The Denver Broncos started their ramp-up sessions last Wednesday, but the team did not begin official full-speed training camp practices until last Friday. So based on official practices, today marks the end of the first week of Broncos training camp.
So far there’s been one fight — tight end Nate Adkins and outside linebacker Durell Nchami got into it after a run play on Tuesday.
“It’s a scuffle,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of the incident after Tuesday’s practice. “Sometimes it doesn’t bother me. In that case, I think we’ll look at the film. I think one player gets blocked pretty well and frustrated. I don’t want discipline fouls, and we’ve all seen it. We talked a little bit about it afterwards, but the guys are working hard.”
That was perhaps Payton’s diplomatic way of telling Nchami to keep a cool head after getting thoroughly blocked by Adkins. That kind of retaliation on a game day would have led to a 15-yard penalty.
Scuffle aside, what did we learn from the first week of training camp? Here are ten quick takeaways from Denver.
1. Injury report: Quinn Bailey suffers ankle injury
Broncos backup swing tackle/guard Quinn Bailey fractured his ankle at Tuesday’s practice, a brutal injury for the 28-year-old lineman. Bailey was set to serve as the team’s “No. 6 lineman” this season, used in “jumbo” formations and filling in whenever a starting tackle or guard was sidelined. It’s now uncertain if Bailey will be able to return in 2024.
“It’s always tough to see and to be a part of when you’re at a practice,” Payton said of the injury. “It’s one of the bitter realities of our game. He was having a really good camp.”
Elsewhere on the injury front, safety Brandon Jones (hamstring) will be out another week or so, Caden Sterns (knee) is being eased into action and lineman Nick Gargiulo (undisclosed) remains sidelined.
2. Quinn Meinerz’s contract exemplifies Payton’s view of o-line
Denver rewarded guard Quinn Meinerz with a four-year, $80 million contract extension before kicking off training camp. Giving big-money contracts to offensive linemen is nothing new for Payton.
“I think it is the most important position group on your roster,” Payton said last week when asked about valuing the offensive line. “I think it permeates your building. I believe that and it has served us well everywhere I have been.”
Since he arrived last year, Payton quickly emphasized improving the offensive line. He brought in two new starters through free agency last year and gave Meinerz an extension this year. Garett Bolles is up next (more on that later).
“I think it was really stressed to us a lot last year about how for the most part, the team goes as far as the offensive line,” Meinerz said. “So that kind of shows this offensive system and its success that Sean has had in the past. So we’ve understood since this new staff came that came in that the pressure was going to be put on the offensive line and that in the same breath, the way the games go, it’s on us.
“If we win a game, it’s on us, if we lose a game it’s on us and that’s the kind of mentality that we have. Whether it be in practice, individual period, team periods, one-on-ones, weight room, meetings, we know what’s at stake. We know what the pressure is — but I mean the cliché is that pressure makes diamonds. We’re ready for it.”
3. Pat Surtain and Garett Bolles are now on deck
Following the big extension for Meinerz, star cornerback Pat Surtain and left tackle Garett Bolles are now next in line for new contracts.
Payton said “we will keep you posted” when asked about a potential extension for Surtain, and he confirmed that he wants to re-sign the cornerback. PS2, meanwhile, is focusing on his play.
“There’s no specific timeframe right now,” Surtain said when asked if there’s a timeline for a new deal. “I’m going to let my agent handle that and let that process speak for itself. Right now, my ongoing focus is the football field for sure.”
Bolles is in a similar scenario.
“This team counts on me, so any time that we have voluntary or team meetings or whatever it is, I’m going to be the first one there,” Bolles said. “I love this city and I love this organization. I want to play my whole career here. The front office knows that. They know I want to be a Bronco for life.
“My family is here and established here. We love it here. We don’t want to go anywhere else. My job is to just play good football and the ball is in their court. I just have to do my job and the rest will take care of itself.”
4. Javonte Williams lost weight at Payton’s request
Payton asked Javonte Williams to get back to his college weight this offseason and the running back took it to heart, dropping from 232 pounds down to 221 pounds.
“He set me a goal weight and I got to it,” Williams said last week. The running back stopped eating after 7 p.m. and cut out snacks, including Takis, one of his favorites.
“The type of coach Coach Payton is, he’s seen a lot of great running backs come through,” Williams said. “Anything that he says, I’m going to listen to it. Just for him to even care and just to tell me, ‘This is what I want you to be when you come back to have the best chance to do what you have to do.’ That by itself just showed me that he cared, and if he put that much effort into it, I will too.”
Payton has praised Williams this summer, saying early in camp that the fourth-year running back has looked “real sharp.”
5. Meanwhile, the backfield is crowded
#Broncos rookie RB Audric Estime showing his power by laying the truck stick on rookie DB Omar Brownpic.twitter.com/o3zDpCWcbl
— MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) July 30, 2024
Some fans and pundits speculated this offseason that Williams might have a reduced role in 2024. The team’s backfield rotation, however, suggests that Williams will remain the RB1. The other spots are still up for grabs.
Denver drafted Audric Estime and then signed Blake Watson as a college free agent this spring, adding them to a backfield that already included Williams, Samaje Perine, Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie.
“I think we have good competition there,” Payton said. “We have good skill sets and guys that can do different things there. Historically speaking for me, I’ve always believed that that depth is important because there’s a lot of wear and tear in 17 weeks to play with just one runner. It’s good to have him out there.”
It seems fair to assume the Broncos will carry four running backs on the 53-man roster. If they don’t believe Watson can sneak down to the practice squad, Perine could end up being a cap casualty.
