Sean Payton and Taysom Hill have been linked for years, and now the Denver Broncos are openly looking at the possibility of running that pairing back.
Payton told NFL Network that Denver will explore bringing in Hill, the longtime New Orleans Saints tight end/offensive weapon who said he would not be returning to New Orleans for his 10th NFL season. Once that news hit, the Broncos immediately became the obvious team to watch, given how many former Saints Payton has already brought with him since taking over in Denver in 2023.
The connection is easy to see. Payton helped turn Hill into one of the league’s most unusual and valuable chess pieces during his Saints tenure, and Denver has already shown a clear appetite for familiar faces from New Orleans. That background is why Hill’s name has kept circling back to the Broncos whenever his future has come up.
Hill’s résumé explains the interest. He has 45 career rushing and receiving touchdowns, 12 career passing touchdowns, and 489 career kickoff return yards. Over the course of his Saints career, he logged more than 2,500 offensive snaps and more than 1,200 special teams snaps, a workload that speaks to just how many jobs he’s handled.
That versatility is exactly what makes him worth a look in Denver. Hill wouldn’t be brought in to be a centerpiece of the offense at this stage. The fit is more specific than that: depth at tight end, a special teams option, and a short-yardage weapon who can give the Broncos something extra in the right spots.
He may not be the same player he once was, but the logic is straightforward. This is a staff that already knows how to use him, and if Hill is going to keep playing in 2026, the Broncos are one of the few teams where the move makes complete sense.
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Hakeem Butler Is Giving Broncos Fans A Roster Battle To Watch
Hakeem Butler has given Broncos training camp an early jolt, flashing the kind of downfield ability that can turn a practice rep into a talking point. The wide receiver came to Denver after a standout run in the UFL and arrived with some NFL pedigree too, having once been a fourth-round pick by the Cardinals. For a team always looking for cheap upside at receiver, Butlers size and playmaking have made him one of the more interesting names on the field.
The challenge, of course, is that Denvers receiver room is crowded enough that impressive moments only go so far. Butler is trying to force his way into a rotation that already has established competition, and the first days of camp are really about putting his name in the conversation. For now, he has done that much, and the rest of August will decide whether those flashes become something more than a camp story. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Fans Can See The Stefon Diggs Debate Coming
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Even so, the Stefon Diggs conversation is already starting to take shape around the team. Diggs is still available in free agency, and the appeal for Denver is obvious: he would add another proven target and potentially keep a high-end receiver from landing with an AFC West rival. Whether the Broncos are actually in on him or just watching the market closely, it is the sort of debate that is going to linger until the roster picture becomes clearer. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Add A New Cornerback As Camp Competition Heats Up
With training camp approaching, the Broncos are still making small but meaningful moves to shore up the back end of the roster. Denver added cornerback Sam Webb, bringing in a defender with previous NFL stops in Cleveland, Las Vegas, Carolina and Tennessee as the team looks to sort out its depth before the competition really ramps up.
Blake Cottons time in the mix is ending almost as quickly, with the rookie cornerback headed for a waiver move tied to an injury settlement. It leaves the Broncos continuing to churn the position group, a reminder that camp battles often start well before the first practice in pads and can change in a hurry once injuries enter the picture. [Read more 🡒]