Out of all the teams in the NFL, the Denver Broncos' first-stringers may be the most susceptible to depth chart changes heading into the 2023 NFL season, as tight end Greg Dulcich and strong safety Kareem Jackson may already be finding out. While nothing is official yet, a large part of those changes can be attributed to the Broncos having a new coach in Sean Payton.

The former New Orleans Saints coach has been vocal about how disastrous last season was under head coach Nathaniel Hackett, as he told Jarrett Bell of USA Today Sports.

“It might have been one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL,” Payton said. “That’s how bad it was.”

Sean Payton's biggest personnel changes may appear on the offensive side of the ball, where he's renowned for building high-powered offenses. Through one preseason game, we've already received a small glimpse of the changes that could be coming to the Broncos' depth chart.

TE Greg Dulcich/TE Adam Trautman

Greg Dulcich was one of the lone offensive bright spots for the Broncos in a lost season, tallying 33 receptions for 411 yards and two scores in his rookie campaign. While it's rare for rookie tight ends to make a big impact in their first years, Dulcich flashed plenty of potential as a pass catcher and appeared to be locked into a starting spot heading into the offseason.

But Payton brought some familiar faces with him from his New Orleans days to Denver, and the Broncos coveted veteran Adam Trautman enough to trade back in the draft with the Saints to acquire him. Payton explained exactly why he wanted Trautman (again) to Sports Illustrated:

“He's clean with great makeup and great character,” Payton said of Trautman. “We felt this was one of the needs for us coming in. We couldn't force that. When we pass that little area or sweet spot of tight ends and maybe drafted another player yesterday, this kind of came up and we both felt like flipping picks. All of a sudden, we’re getting a player that we have a clear vision for… He’s coming in with his versatility as a blocker, but then as a receiver.”

Run blocking is clear priority for the Broncos, as the offseason signing of tight end and blocking specialist Chris Manhertz demonstrated. To be consistently on the field in Payton's offense, run blocking for Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine is going to be absolutely necessary.

That's bad news for Dulcich, who graded out terribly in the run game (71st out of 72 according to Pro Football Focus) as a rookie and essentially served as a big slot receiver.

Greg Dulcich will have to get significantly better in that area — and fast — or else Sean Payton can easily start two hand-picked tight ends from this offseason ahead of him.  The usage from the first preseason game shows that Dulcich has his work cut out for him to retain a starting position on the Broncos' depth chart.

While unofficial depth charts don't always mean much and can be used as a motivational tactic, Trautman being listed ahead of Dulcich could definitely be real.

SS Kareem Jackson/SS Caden Sterns

Kareem Jackson, 35, started in all 17 games for the Broncos last year at strong safety. He's started in a whopping 185 games in his career. Ever since he entered the league, Jackson has been a starter. But that might change this year.

On Denver's unofficial depth chart, Jackson and Caden Sterns are listed together as the starters at strong safety. When the team declares this is a position battle to watch, there's more than a decent chance that the incumbent starter gets unseated.

Sterns missed most of last season with a hip injury, but the third-year safety has been productive when he's played. While Jackson is the better run defender, his ability in coverage has slipped enough to open the door for Sterns, who was excellent in his limited snaps (274) last season.

Kareem Jackson should still hold a big leadership position in the locker room and will get on the field, but it wouldn't be a surprise if Sterns surpassed him as the starter this season.