ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — A championship-caliber team possesses certain traits.
"You have to play good defense to be one of those teams," said Head Coach Sean Payton on Wednesday following the Broncos' initial training camp acclimation practice. "You have to be able to get good quarterback play. I think you have to be good in the offensive and defensive line. And I think you have to be well-coached."
Payton identified those keys as he was asked to evaluate the 2026 Broncos' capability of making a run toward a championship — and he believes the Broncos check the proverbial boxes.
"I think we're all of the above," Payton said.
The Broncos' goals reflect that understanding, as Payton said this year's group has high standards for the season.
"Certainly, this is a team that has expectations of playing in the postseason," Payton said. "And yet, there's still that journey that starts again."
That journey, Payton said, means that he hasn't "stood up there with a Lombardi Trophy yet and said, 'Hey…' Not yet.'" The championship expectations also aren't a daily point of conversation, as Payton has turned the team's attention to the smaller focuses that lead to success.
Among those keys: Avoiding the number of one-score games in which the Broncos found themselves a year ago. Payton, who has raised the point on several occasions this offseason, reinforced the sentiment that Denver cannot rely on winning another 11 one-score games in 2026.
"Where are these areas that [are], 'Hey, let's not kid ourselves, we have to improve in these specific areas,'" Payton said. "The best way to get better in those one-score games is find your way [to] not [be] in as many. I mean that. I don't want to chase that [11-of-]13 again. You'd like to not be in as many."
Payton said the Broncos' initial team meeting of training camp centered on that sort of message, rather than a declaration of its championship goals.
And while Denver returns a number of players from a team that advanced to the AFC Championship Game a year ago, Payton also said he feels a sense of newness entering a new season.
"I feel like there's a lot of new faces," Payton said. "There's new coaches. There's a lot of turnover. It is — and I think you are all aware of it — it's a flip the board game over, flip it back [and begin again]. Now, you hope you're ready to attack the season as well. It starts anew. There's nothing promised — having won however many games — for the following year, regardless of the percentage of people that are back or people that aren't back."
As the Broncos begin their first season in the new Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit, Payton said he also reminded his players of what's important as the team approaches a new season.
"I said this yesterday in our first team meeting: 'Don't ever lose track of the facility and who's in the facility. And who's in the facility is the most important thing,'" Payton said. "There's been a ton of teams in fancy new gigs who haven't been to the postseason in quite a while. Let's not lose track of what's in the facility. That [former] facility's won a ton of games. I mean, long before we ever arrived. This one, we'll write its story."
That story has great potential, as Payton expressed confidence in his team when asked if this year's roster profiled as one of the groups in his career in which he saw Super Bowl potential.
"This is one of them," Payton said.
