Day 2 of Broncos Camp is in the books, and it was another fun one.
It was their last practice before a day off on Sunday. However, on Monday, the pads come on, and the most important practices of camp begin, and we get to see who shines and who falls behind.
Today’s practice featured more big plays from Bo Nix and the Broncos quarterbacks, but the defense fought back and came away feeling good at the end of practice. Looks like we may have a real competition for the backup quarterback job, or do we? Marvin Mims is making an early statement for the WR3 job with back-to-back practices with explosive plays. We also have news about the team possibly signing Taysom Hill, notes from practices, injury updates, tweets from camp, some notable quotes from Sean Payton, Brandon Jones, and Bo Nix, and more!
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Explosive plays continue, but the defense fights back
Like on Day 1, the Broncos had multiple explosive plays during today’s training camp practice. It all started during 7-on-7s when quarterback Bo Nix threw a dime to running back RJ Harvey, who was running a wheel route that went for 20+ yards. It didn’t stop there for Nix. During the first team period, Nix extended the play and found second-year wide receiver Pat Bryant for a 40+ yard touchdown pass. Nix wasn’t the only quarterback making plays today. Jarrett Stidham had two big chunk plays today. The first came on a broken coverage where he hit Hakeem Butler for a 70-yard touchdown, and then later in practice, hit Marvin Mims Jr. for a DEEP touchdown.
However, the defense was going down lightly. After the first team period, the defense stopped the offense and once again stopped them during the final move-the-ball period to end practice. So, while the offense had some fireworks, the defense proved why they are one of the best units in the entire NFL.
Bo Nix met with the media after practice today and was asked how it feels to be back out there practicing after missing most of the offseason due to his ankle. He told reporters that “It feels great. It feels normal” and that both sides of the ball have been making plays and that “It’s just a fun time right now”.
“It feels great. It feels normal. It feels like we’re heading in the right direction as a team. We’re all sort of continuing to get our feet wet the first couple of days, learning some new things and also getting back to our favorites. I think it’s been good to see everybody move around. It’s been a competitive first couple of days, offense and defense, which is what you want to see. Both sides of the ball have been making a lot of plays. It’s just a fun time right now.”
The Broncos offense has started camp hot and has been making explosive plays all over the field. One player who is expected to do that a lot for this team this upcoming season is wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. Nix was asked how it has been working with Waddle thus far and what type of receiver he is. Nix stated that Waddle is an “explosive playmaker” and hyped up all the things Waddle can do and how he will benefit and impact the offense moving forward.
“He’s an explosive playmaker. The guy is really good at what he does. He makes plays, he’s fast, he’s really explosive. He’s great ball in hand, he’s great going to get the ball deep, he’s great in the screen game. He can do just a lot of things. He’s very versatile. He adds an extra element to our offense, and it’s exciting. We have a lot of different weapons that we’re using, and I think top to bottom, this is just a really strong team, really good. We just have to find what works for us and find ways to utilize all our tools.”
Waddle has been as advertised thus far and lined up against cornerback Pat Surtain II during today’s practice and got the better end of the former Defensive Player of the Year.
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While the offense wasn’t as good as they were on Day 1, they are still doing MUCH better than in years past. Typically, we are a week or so into camp and stressing “the defense has the advantage early in camp”. We’re not doing that this year and both sides have been trading blows thus far, which is what you want to see. We’ll see how things shake out when the pads come on starting on Monday.
Ehlinger was the QB2 today as the backup QB competition heats up
Probably the biggest story to come from today’s practice was that backup quarterback Sam Ehlinger ran with the second-team offense while Jarrett Stidham went with the third-team offense. Talks about a potential backup quarterback competition have been whispered about all offseason, and today appeared to be the first real sign of that happening.
Ehlinger has impressed the Broncos coaches on and off the field, and it appears they wanna see if he can push Stidham for that backup role. However, Stidham isn’t going down quietly, as he had two big touchdown passes during today’s practice. The first was to a wide-open Hakeem Butler on a broken play where he went 70 yards for a touchdown. However, later in the practice, he hit Marvin Mims Jr. for a long touchdown while in tight coverage.
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So, while Ehlinger getting QB2 reps is noteworthy, Stidham still performed well.
With all that said, Head Coach Sean Payton downplayed this and made it all sound like a non-story. He told reporters that “he wouldn’t make anything of it”.
“There was nothing remarkable or anything that we discussed in a meeting, so maybe they just unfolded where… But I wouldn’t make anything into it.”
Payton downplaying it is interesting, but it happened and is something we need to monitor moving forward. As I stated, Ehlinger seems like he won over the Broncos coaching staff after signing with them last year and is getting a chance to compete for that backup job. Payton spoke about Ehlinger after practice today and told reporters that they saw “immediate growth” from him last season.
“I think we just sold our program and the offense. There was nothing, we could never promise anything other than… I would say this, we saw immediate growth. I think you’d have to ask him, but I think he felt like, ‘I want to continue with this offense and continue where I’m going.’ I think he felt good about it to make that decision.”
