As quarterback Bo Nix and safety Talanoa Hufanga walked off the practice field together on the eve of team’s most-anticipated training camp in a decade, a pesky question lingered that goes directly to the core question of who these Broncos want to be.

Where does veteran receiver Courtland Sutton fit in the picture of an overhauled football team on the rise?

In a little more than two years, coach Sean Payton has dramatically reshaped the core of a long-downtrodden franchise that now steadfastly believes it’s ready to contend.

If Sutton was really a big cog in the new core, wouldn’t the Broncos have committed the money for a big contract extension to their top wide receiver by now?

As they return to NFL relevancy, who are the Broncos’ core players?

Here’s my top six:

No. 1: Cornerback Pat Surtain II

No. 2: Nix

No. 3: Linebacker Nik Bonitto

No. 4: Guard Quinn Meinerz

No. 5: Defensive tackle Zach Allen

No. 6: Offensive tackle Garett Bolles

At age 29, Sutton is entering the final season of a four-year, $60.8 million deal he signed back in 2021.

As the favorite target of a rookie quarterback who performed above expectations, Sutton showed Denver management that maybe the contract haggling between them a year ago was unnecessary.

He made 81 receptions for 1,081 yards and eight touchdowns for a 10-win team that earned a wild card berth in the playoffs.

Valuable? Certainly.

Yet here we are, with no agreement between Sutton and the Broncos on an extension more than six months after Denver’s postseason run came to a screeching halt in Buffalo.

“There’s been good communication,” said Payton, repeating the same-old, same-old as it has applied for months in regard to negotiations with Sutton.

Too many words. Not enough action.

So here’s what I’m beginning to wonder:

If Sutton truly isn’t among the core six players essential to Denver’s future success, how much is he really worth to the team?

In the Not For Long, I believe a player should scratch and claw for every buck he can get. But $20 million is a lot of dough. And if Sutton believes he’s worth a penny more per year, I’m afraid he might be disappointed.

Prior to joining Denver as a free agent earlier this year, Hufanga was a member of a San Francisco 49ers organization that advanced to the conference championship game twice and the Super Bowl once in a span of four years.

So Hufanga knows what’s required to build a winning culture at the NFL level.

“The common theme is having your core group of guys, because your core group of guys lead the rookies and the new guys. That was something (the 49ers) had. When I came in, you had a guy like (linebacker) Fred Warner, a guy like (defensive lineman) Nick Bosa,” Hufanga said.

“Then you come in here (to Denver), a place that has a quarterback on the rise and taking that step to lead. That’s a core guy right there. You got Garett Bolles offensively and tight end Evan Engram, that’s a core guy. And you’re bringing that defense along with Alex Singleton and Pat Surtain. Those are core guys right there.”

Hmm, did Hufanga miss anybody? Probably just a harmless oversight.

In Hufanga’s book, a core guy ain’t hard to find.

“A core guy,” Hufanga said, “is doing things right every day. Guys that show up on time, are never late to meetings and doing the right stuff with taking care of their bodies.”

Sounds like traits Sutton has packed in his tool box every day before showing up for work during the past seven years in Denver.

Every day of training camp that Sutton works without a new deal, however, the issue will linger over his head.

He’s a pro and a gentleman. But I guarantee Sutton will quickly tire of the questions about money. It’s a distraction.

After the Broncos showed a year ago they have nothing to fear in Kansas City, I asked Meinerz how he thinks Denver stacks up against a team that has won the AFC West nine seasons in a row.

“That’s the storyline that you guys want. We’re not taking any of that cheese,” Meinerz replied. “We’re here to work and we’re here to become better, and that’s just the bottom line.”

No argument here.

Pro football is a bottom-line business.

It’s all about Ws and Ls, dollars and what makes sense in the construction of a championship-worthy roster.

But when the Broncos are genuinely ready to reclaim the AFC West crown and make a deep playoff run, will Sutton have a leading role in the team’s return to glory?

The answer to that question will be written in money.

While there will be plenty of noise about the battle for starting running back and doubts to quell about the talent at inside linebacker, the most intriguing storyline of this training camp will be how much the Broncos truly value Sutton.