The Denver Broncos wrapped up their second and final acclimation day on Thursday ahead of the official start of training camp on Friday. These first few days are about players getting their feet under them ahead of a grueling summer schedule.
“You’re getting back into it,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said Wednesday. “They left in good shape. The five weeks between when we were last here and now, these guys all do a good job of training, whether they’re here local or somewhere else. But the installation — I just mentioned to them — is a process. We’re going to have four straight days of installation and then when the pads come on, we’ll be back with the same installation. So it’s retaining, getting a chance to repeat and put the mistakes behind you.
“So there are a number of things. Getting back into wearing your football shoes on the grass and moving around. I thought today was a good start. We weren’t long out there. It’s building it up. Before — I mean years ago — you’d have your report day and that afternoon, there’d be a conditioning test. It’s just changed a lot.”
Here are five quick takeaways from Thursday’s light session.
Broncos pre-training camp takeaways
1. Broncos injury report: Denver wide receiver A.T. Perry (ankle; PUP) remains sidelined, and right tackle Mike McGlinchey also did not practice Thursday, but it’s unknown why the tackle did not suit up. It’s worth noting that Payton just noted on Wednesday that select players will get rest days in the coming weeks, and the team isn’t required to release injury details this time of year. So we’ll have to wait for an update on McGlinchey’s status.
2. Iron sharpens iron in the trenches: The Broncos have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, and perhaps one of the most underrated defensive lines. Their daily battles at camp make each side better. “It’s incredible to be able to go against Zach Allen every single day,” guard Quinn Meinerz said. “I win some, he wins some, and it’s a nonstop battle. We both have a ton of passion and grit for this game. When we’re out there battling and then when we’re done, we’re asking, ‘Hey, why did you do that? Why did you do this?’ We’re bouncing ideas off of each other because he also has that drive to be the best in the league. It’s incredible to build work together with these guys. D.J. Jones is a hard person to move in the run game and John-Franklin Myers — we have such depth at all of these positions that I have to wake up every morning preparing to go against these guys. It’s great to have a great defensive line and a great offensive line going together because it’s only going to make us better.”
3. Bo Nix continues to impress: Denver has had two days of media availability so far, and all four players who have met the press praised their second-year quarterback. “First and foremost, I think he’s just a smart player,” safety Talanoa Hufanga said Thursday. “Then you get on the field and you see how accurate he is and what kind of arm he has. Especially at the first day at OTAs, the first ball was over everybody’s head and I was like, ‘Wow.’ You have to account for those kind of things. Not every game that you play in the NFL are you going to play a quarterback that can launch it that far. For him, he has that ability to just get it over the defense’s head and that changes your perspective on how to play him. [And] to see [what kind of] teammate that he, [he] is a great person and great player. Just seeing how he handles himself in the locker room and the cafeteria and all that, I’m excited to play with him.”
4. Broncos aren’t getting ahead of themselves: When asked about the Kansas City Chiefs, Meinerz said the Broncos aren’t “taking any of that cheese.” The All-Pro lineman made it clear that Denver is solely focused on in-house improvements. “[W]e’re here to work and we’re here to become better and that’s just the bottom line,” Meinerz said. Hufanga has a similar mentality. “The goal for every team should be the Super Bowl, right?” the safety said. “Do we look at it that way? No. We look at it day-by-day. A person who goes out to war in the Army — I’ve talked to them — they do not think about Thanksgiving, they don’t think about Christmas. They think about that day that they’re in and what they got to do that day to execute. That’s what we got to do. I know it’s not that serious [as it is in the military]. We get to go home to our wives, our children and stuff like that. Those are the goals that we put out there for us to execute the right way.” The Broncos have big goals, but they’re focused on improving one day at a time.
5. The action picks up tomorrow: After two light acclimation days, the Broncos will pick up the tempo with the first official day of camp set for Friday. Denver will have 13 practices with fans in attendance this summer, and three preseason games in August. Football is officially back.
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