Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton made one of the NFL’s newest head coaches look silly during the first week of the preseason.

And Payton probably didn’t even realize it.

Arizona Cardinals rookie running back Jeremiyah Love will sit out the rest of preseason action after suffering a high ankle sprain. The team is hoping that he’ll be ready for Week 1 of the NFL regular season.

For some bizarre reason, Cardinals rookie head coach Mike LaFleur gave Love 14 touches in Arizona’s preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders. It was a heavy workload for a player who’s expected to be a featured part of the Cardinals’ offense in 2026. LaFleur was playing with fire by giving Love that many touches in a preseason game and now the Cardinals are paying the price.

Payton, on the other hand, took the opposite approach with his rookie running back Jonah Coleman in Denver’s first preseason game.

Coleman received just four touches against the Atlanta Falcons, and that was enough for Payton.

Jonah Coleman had four and Sean Payton said he’d seen what he needed to witness. As the late Gil Brandt would say, “That’s why some teams win and some teams lose.” https://t.co/28MJAfJ1Vo

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) August 16, 2026

“It’s just what we’ve been seeing (in camp),” said Payton when asked about Coleman after the game. “And then you see enough of it, and you’re like, ‘alright.’ He’s had a good camp, and I liked his balance coming out of some of the tackles.”

LaFleur was trying to thread the needle of giving a rookie who hasn’t played much some touches and keeping him healthy. And he failed.

“It’s a rookie that hadn’t played,” said LaFleur on Sunday of Love’s touches. “Knowing that, not to share too many secrets because I haven’t said it with the players yet, but knowing that it was about what it was going to be in terms of how many games these guys were going to play for what we were looking for. So, yeah, that’s what the thought was.”

It’s a tough way for LaFleur to learn a lesson about preseason load management. Payton put on a clinic while LaFleur got the No. 3 overall pick hurt in a meaningless preseason game.