“It’s going to be real intense and that’s the way you should want it to be,” Williams said of the RB competition. “No days off, like it says right here, ‘Compete Street,’ and every day we’re coming in and competition [should] be excellent. We’re all just going to get better from it.”
6. Courtland Sutton’s glad to be back with a revised deal
Broncos receiver Courtland Sutton skipped the voluntary portion of the team’s offseason program in protest of his contract situation. Sutton reported for all of the mandatory sessions and Denver agreed to revise his contract one day before official training camp practices started last week.
Sutton can now earn an additional $1.5 million through new incentives in 2024 and he’s glad to have the negotiations behind him.
“It was nice,” Sutton said of the incentives being added. “I think it was made pretty clear that this is home for me, and this is where I wanted to be. I’m grateful that we were able to come to some form of an agreement to be able to help both of us move forward.”
With his contract situation sorted out, Sutton is now “like a kid in a candy store” at Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit.
“It’s been amazing,” Sutton said. “I think the last time I talked to you guys, I told you that it was killing me not being out on the field with the guys. I’ve just been out here enjoying it like a kid in a candy store. Every little thing is a big thing, and just enjoying it.
“From the individuals [drills], to stretching with the guys, to route on air, being able to finally run plays against the defense, being in the huddle and hearing plays. All of those different things have been such a blessing to be able to do. [I’m] just enjoying each step of the way. It’s been a lot of fun.”
7. Sean Payton likes to have big wide receivers
The Broncos have 12 wide receivers on the 90-man offseason roster. Of those receivers, all but three are at least 6-1. Seven are 6-3 or taller. That’s not a coincidence — it’s a Payton preference.
“That position group is going to be interesting as you guys look at it, try to put it together and piece together,” Payton said of the WR room. “It’s a big group, size wise. First year I ever coached in the NFL in 1997 in Philadelphia, we played the 49ers.
“I want to say it’s ’97 — could have been ’98. It was at the old Veteran’s Stadium, and I remember when the Niners’ receivers walked out, it was Jerry Rice, and John Taylor and it was [J.J.] Stokes. I couldn’t get over how they looked. There is a prototype. That doesn’t mean that they can’t be smaller — then they have a different skill set — but in this league, that’s what we’re looking for. This is a big group.”
Courtland Sutton is 6-4, as are Tim Patrick and Lil’Jordan Humphrey. The tallest receiver on the roster is Devaughn Vele (6-5), and Payton’s appreciation of height is something to keep in mind when predicting Denver’s final WR depth chart.
8. Levi Wallace could be a sleeper at cornerback
In an ideal world, one of Riley Moss or Damarri Mathis will step up this summer and emerge as the team’s No. 2 cornerback across from Pat Surtain. That’s the preferred scenario. But a veteran like Levi Wallace stepping in as a short-term solution might be a more likely scenario.
“We have a good smart veteran player who has played in a lot of games,” Payton said of Wallace. “With the amount of multiple receiver sets we get, there’s that level of expertise and experience he brings. [He is] steady. I think he brings something to the room as well. I think quietly, he’s been a real good addition for us.”
Wallace has also drawn praise from Surtain, which is notable.
“It’s great,” PS2 said. “Another ‘Bama’ boy, so that’s great for sure. Levi, he’s provided a great presence to our secondary room. His experience — I think this is Year [7] for him. Going into it, he knows a lot about the game, a lot about Xs and Os. It helps a lot because when you have a veteran presence in the defensive back room it helps your game for sure.”
9. The center competition might be Luke Wattenberg’s to lose
Luke Wattenberg handled the first-team center duties through the first few days of practice before Alex Forsyth eventually joined the rotation. Forsyth has also been getting some looks at guard, a position Wattenberg has also played in the past. That versatility will serve both players well. Whoever does not end up starting at center can serve as a backup swing guard/center. That might leave center Sam Mustipher as the odd man out.
“He’s smart,” Payton said when asked about Wattenberg. “I think he’s got good versatility. There are traits that you look forward to in a center. You look for guys that obviously are strong inside handling the pash rush. Then it’s how are they at the second level? Often times, that player is able to combo and get up to a linebacker—can they finish? So he’s someone that’s pretty athletic and has a really good ability to get to his second-level blocks.”
10. Quarterback competition seems to have two contenders
Bo Nix Looks Very Accurate at Broncos Training Camp with Deep Ball to Michael Bandy pic.twitter.com/nDl3k6QK1W
— Mile High Minute🏔 (@mhmdenver) July 30, 2024
It’s no surprise, really, but Jarrett Stidham and Bo Nix seem to be pulling ahead of Zach Wilson in the quarterback battle.
Stidham already has a year of experience in Payton’s offense, which gives him an obvious advantage in the competition. It’s no surprise, then, that many pundits believe Stidham is the best QB1 option at this very moment.
That could change over the next few weeks, though, especially if Nix continues to impress.
Bo Nix is DEALING…just hit Reynolds for a 15 yard gain on a freaking rope over the out stretched hands of Ja’Quan McMillian along the left sideline. What a DIME@KOAColorado #Broncos
— Ryan Edwards (@redwardsradio) July 31, 2024
The competition will ultimately be decided during preseason. It would be a big upset for Wilson to bounce back and win the job. Whoever looks the best between Stidham and Nix this summer will line up under center when the Broncos go on the road to face the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1.
First things first, Denver will have three preseason games in August, starting with a road game against the Indianapolis Colts on Aug. 11. This is just a hunch, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Stidham start the first preseason game and Nix start the second. Perhaps the Broncos could then decide on a starter around the third week of preseason.
That’s just a guess, though. Payton hasn’t revealed his timeline for naming a starter. It’s obviously the story at training camp, and one we’ll continue to follow on Broncos Wire.
[vertical-gallery id=620142]