Here's what we learned from Nathaniel Hackett and George Paton at the NFL Annual Meeting

PALM BEACH, Fla. — This is as relaxed as it gets on the NFL calendar.

The first waves of free agency have reached the shore, not unlike the waves in the Atlantic Ocean that crashed against the rocks on the beach at The Breakers, a grandiose resort on one of the swankiest stretches of coastal property on the planet.

Into this ritzy playground drops the NFL’s bigwigs, who gathered here for the first NFL Annual Meeting since 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing restrictions prevented the affair from happening in 2020 and 2021.

As Broncos general manager George Paton and head coach Nathaniel Hackett spoke here Sunday, the sounds of the surf kept near-metronomic time with their words. They earned the chance to downshift for their work of the last several weeks, transforming the Broncos and their chances of success with the trade for Russell Wilson.

Wilson won’t be at Broncos headquarters on a full-time basis for another two weeks. But his intense work has already begun. Not far from the Pacific Ocean, he and several teammates spent the week running football drills at his own palatial estate.

So, even as the Broncos’ brass temporarily throttles back into third gear following the trade-and-free-agent frenzy, their quarterback has his foot mashed on the accelerator.

“There’s a reason he’s great, and obviously he’s talented, but the work he puts in, he’s obsessed with winning, as I mentioned, and you see it,” Paton said. “You see it when you look at the videos, and our players down there, and that’s hopefully going to spread with our football team and resonate with our football team, and I know it will.”

For now, the coaches’ work with Wilson has been about getting to know him, Hackett noted.

“We don’t talk much football; we’re going to save that for April,” Hackett said, “but I think right now, it’s just getting to know each other as people, as fathers, as husbands, so I think it’s just been a great time.”

But Wilson was far from the only item on the docket Sunday as the coach and general manager took questions from six reporters just a few steps from that celebrated strand of sand known as Palm Beach.

THE DOOR ISN’T CLOSED ON MELVIN GORDON AND KAREEM JACKSON RETURNING …

“We’ve spoken with both of their agents, and it’s ongoing,” Paton said. “We’d love to bring everybody back, but we just can’t do it, but we’re still talking with those two. Really good players.”

In general, the Broncos aren’t done with free agency, Paton noted, citing how the team plucked Bobby Massie off of the market in May 2021.

“There’s a few positions we need to get some more depth. We’d like to add depth,” Paton said. “And so, free agency drags now — even after the draft — so we’re going to look for ways to upgrade our football team …

“We’re always looking for ways to upgrade our football team — whether it’s a position of need or not.”

The Broncos already made some choices, including one at inside linebacker.

WHY DID THE BRONCOS CHOOSE JOSEY JEWELL OVER ALEXANDER JOHNSON AND KENNY YOUNG?

Simply put, Paton sees something “special” in the fifth-year linebacker whose season ended in Week 2 last September because of a torn pectoral muscle.

“I think he’s a special guy. He’s special in our locker room, special on the field,” said Paton of Jewell, who agreed to a two-year, $11-million contract that includes $6 million in guaranteed money.

“I’ve said a number of times: He was the glue that kept our defense together,” Paton continued. “He’s just a guy that we really wanted back, and really instinctive, tough, physical, makes plays. Doesn’t have all the traits you want, but he just makes up for it with his mind.”

Jewell’s fellow base-package inside linebacker is to be determined. Jonas Griffith, who started the final four games of the 2021 season, returns. But the Broncos also signed former Eagles team captain Alex Singleton, who led them in tackles in each of the last two years.

BARON BROWNING AT EDGE RUSHER? “IT’S BEEN TALKED ABOUT”

That’s what Paton said Sunday, noting that Browning’s work off the edge was a significant aspect of how he got to the NFL.

“The best thing he did in college is come off the edge and rush the passer,” Paton said, “so we’re just trying to put players in their best possible spot to succeed, so we’re going to look at that.”

From Hackett’s perspective, moving Browning to the edge has parallels with the offensive line, where he wants to see his players show versatility to work at multiple spots. That is a key attribute of recent signees Tom Compton and Billy Turner; Turner moved to left tackle in a pinch during the playoffs in January after working at right tackle.

“I think, again, it’s kind of like the offensive line. You want guys that try to do as many different things [as possible] and try to find out where they’re best at,” Hackett said.

“At the same time, [Browning] is going to have the flexibility of being there and being inside linebacker. As much as you can get people experienced at different spots, because you never know what’s going to happen during a game.”

DRAFT PLAN: MOVE UP? MOVE DOWN?

Paton noted that the Broncos have “the ammo” to make a deal up from the No. 64 spot at the end of the first round, which is where the Broncos begin their drafting next month.

But a moment later, he also said, “I’m sure we’ll have more [draft picks] by the end of it.” So, unless the Broncos send a player packing for a pick, they will likely need to trade down at some point in order for Paton to get to the 10-pick benchmark of which he’s spoken as a target for the number of selections he would like to make.

“You always want to hit on your picks, if you have nine, if you have 10,” Paton said. “Last year, we finished with 10, I believe, and I think we had nine that played for us. You love the picks, and you always want to hit on them, but you know you’re not going to hit on all of them.”

As was the case last year, special teams will drive Paton’s Day 3 selections.

“You’re looking for traits when you get into the third day — can they run, are they athletic, high-character guys,” he said. “You’re looking for that all through the draft, but especially that third day, where they may not be whole yet, but if they have some traits to develop — especially special-teams traits — and then, you can develop them into a defensive or an offensive player.”

WHAT WILL MAKE THE OFFSEASON A SUCCESS?

Hint: It won’t be big plays in practice.

“I think right now, the biggest [thing] is kind of learning the language,” Hackett said of the work, which will begin April 11.

“Everybody talks about the language of the systems and it’s like learning any language, there’s a lot of different things that go into it,” Hackett continued. “You want everybody to feel comfortable, to be able to answer onto a field and be able to execute and adjust, so I think that’s kind of the biggest thing that we have to do, is just make sure the the guys understand all the difference [things] — from formations, to protections to runs to the whys of everything that we’re doing, so that we can get rolling.”

PATON ISN’T FRETTING ABOUT THE MOVES AROUND AFC WEST …

… because there is plenty to worry about with the Broncos doing something they haven’t done in six years — legitimately contending for the division rown.

“We’re worried about the Broncos and trying to get up with the division. It’s hard for us to really talk about competing in our division unless we do,” he said. “We really haven’t competed in our division in five or six years. So, we really just need to worry about ourselves, and not worry about all the other stuff.”

And to that end regarding the “other stuff,” he doesn’t expect the Chiefs to go in the tank without explosive wide receiver Tyreek Hill on the roster.

“You know, until they trade the quarterback and the head coach, I’m probably not going to worry about that too much, but no, he’s a great player,” Paton said when asked whether he was pleased to see Hill leave the AFC West.

“They still have a lot of really good weapons, as you know. They have one of the best coaches, one of the best quarterbacks. Obviously they’ve set the standard, and we have a long way to go.”