ENGLEWOOD — The most dominant athletes on the planet are soul-searching.

Or could it be the likes of Nikola Jokic and Scottie Scheffler have already found their why?

The softer side of sports philosophy reached Broncos training camp on Tuesday when enormous offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey shared his own slice of Zen.

“When you’re young, and you want all these things … you start playing for the wrong things,” McGlinchey said at Broncos Park before the team hits the practice field on Wednesday. “You play for people to like you and people that give you accolades, titles, things like that. (Later) you realize that all you want to do is just live out your dream and be the best.”

What in the name of cutthroat competition is going on with larger-than-life sports figures? It seems to me the best-of-the-best are making sure their jobs don’t define who they are.

Or maybe we’re all just getting old.

From Ping Pong games with equipment managers to sweeping the Lakers in Los Angeles, Jokic is the fiercest competitor I’ve ever met. His competitive streak is too often undervalued and under appreciated simply because his list of priorities does not begin or even include endorsements or publicity.

It begins and ends with wife Natalija, kids, family and stable of beloved horses.

“I knew even before (fatherhood) that basketball is not the main thing in my life and probably is never going to be. To be honest, I like it,” Jokic once said. “I have something at home that is more important than basketball.”

And it’s fair to say Scheffler, whose resume is starting to look like Tiger Woods’, has a passion for winning that would make Tiger himself think twice about pressing on the back 9. Still, playing golf is not Scheffler’s No. 1.

Before he blitzed the field last week at the Open Championship, Scheffler explained his priorities in life. Winning four major championships before the age of 30 didn’t take his top spot, either.

“You win it, you celebrate, get to hug my family, my sister’s there, it’s such an amazing moment. Then it’s like, OK, what are we going to eat for dinner?” Scheffler said. “Life goes on.”

Sounds like Jokic preferring a trip home to a Nuggets championship parade. But here’s a hunch he sticks around for the second one, too.

So what is it about athletes with a few years under their belt that allows room for both athletic greatness and taking the kids fishing?

A seven-year veteran of wrestling and wrangling in the NFL trenches, McGlinchey shed some light on the importance of priorities as a professional athlete. It’s worth a listen or a read, if only because McGlinchey is one of the most thoughtful dudes in the Broncos locker room.

“I think I made the mistake early on in my career of expecting a lot out of myself or weighing the opinions of others on top of my identity as a human being and as a football player,” McGlinchey said.

Count me in the crowd that’s fired up to witness the next evolution of Broncos football. The defense should be strong, though I question whether it was a smart idea to spend that much money on defensive players who are often hurt. Athletes who are often hurt usually don’t get healthy as they age. But the real reason these Broncos can finally catch the Kansas City Chiefs is an offensive line that was superb last season and now returns all five starters.

I’ve seen a couple football brains rank the Broncos as the No. 1 offensive line in the NFL.

It’s certainly one of the most interesting. Right guard Quinn Meinerz reached the NFL thanks to his wilderness workouts on a remote island in Canada, chopping down pine trees. Garett Bolles was the most-booed man at Empower Field at Mile High and dreaded Sundays. Now the left tackle is an avid fly fisherman who can’t imagine working somewhere other than Colorado.

“We’re obviously very excited about what we have here,” McGlinchey said.

The average age of an NFL player is 26.6 years old. The average of the Broncos is two years older. You’d need a weigh station, but the five big hunks collectively check in at 1,545 pounds.

At 6-foot-8, 315, McGlinchey is one of the few men around here who could block out Jokic for a rebound. Maybe.

McGlinchey’s philosophical takes sound Joker-esque, too.

“If you let other people’s opinions start shaping your own about yourself, then that’s when you get pretty screwed up,” McGlinchey said.

That outlook has helped make Jokic and Scheffler the best in the world at what they do. Turns out, peace of mind outside your job is a championship life hack.

Or maybe we’re all just getting old.