manager, is Denver's biggest turnaround

George Paton should have been fired .

Now, he deserves his flowers .

Of all the stunning improvements experienced by the Broncos over the past two seasons, one transformation has gone largely unnoticed. It doesn’t involve a player, like Jonathon Cooper . Or a formerly embattled coach, like defensive coordinator Vance Joseph .

It is the remarkable rebound by Paton. You remember him? He was John Elway’s handpicked general manager in 2021 . He hired Nathaniel Hackett and traded for Russell Wilson — two of the biggest embarrassments in Broncos history.

Because of the worst things that happened, Paton has stitched together Denver’s best roster since 2016.

So, as this team embraces Super Bowl expectations, it is time to thank Paton.

Seriously.

When the Broncos collapsed into cha