Broncos S Talanoa Hufanga Shares First Impression of HC Sean Payton

New Denver Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga brings some old-fashioned thump to the back end of the defense. Hufanga also adds vital playoff and Super Bowl experience to defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s unit. 

Signing Hufanga to a lucrative three-year deal worth up to $45 million is not without some inherent risk, though, mostly because of the unfortunate injury issues that have dogged the former All-Pro.
Honestly, assuaging those fears will take time, and the Broncos could use a little luck if things are going to work out over the long haul.  

In the meantime, Hufanga is discovering how good it is to have veteran head coach Sean Payton steering the ship forward. 

"So far, one word that comes to mind is just very diligent," Hufanga told NFL Network. "He's very smart when it comes to—he has all the nicks and the knacks and understands, he's seen a lot of ball. Just coming out there and just giving me little tidbits, and stuff that I just haven't heard in my career. And try and take that in and go out there and apply it to my game in the best way possible to help us win." 

While the quality of Denver's head coach is always likely to impress a veteran like Hufanga, on the flip side, leaving behind a battle-tested Super Bowl quarterback in Brock Purdy couldn't have been easy. 

Nevertheless, and without wishing to slander Purdy in any kind of way, the presence of emerging second-year quarterback Bo Nix under center made Denver a prime destination for Hufanga when he got to test free agency. It's been a recurring theme throughout the offseason how rookies and veterans alike have been drawn toward the prospect of becoming a Nix teammate. 

But here is where the real intrigue begins to build. Hufanga is now learning firsthand that his new signal-caller has a lot going for himself. 

"Great leaders—both quarterbacks," Hufanga said over Nix and Purdy. "It's tough. Everybody wants to [ask], is he better? Is it this, that? It's not a comparison game, I'm blessed to just be part of a new team. Be around a quarterback that just goes out there and works every day. Bo is a guy who is first in, last out, shows up, first in line. I think that's one of the things in even conditioning drills, he's first in line. He's running down the field, he's leading the pack. You just want that as a quarterback. To be that leader, especially for a guy that's young going into his second year. Really taking command of the team, it's super exciting. And he's teaching me, I'm a guy that's—I'm trying to give him the best look I can on defense, but he's showing me some really good stuff so far during OTAs as a quarterback in his second year." 

Hitting the learning curve doesn't stop there for Hufanga. In reigning Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II, Hufanga is seeing a master technician at work. 

"I'm definitely learning. Watching him, I've studied a lot of tape on him to begin with. Just what he does on the field is unbelievable," Hufanga said. "He shuts down a whole entire side, and that just makes your job easier and makes the other guys on the team easier. And for me, you just want to go out there and make Pat go do it again. I want him to be another Defensive Player of the Year, and what can I do to make him, put him in the best spots to show something else in the disguise, and make sure that he gets the pick, and make sure he ends up in the end zone if I can get a block... I love playing with guys like that, and we've got a bunch of dogs, so it's not just Pat. There's a bunch of guys out there that can play for sure."