Payton downplayed it, but I do think there is something happening here. As I noted, Stidham responded with two long touchdown passes today, and both players have put their best foot forward thus far. I still would be surprised if Ehlinger surpassed Stidham, but it appears he’s getting a shot to prove himself nonetheless.
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Marvin Mims making a strong case for WR3
The talk all offseason was about the Broncos’ competition at wide receiver for the WR3 role behind Jaylen Waddle and Courtland Sutton between Marvin Mims, Troy Franklin, and Pat Bryant. While Pat Bryant has been making some plays since camp opened, the early leader appears to be Marvin Mims Jr., who has been making plays all camp and stacking good days on top of good days.
Yesterday, he made multiple big plays, and today was no different. As I noted, he caught a long touchdown from Jarrett Stidham and is really making a strong case for more snaps early on in camp.
Head Coach Sean Payton was asked about Mims after practice today, and he once again told reporters that Mims needs more touches, but admitted he does say that a lot.
“Just reliability, consistency. I’ve said this before about [WR Marvin] Mims [Jr.]. You’ve kind of seen it every time. I always feel like more touches. I think it cross-pollinates position groups, tight ends, running backs. Who’s getting it on third down? What’s the design? It doesn’t mean they always get it, but who are we trying to feature on those downs? I think it’s a body of work thing.”
As we know, Mims is in a contract year, so it will be beneficial for him and the team if he goes out and has a career year as a wide receiver. We know he is an All-Pro returner capable of taking it for 6 whenever he touches the ball, but his work as a wide receiver has been rather inconsistent. With that said, he has been very clutch for the Broncos and has shined in the biggest moments for them in recent years, but lacks game-to-game consistency as a pass catcher. If he can put it all together as a receiver, this would make the Broncos’ passing offense even more dangerous and his bank account bigger down the road.
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It should be noted that the team hasn’t put pads on just yet, so we need to take the early standouts with a grain of salt, but it’s still promising to see Mims stand out. Both he and Pat Bryant had big plays today so that WR3 battle seems to be heating up.
Injury Report
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Guard Nick Gargiulo remains on the PUP with a knee injury he suffered last season and is expected to remain on the PUP through the start of camp
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EDGE Drew Sanders did not participate for a second straight practice
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UDFA WR Joseph Manjack missed his second straight practice due to a back injury, but could return to the field as early as Monday’s practice – Source
News and Notes
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Broncos are “laser focused” on opening their new stadium in 2031 – Source
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QB Sam Ehlinger was with the 2nd team during 7-on-7s while Stidham was with the 3rd team
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Bo Nix hit RB RJ Harvey on a wheel route during 7-on-7s that went for 20+ yards and was an absolute dime
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Bo Nix hit WR Pat Bryant for a 40+ yard touchdown pass during the Broncos’ first 11-on-11 team drill
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QB Jarrett Stidham hit Hakeem Butler for a long touchdown pass after a coverage breakdown
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QB Jarrett Stidham hit Marvin Mims Jr. for a 50-yard bomb for a touchdown
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RB RJ Harvey was active in the passing game and is in play for 3rd down work
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Defense wins the final move-the-ball period
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Broncos will be in full pads on Monday
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Broncos HC Sean Payton said the team will explore signing former Saints TE Taysom Hill – Source
Tweets from Camp
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Quotes
Team President Damani Leech on when the purchase agreement for the preferred stadium site will be finalized and what steps remain before moving off the preferred-site label
“Yes, it’s hard to believe. It’s been almost a year since we announced Burnham Yard as our preferred site. It remains our preferred site. We’re laser focused on delivering it by 2031. It’s been a great effort by ownership, ourselves, the staff, the city. I’ve got to be honest, I wish we were further along in some areas than we are now. I think areas where we do control, particularly real estate, you mentioned Burnham Yard, real estate, engaging with the community, we’ve done site tours of the location, the design of the stadium continues to evolve, the master plan continues to evolve. All of those things are moving along really, really well, but we also understand that we can’t do this alone. There are certain things we don’t control. I think as an example, the community benefits process is something that we can’t control. We’ve had a lot of initial great discussions with community representatives. More recently here, it’s been on more of a staff level. We’re eager to engage with those community members directly, understand what they’re looking for, what needs and interests they have on the development. Things like that, we have to continue to progress. We said many months ago, this is an ambitious timeline, so for that to happen, we need everybody to be involved. We can’t do it alone in order to get to 2031.”
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Team President Damani Leech on discussions about hosting a future Super Bowl and how soon that could happen
“It’s certainly something that’s on our minds. It’s on the mayor’s mind, the governor’s mind, I think fans as well. (Laughs) I wouldn’t say it’s a thing that we think about every day. We do understand that the league is pretty prescriptive about how they award those well into the future, so it’s definitely something worth thinking about. Obviously, we’ve got to get into the stadium and operate it for at least a couple of years before we can play a Super Bowl, but I would love to host the Super Bowl.”
