The Broncos’ longest practice week of training camp is in the books.
Sean Payton’s team took the field six straight days — the last without him and several others as they traveled to Ohio for Drew Brees’ induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame — and came out the other side with a lot of work banked.
Read more Today in History: August 9, Gerald Ford declares ‘our long national nightmare is over’
A week from now, Denver will have already played a preseason game at Atlanta.
The roster cutdown is three weeks away.
The Broncos open their season on Monday Night Football at Kansas City in 36 days.
OK, that’s still a ways out, but the countdown is now on.
Jobs aren’t won and lost in the first week-plus of camp, but we’ve seen a lot of the Broncos and learned a lot, too.
Here are nine quick thoughts after 10 days on the field.
The Broncos offense is going to feel… different.
It’s not yet clear how, but it’s become increasingly clear that Denver’s offense is going to look and feel different with Davis Webb at the controls. Players talk about slightly different formations, slightly adjusted routes, more motion and changed assignments. Webb, Payton and company must decide what they want to hang their hat on in the run game, and that answer hasn’t availed itself to onlookers yet. Webb himself talked about offensive identity taking the early part of the season to form. But the notion that this is just going to be Webb calling plays off Payton’s sheet feels off. There might be plenty of Payton stuff to go along with some fresh ideas, but it will be with Webb’s spin, tempo and sequencing.
“I feel like Davis is doing a really good job of communicating with me and not over-communicating, but just give me a few things here and there,” quarterback Bo Nix said recently. “Reminders, little things about a play, like, ‘Hey, don’t forget this. Hey, remember you have this.’ So I think that’s going to be great as we go with that communication in my ear.
“He’s been waiting for this moment for a long time. He’s been preparing for this, and he’s really put us in a good spot.”
Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said the tweaks Webb has made have resulted in good challenge for his defense.
“He’s got a bunch of wide-open concepts in practice because of shifts and motions,” Joseph said Saturday. “He’s worked very hard from the spring to now to put together and it looks really good. … The shifts and motions and the window dressing pre-snap has been good for all of us to see.”
The Broncos defense is going to look mostly the same
Vance Joseph’s defense, on the other hand, doesn’t have much need for change. Joseph has most of the same players back, and they know what they’re doing. It’s been PhD ball for a veteran, cohesive group early in camp. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Joseph will tweak and adjust because you have to in the NFL, but this recipe hits just fine.
“You’re not coming into camp kind of stressed about learning,” veteran linebacker Alex Singleton said. “That’s the hardest thing when you go to a new team or have new guys where you’re teaching guys, ‘Hey, this is our check in this situation.’ No, instead it’s, all 11 guys know.
“So, we’re one step ahead of where we would’ve been last year or the year before that at this time of the year.”
Ehlinger has a real shot at the No. 2 QB job
Sam Ehlinger’s had two days running the No. 2s so far in camp, which may not seem like a lot, but it’s two more than he got in all of last year’s camp. After the first, Payton said, basically, nothing to see here. It looks like something to see, though. In fact, it feels like Ehlinger’s making a real run at the gig. The Broncos like both Ehlinger and Jarrett Stidham and could keep all three on the 53-man roster despite a deep group and a good argument for keeping an extra guy somewhere else. But if Ehlinger plays well in the preseason — remember, he was pretty darn sharp last year — the Broncos will have a decision to make. Plus, if you’re toying with the idea of change after one guy has had the job for three seasons, you might just be looking for a reason to change.
Uwazurike might be a real problem for opposing offenses
The biggest loss on Denver’s defense was supposed to be John Franklin-Myers. It may still be, but the Broncos’ defensive line has been rolling so far in camp. Nobody in that group looks primed for a bigger leap than Eyioma Uwazurike, whom veteran D.J. Jones recently called “unblockable” and “scary.” Uwazurike is a force against the run and has budding pass-rush potential.
“I’m proud of him because, you guys know this, in our sport, any sport really, to just be out for a year can be difficult,” Payton said of Uwazurike, who was suspended for the entire 2023 season for violating the league’s gambling policy. “He’s really come back, developed. He’s strong, he’s big, and he’s having a real good start to camp. So I think you have to look at it as one less year than what’s listed because of the year out.
Read more Elk fire nearly doubles in size in 2 days, containment drops in Colorado wildfire
“He’s doing really well.”
