In a normal offseason, the Broncos would hold organized team activities (OTAs) around this time of year, complete with in-person meetings and light on-field practices to prepare players for going full-speed in training camp.
In an offseason impacted by COVID-19, Denver has turned to a virtual offseason program, with meetings and workouts held online. With no OTAs, Broncos players are missing out on hearing and visualizing plays in the huddle and running through their routes.
“You miss the huddle calls,” wide receiver Courtland Sutton said on May 14. “You miss being able to hear Drew [Lock] call out a play in the huddle, us break the huddle and lining up and ready to play. That’s something that’s so underrated. I think people see us at games and it looks so smooth, but that’s over time of practice before you even get to camp. When you start adding this time into is, the OTAs that we’re not getting, those reps that we’re not getting, those are reps that are quality.”
Sutton said one of Denver’s coaches estimated that the team ran through 300 plays during OTAs last spring.
“That’s 300 reps that you don’t have right now, that we don’t get in terms of getting in the huddle, hearing the whole play call, lining up and going and running whether that’s verses the defense or not,” Sutton said. “Being able to do that part as an offense is so huge.”
It’s unfortunate that Broncos players are missing out on those reps but the good news is that every team in the league is going through the same situation. Denver shouldn’t be more behind than any other team.
Sutton believes that when the Broncos are able to get back on the field, it won’t take too long to make up for the OTAs that were missed.
“It does set you back, but I have faith in the coaches and preparing every room,” Sutton said. “I have faith that we as players have taken every opportunity we can with this and running with it so that when we do get a chance to get on the field it’s not going to be something that could take a whole week to get people acclimated to it.
“It would be a couple days because you have such good teachers in terms of the coaches and the vets in each room.”
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