HC Sean Payton on QB Bo Nix’s ability extend plays
“It’s one of his superpowers. It’s hard to sack some quarterbacks; he’s one of them. That was something you saw on college tape. In our league when you take a sack, you just do the analytics on what your points become in that drive, or likelihood to kick a field goal and it all drops dramatically. So it’s certainly one of his strengths.”
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HC Sean Payton on DT Malcolm Roach‘s importance to the defense
“He’s got a lot of juice. He’s one of those compound multipliers. A lot of his traits it’s infectious. I’ve said that about [RB] J.K. [Dobbins], you hear him before you see him. They practice hard. I think all the way back to when he was undrafted out of Texas and we signed him, the improvement at his position for him has been remarkable. He’s always going to be looking at what he can do a little better, how he can play on third down relative to the rush. He’s got really good football I.Q. and I think that it kind of shows up on film even at the defensive tackle position.”
HC Sean Payton on if RB RJ Harvey has improved enough to contribute on third downs
“Yes. Fair question because one of the harder transitions for the runner is just the third-down pressure looks. In college, a lot of the protection plans may not be as extensive—some are. I think as a receiver, that was the one thing we saw immediately with him a year ago in his rookie season. Today he had a few big plays, so he’ll certainly be in that position.”
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S Brandon Jones on WR Jaylen Waddle
“He’s exactly who he was in Miami. Might be a little faster, which is insane. I didn’t think that was physically possible, but great teammate, great person. He just brings a different type of juice. It’s a guy that can align anywhere, can catch any ball, run any route. Talks a lot of smack, too, which I appreciate. You kind of need that, especially during a training camp setting. (Laughs) Great dude, great teammate.”
QB Bo Nix on Head Coach Sean Payton saying he is right where the team wanted him to be
“I feel great. I feel normal. Nothing’s holding me back. I’m out there playing like I normally do and feel really good in my spot. I’m going to continue to push it and progress, and also continue to physically get ready for this long season. Right now, I’m exactly where I want to be for our plan, and actually was a little bit ahead of where I was last year going into the season, going into the summer. I feel really good, feel like I’m in a good spot. I think it’s showing on the field.”
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QB Bo Nix on if he has thought about not taking off running quite as much
“Absolutely not. I’m going to roll, and I’m going to be as athletic as I can be. Like the earlier question, it’s a strength of ours and we have to use our strengths. For me, that’s when I feel at my best and that’s when I feel free. When I’m playing like that, when I’m moving around it’s a good thing, but at the same time, I also know what it’s like to not have that asset and have to stay in the pocket. I feel strong no matter what the play’s going to be, no matter what happens defensively, no matter what my reaction is, I feel capable of doing it.”
QB Bo Nix on getting reps at communication with Offensive Coordinator Davis Webb during practice
“It’s been really good. Honestly I feel like we picked up right where they left off in spring. I feel like we picked up right where we left off with [Head] Coach [Sean Payton]. It’s the voice in my ear, but both, Coach and [Offensive Coordinator] Davis [Webb], are very calm, decisive, give me the play. I feel like Davis is doing a really good job of communicating with me and not overcommunicating, but just give me a few things here and there, 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.”
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QB Bo Nix on if he had a conversation with Head Coach Sean Payton this offseason about the possibility of Offensive Coordinator Davis Webb calling plays
“Well honestly, I don’t specifically remember it. I know that was a long process, getting him here in the first place, [Head] Coach [Sean Payton] calling it for me the first couple of years, getting the foundation in. I think it was just Coach’s decision. I think it was a good decision for all. Coach is not going to go away. He’s still going to be there. He’s still going to be alongside Davis on the sideline with a call sheet, same system. We’re just going to attack it how we see fit. We have good comms, good communication, a good process. We’re going to have a lot of people seeing a lot of different things which is good, always what a quarterback wants. So not much is going to change, just a different voice in my ear and maybe just a different diagram on the play sheet.”
QB Bo Nix on if he feels like his experience shows up more in understanding the offense or being able to read defenses heading into Year 3
“I think it’s both. I think it’s understanding my playbook and understanding what we’re doing so that we can attack defenses. I think when you have a second-nature thought process and you know the play and you’re not thinking about operation, or emotion or a route concept or a handoff point, you can attack the defense in a little bit more of a strategic way. So my eyes are up a little bit more. I just feel comfortable. It’s like riding a bike for the third year as opposed to the first. You get up on it and it’s just by memory at this point. I feel good. I feel like there’s a lot of growth to be had. Just in practice, there are things that I know and we’ve gone over in meetings. I see a look and I have to get to something faster, but at least I’m recognizing it quicker and that’s one step to getting there. I’m excited about the growth and know that there’s plenty left, but also I feel strongly where I’m at.”
