Broncos training camp primer: Position battles, storylines, numbers and subplots as Year 3 under Sean Payton begins
The aspens won t start changing colors for months and the heat of summer isn t done baking the Front Range All the same an early precursor to fall is upon us The Broncos record to training camp Tuesday and hit the field for the first time Wednesday By Friday fans will make their way to Broncos Park albeit in a makeshift way around the club s headquarters construction project for the first of more than a dozen open camp practices It s not quite time for real football just yet Denver s first preseason battle is Aug at San Francisco and the regular season doesn t open until Sept against Tennessee at Empower Field Still this week marks the beginning of Sean Payton s third season at the helm in Denver It begins with more optimism and more external expectations than either of his first two seasons here and arguably any since Peyton Manning retired A playoff appearance As in recent weeks as a year ago such a benchmark might have felt more like a mirage than an oasis in the midst of a near-decade-long desert Now Payton considers it base camp Sure it takes grueling training and plenty of adversity to get there but any real goals or true sense of accomplishment can only be revealed further uphill As the offseason ends and that mission kicks into gear around the NFL here s a guide to Broncos training camp and all the storylines to watch between now and Week Offseason skinny From the day after the Broncos - Wild Card loss at Buffalo in January the club s offseason has proceeded along two different tracks The roster stayed largely intact with of the top defenders by playing time returning and every major offensive contributor back except for running back Javonte Williams That allowed for a targeted approach to adding via free agency and the draft Off the field however it s been an offseason of change Teams raided Sean Payton s coaching staff and George Paton s front office leading to several departures and retooling in both departments There are major pieces back in both of module highlighted by defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and newly promoted assistant general manager Reed Burckhardt And despite all the turnover a palpable sense of continuity and calm permeates because of the leaders at the top in Payton Paton and CEO owner Greg Penner Impact additions The progress made by various young players last year left the Broncos roster in an enviable spot heading into free agency and the draft Solid and with weaknesses at positions that are on the easier side to address So Denver did just that in early free agency landing a trio of veteran proven impact players though each with his own lengthy injury sheet in tight end Evan Engram safety Talaoa Hufanga and inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw Ready set rookie Several members of the Broncos draft class will be counted on to produce right away led by first-round corner Jahdae Barron and second-round running back RJ Harvey The list doesn t end there however Sixth-round punter Jeremy Crawshaw is the man unless he proves he s not ready while mid-round defenders like defensive lineman Sai Vion Jones and edge Que Robinson play in deep position groups but have traits that could allow them to carve out roles early Two broad questions Can the Broncos handle the hype There will be no surprise run from Payton s squad this fall They re widely considered at least a Wild Card contender and anywhere from doable Kansas City dethroner to Super Bowl dark horse to fully ready to join the AFC s upper crust Payton last year had his crew convinced that the modest external expectations meant nothing and could be used as fuel They ll need a different accelerant this time around Is this defense good The Broncos checked in near the top of the NFL across a multitude of categories last year including EPA scoring sacks pressure rate and red zone performance They really only lost ILB Cody Barton from that group and they ve added Greenlaw Hufanga and Barron plus they should get ILB Alex Singleton back from a torn ACL that cost him the final games of the regular season That makes for a group that s got sky-high expectations around the league and even loftier goals internally Extension A training camp subplot Denver features several key players entering the final year of their contracts That list includes defensive linemen Zach Allen John Franklin-Myers and Malcolm Roach edge Nik Bonitto and wide receiver Courtland Sutton Only Bonitto is nearing the end of his first contract Last year the Broncos got a four-year deal done with Jonathon Cooper midway through the season Perhaps they go the same direction with Bonitto The others are all intriguing Allen feels like a sure bet but can Denver really pay all of its talented defensive linemen And after a spring of kumbaya and good vibes between Sutton and the group does a deal in fact get done Remember the Broncos like their young receivers and drafted Pat Bryant in the third round in April a guy who plays like Sutton and whom Payton has outlined a similar vision for For reference last year s major extensions came on the following timeline Quinn Meinerz in mid-July Pat Surtain II going into Week Cooper in Week and Garett Bolles in Week Best position battles Nickel This could end up being Barron vs Ja Quan McMillian straight up to be the starter in what either way will be one of the best trios in football McMillian has made his share of plays but Barron s a first-round pick for a reason Running back There s little doubt J K Dobbins and RJ Harvey are featured prominently in Payton s offensive plan But A In what order and capacities And B Who else is in the picture Jaleel McLaughlin had a strong offseason campaign and is the most of accomplished of the rest Audric Estime is just entering his second year after being one of the youngest backs in football as a rookie And Tyler Badie got the nod in a playoff tournament over Estime after being out for weeks Let the wild rumpus begin Wide receiver Not so much who but how Try to guess the number of targets for a young receiving group after Sutton and you could come up with a dozen different combinations Is the Marvin Mims Jr ascension really here Is Devaughn Vele a third-down machine as a rookie next up Or is Troy Franklin as talented as anybody in the room primed for the big breakout Then there s Bryant and maybe another young contestant like A T Perry or an undrafted rookie who will be trying to make moves too Numbers to know The Broncos sack differential sacks generated minus sacks taken That led the NFL by a wide margin Baltimore was No at plus- It s a number Payton considers critical and one Denver should fare well again in this fall Continuity on both the offensive and defensive lines for Denver among players who played an offensive or defensive snap last year A rarely seen level of retention in the trenches that the Broncos cannot squander Catches by four Broncos tight ends on targets last year They went for yards Engram the new guy in the room approached those numbers for in just nine games for Jacksonville Total regular-season games missed the past two years by Denver s four biggest free-agent additions who have all had substantial injury issues Of regular-season games each Dobbins Achilles knee has missed Hufanga knee wrist and Greenlaw Achilles calf each and Engram hamstring shoulder eight Training camp basics The Broncos have open training camp practices beginning Friday July but limited limit due to ongoing construction The squad put up temporary bleachers for about fans over the parking lot while its headquarters are under construction Tickets are required to attend practice Tickets are free but the initial availability sold out within minutes of becoming available per the association They plan to release a limited number going forward at ticketmaster com broncos Each open practice begins at a m The Bo Show You didn t genuinely think we d get through an entire preseason primer without particular quarterback talk did you Of unit not So much of the Broncos momentum is propelled by what Bo Nix did in his rookie season Not only the total touchdowns and wins but the way he took command of the locker room and looked settled shouldering everything that comes with being the face of a franchise Related Articles Broncos training camp Five breakout candidates to watch this summer Broncos Nik Bonitto feels he s in good position for extension as training camp nears Keeler Broncos offensive line has stomach for Super Bowl run for Sean Payton in Broncos position preview High expectations after offseason of change for Denver s special teams Lawsuit between Shannon Sharpe woman who accused him of rape resolved lawyer says The challenges are clear but how Nix and the Broncos handle them remains to be seen The league s got a book on the No overall pick now They ll try to force him into less at ease parts of his battle Nix and Payton know this and will counterpunch It s the great cat-and-mouse battle of football Somebody pops up as a surprise the league reacts with force Then it becomes a race to stay ahead of the curve That s Nix s challenge He got to enjoy his smoothest offseason in years He s got continuity for the first time since high school He s got his position coach and backup back in Davis Webb and Jarrett Stidham respectively He s got the entire offensive line in front of him back in the fold and majority of his skill players from last year plus Engram Bryant Dobbins and Harvey Unlike last year he s also got the burden of real loud external expectations What does Year look like for Nix We re all about to find out together Want more Broncos news Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis
