Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton shared some interesting commentary when boasting about the health of his team, some of which felt like a dig at the New Orleans Saints.
The Broncos were one of the healthiest teams in the NFL this season, and Payton rightfully felt proud about that. Payton told Broncos media in his postseason presser, “Once again, the injury data, I think 32 teams, a year ago, we finished first. This year, we’re currently second.”
And Payton gave credit for that to a couple of former Saints staffers, including strength and conditioning coach Dan Dalrymple, who was fired by ex-head coach Dennis Allen shortly after he took the job. Payton continued, “That’s a credit to Beau Lowery (vice president of player health and performance), that’s a credit to the training room, to strength and development, everyone involved. There’s a lot that goes into that.”
Lowery worked with the Saints as an athletic trainer and physical therapist before being promoted to director of rehabilitation and sports medicine from 2011 to 2020, and reunited with Payton in Denver after a two-year stop at LSU. Former players like Scott Shanle and Michael Thomas (citing Drew Brees’ endorsement) vouched for him on social media in response to Payton’s remarks.
Where it got interesting is when Payton addressed teams with injury problems: “If you’re finishing towards the bottom, there’s a lot that goes into that too, and you’ve earned that. … Here’s the thing, you’re also selling to your players. And now your players are wanting to be here for the recovery, they want to be here for the offseason, they want to be here lifting, they want to be here. They’re not all disappearing to the satellite, private workout, expert facilities that are supposedly (better). They’re staying here.”
It’s rare someone tells you you earned your misfortune, but that’s what Payton said. It’s a comment that could make you wonder why he said that, as the answer centered around Denver’s lack of injuries. It was so random it felt direct, and a logical target would be the Saints. Not only are the Saints a logical target, it applies.
Injuries were a defining aspect of New Orleans’ last two seasons. Derek Carr, Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Erik McCoy, Taysom Hill, Marshon Lattimore, while here, and Alvin Kamara were all impacted by injury. That’s only the beginning. Kamara is a high-profile player who trains away from the team in the offseason, but he isn’t the only one choosing to look outside the facility for treatment.
Payton has been known to be petty, so it wouldn’t be out of character for him to take a shot at his former team. Maybe this a bit dog hollering. Either way, the sentiment applies to New Orleans. They’ve got to find a way to shake the injury bug going into 2025. If you go back and watch Payton’s postgame handshake with Allen from early this season, the first thing he tells his successor to do is “Get healthy.” They couldn’t do that, and their season went in the tank soon after.
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