The Denver Broncos have struggled to get back to their winning ways.

They didn’t have a legitimate starting-caliber quarterback after Peyton Manning left, and the team struggled to keep up with the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.

That’s why, after watching them get better and even make the playoffs with Sean Payton at the helm, Colin Cowherd believes it’s time people give him more credit:

“I don’t think he’s quite getting enough credit for what he’s done in Denver. He goes into an organization and the culture is broken. The quarterback’s a mess, and there’s impending new ownership. He goes in the first year, I think they won three more games. He makes Russ functional. He cleans up the offensive line from 21st to 7th.  Are we undervaluing, because of the glare with everybody else, what he’s done in Denver?” Cowherd said of Payton.

Payton’s first year with the organization was far from smooth.

Even so, despite an apparent feud with Russell Wilson, the former Seattle Seahawks star looked much better, and so did the team.

Now, in just his second season with the organization, Payton led them back to the postseason.

Bo Nix looks tailor-made to run his offensive system, and he’s one of the savviest and most intelligent head coaches out there.

Of course, staying afloat in the AFC West division will always be tough, especially now that the Los Angeles Chargers brought Jim Harbaugh back to the league and the Las Vegas Raiders added Pete Carroll to the mix.

But with a strong defense that hasn’t lost its identity and an improving offense built around a young and promising quarterback, this team could be back to the mountaintop sooner rather than later.

That’s what hiring a culture-setter and proven winner to be the head coach can do to an organization, especially one that seemed to have lost its way and didn’t seem to have a clear path for years now.

NEXT:  Insider Gives Update On J.K. Dobbins’ Role With Broncos