The Lead
As the Broncos have chased their first winning season since 2016, several individuals have worked diligently behind the scenes to help make this goal a reality.
Denver Broncos scouting coordinator Roya Burton has been one of those key individuals, and Brooke Cersosimo of NFL.com recently highlighted her impact as part of the site's Next Woman Up series — which highlights women who are breaking barriers in football.
Burton began her career on the content creation side of football, first interning at NFL Films and the Detroit Lions before working as a social media assistant for two years in Denver.
"It gave me so many good tools, like how to be flexible, detail-oriented, a team player," Burton said of her experience in content creation. "It's all about how you put the information out there while being creative."
Burton then transitioned over to player personnel, a move that has been transformational in her growth and development as a sports professional.
Burton said most of her responsibilities are on the pro side of personnel scouting, and involve "day-to-day things, whether it be daily depth charts, updating tags of our current roster, filming defensive line at practice or helping coordinate player visits." She is also responsible for scouting the players of three nonadvanced teams — teams that the Broncos don't play during the regular season — and recently started getting involved with college scouting.
"I've learned how to evaluate so many positions, and the scouting landscape is always changing," Burton said. "It definitely makes me hungry to keep learning and stay on it."
Burton credited several of her role models, including her father Ron Burton — who has coached college football for over 30 years — with helping to shape her career path and inspiring her to continue to strive for success. She also credited Kelly Kleine Van Calligan — the Broncos' executive director of football operations/special advisor to the general manager — with providing consistent support throughout the transition.
"She's such a positive role model, and I can go to her with any question," Burton said. "Everyone else in our scouting department, especially general manager George Paton, has been great. They encourage me to be confident in what I'm seeing and reporting. Navigating this role is crazy at times, but there are so many people in this organization who have helped."
And while Burton described the job as a "grind," noting the time-consuming nature of the position, she is grateful that she decided to embrace the opportunity to follow her true passion as she continues to make an impact for the organization.
"I am so happy I took that leap of faith to do something I always wanted but wasn't sure about," Burton said. "I'll never forget the day when Kelly approached me about it, and I had so many questions. But it has been so life-changing in terms of being part of this team in a way that not many people are. Being able to watch football and see these players evolve, I wouldn't have gotten that opportunity had I not said yes."
To read Cersosimo's article, click here.