Malcolm Roach has seen an uptick in pass-rush reps, too. Can they generate consistent pressure in real games? Time will tell on that, but those two plus rookie Tyler Onyedim and second-year man Sai’Vion Jones — he’s stronger this summer but might have already fallen behind the rookie — look poised to fill the substantial gap JFM left.
There are two major questions on defense, even if they don’t seem pressing
Funny enough, while the d-line looks capable of covering up for JFM, the two biggest question marks on Joseph’s defense now are who replaces Dre Greenlaw at ILB and P.J. Locke at safety. You might say, what’s the big deal? A No. 3 inside ’backer and a No. 3 safety can’t be that hard to figure out. Greenlaw played 324 snaps, though, and Locke played 173 after Brandon Jones was hurt. Of the Broncos’ four starters at linebacker and safety, only Justin Strnad has not dealt with a serious injury in the past two seasons.
Right now, the next man in at each spot looks like Levelle Bailey at ILB and Devon Key at S. Will that be the case come Sept. 14? Key’s in a strong position, but Bailey may have to fend off rookie seventh-rounder Red Murdock, who’s starting to make plays more consistently as camp moves toward its third week.
Bryant is making an early claim as Denver’s third wide receiver
Troy Franklin had 104 targets last year. Marvin Mims Jr. is putting together the best training camp of his career so far. But Pat Bryant, the second-year player out of Illinois, looks like the man. He makes plays day in and day out, and he’s got a complete skill set. He’s tough in the middle of the field. He can run after the catch. He’s Denver’s best blocking receiver, too. That’s the profile of a guy who is going to play a lot. “It’ll be easy creating his role,” Payton said despite talking repeatedly about how stiff the competition is at receiver.
“It’s healthy competition is what we like to call it,” Bryant said Friday. “At the end of the day, everybody’s job is on the line, but to come out here and compete, push each other, make sure everybody’s doing their job, helping each other out when it’s needed. At the end of the day, we all have the same goal: let’s go out there and win.”
The next day, Bryant dominated Denver’s scrimmage-like practice and made the play of training camp along the way.
There’s another wrinkle here: Courtland Sutton has no guaranteed money left after 2026. The Broncos will have to pay Jaylen Waddle sometime either next year or not far beyond. Denver’s been holding Sutton back this week in camp as part of a “load-management” protocol. Is a dip from 86% playing time next?
Lohner had a golden chance to make a push, but is missing out
Payton spoke glowingly about the second-year tight end who played just a handful of college snaps earlier this spring, but Caleb Lohner has yet to practice due to injury. He’s watched from off the field in recent days with a boot on his left foot. Perhaps he’ll be back to turning heads soon, but for now it’s a missed opportunity because the Denver tight end room looks wide open.
Adam Trautman and Evan Engram have big roles, but there are just not a ton of splash plays and the rest of the room is a bit of a jumble. If Lohner gets back to being a rugged blocker with some athleticism in the passing game, he could still be a 2026 surprise.
Denver’s got real depth on the edge – and is clearly standing behind Cooper
The Broncos sent a clear message at the outset of training camp that they’re standing behind Jonathon Cooper — he’s facing a felony assault charge and other lesser charges related to a pair of domestic violence arrests in June — and Payton indicated the club believes there may be a resolution to the proceedings soon. Even if that happens, Cooper will still be subject to a potential NFL suspension. Regardless of his status at the start of the regular season, the Broncos have enviable depth on the edge. Jonah Elliss and Dondrea Tillman are trusted rotation members from a year ago, Que Robinson has played well in camp so far, and Drew Sanders is healthy, as well.
Payton thinks he finally has the Broncos running back room right
Payton and Co. really muddled through the first two years of his tenure here at running back. A 2025 overhaul brought in J.K. Dobbins via free agency and RJ Harvey via the draft, but the group never felt like it quite fit together neatly, and then it fell off a cliff when Dobbins was injured. Now with rookie Jonah Coleman added to Dobbins and Harvey, Payton’s got a trio he loves. “We’re a lot further along in that position group than maybe — well, I know we are (better) than three years ago.”
Coleman’s made quite an impression in the building already as a rookie. Whether he or Harvey ends up the third down and two-minute back remains to be seen, but Denver’s got talent and depth rather than one or the other for the first time in Payton’s tenure.
Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.
Read more Back from injury, DeKalon Taylor part of talented cast of CU Buffs running backs
