The Denver Broncos feel they have one of the best coaches in the NFL. Broncos Country would be inclined to agree. And heading into the 2026 season, CBS Sports is on board with that notion as well.
Zachary Pereles, on behalf of CBS Sports, put together a list ranking the top 10 head coaches in the NFL. Payton comes in the No. 5 slot. Interestingly, the top three on the list are all coaches in the NFC West, and the next two (Andy Reid and Payton) coach in the AFC West.
These rankings were developed by 10 experts who each made a top 10 list, with 10 points going to the coach at No. 1, nine points to No. 2, and so on. Payton ended up with 58 total points, which is a big drop from Reid, who had 80 points.
"There is a steep drop-off here, and Payton
is in fifth," Pereles wrote for CBS Sports. "But it's a pretty remarkable rise for Payton regardless. The offensive guru navigated the financially unprecedented release of Russell Wilson and took the Broncos to the playoffs each of the last two seasons anyway. Last year, they were likely a horribly unlucky Bo Nix ankle injury away from going to the Super Bowl. Payton has a .630 career winning percentage and has won 13 or more games five times, including a career-high 14 last year."
Broncos have 5th-best coach in the NFL, according to CBS
This is a fair spot for Payton. You have to put him behind Reid, who is one of the best coaches in NFL history. It's debatable whether Kyle Shanahan, Mike MacDonald and Sean McVay are the three best current coaches, but each has a strong argument.
McVay is generally considered one of the top minds in the game; MacDonald won the Super Bowl last season and Shanahan continues to find a way to compete despite having to deal with an inordinate number of injuries.
However, Payton still has a great chance to do something no head coach in NFL history has ever done — win a Super Bowl with two different franchises. Several coaches have made it to Super Bowls with more than one team (including Reid), but no head coach has won a title with two squads.
Payton could make history in 2026.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: See where CBS ranked Sean Payton among NFL’s best head coaches
