Head coach Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos have had an impressive turnaround within the 2023 NFL season. The team started out 0-3 and projected to be among the worst teams in the league; however, Payton has done an impressive job of turning things around, as the Broncos had managed to win five straight games before last Sunday's narrow defeat to the Houston Texans and currently sit at an even 6-6, with the playoffs now a very realistic goal.

One player who has been crucial to Denver's turnaround is young cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian, who was signed to the Broncos in 2022 after going undrafted and has become an integral part of the defensive rotation so far this year.

Recently, Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph broke down the young defensive back's emergence and why he is such a joy to coach.

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“He wants to be a great player, so it’s easy to coach him,” said Joseph, per Zac Stevens of DNVR Broncos on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “He’s one of those players where he’s a one-time guy. You fix him one time on something, it’s fixed from now until forever. That’s his best trait thus far.”

Ja'Quan McMillian's emergence has helped shore up a Denver defense that gave up a near NFL record of 70 (!) points in a game earlier this year against the Miami Dolphins. Now, that unit looks completely unrecognizable, putting up a series of impressive performances in recent weeks to help turn around the Broncos' fortunes.

The Broncos will next take the field against the Los Angeles Chargers on December 10.