Call them the sweet 16.

Football sure has gotten sweeter for these guys.

On the Broncos’ 53-man roster, there are 16 holdovers from before Sean Payton took over as head coach in 2023. Before his arrival, none had ever made it to the playoffs or even had a winning season with Denver.

But the Broncos steadily have been built up since Payton’s arrival, going 8-9 in 2023 and 10-7 last season. The latter resulted in their first winning record since 2016 and first playoff berth since they won Super Bowl 50 in the 2015 season.

Now, entering Sunday’s opener against Tennessee at Empower Field at Mile High, expectations are high for the Broncos. Payton, who won Super Bowl XLIV with New Orleans in the 2009 season, has said he has a team capable of making a run to the Super Bowl LX.

“With change

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