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Sean Payton stood in the center of the locker room, making eye contact with the circle of players around him. It was quiet as he spoke, other than a few, “Yes sirs.” Just nods and focused eyes. Payton has made this speech hundreds of times, but this one carried special meaning.

The Broncos returned to the postseason and several players are reaping recognition in the process. Denver landed three players on the Associated Press’ first-team All-Pro list Friday and had a pair of second-teamers, too. Cornerback Pat Surtain II, right guard Quinn Meinerz and punt returner Marvin Mims Jr. all landed on the AP’s first team, while outside linebacker Nik Bonitto and defensive lineman Zach Allen are second-teamers. Surtain, of course, is one of the front-runners for the NFL’s defensive player of the year award.

Nix and zones may bring Mahomes, but names will never hurt him. “Bo’s used to being the top dog. He’s not intimidated. He thinks he belongs,” David Morris, Bo Nix’s longtime quarterback coach and founder of QB Country, said a few days ago by phone when I asked about Broncos-Bills and Denver’s first playoff game since 2015.

Led by rookie quarterback Bo Nix, the Broncos are back in the playoffs for the first time since Peyton Manning led the team to a Super Bowl 50 win. And for the first time since the Hall of Fame quarterback retired, Denver looks like it has a long-term answer under center. From Trevor Siemian to Case Keenum to Nix, here’s a look at the Broncos’ different quarterbacks during that span, who they are, how they fared in the role and where they are today. Trevor Siemian John Leyba, The Denver PostBroncos quarterback Trevor Siemian (13) throws a pass to running back Devontae Booker (23) during the third quarter on Dec.

Jamar Cain told Nik Bonitto to relax. Sitting at Bonitto’s Florida home during the second round of the 2022 draft, the 6-foot-3 edge rusher was anxious. More than 24 hours into the draft, he still hadn’t heard his name called. Cain, however, sensed good news on the horizon for Bonitto, who he viewed like a son after coaching him for two seasons at Oklahoma. “I was telling everybody, ‘Nik is either going to the 49ers or the Broncos,’ because those were two teams that just kept calling me, like, ‘Hey, tell me about Nik,’” Cain told The Denver Post. As the second round drew to a close, San Francisco took USC outside linebacker Drake Jackson.

As a 17-year-old competing as an amateur in the Israeli Women Basketball Premier League, Lior Garzon offered a glimpse of the collegiate star to come. The CU graduate student, who transferred to Boulder after two years apiece at Villanova and Oklahoma State, played that winter for Maccabi Ra’anana. She averaged double-digit scoring and was named the league’s rookie of the year, a performance that followed Garzon leading Israel to the bronze medal in the FIBA U18 Women’s European Championship. “Once she had a few games in that professional league with double-digit points, playing next to top-level players, and she was already dominant, I already understood then that she was a special talent,” recalled her national team coach, Roie Levin. “Her rebounding, her size, her shooting ability separated her.