Schools are letting out for summer around the country and break arrives for the Broncos by the end of this week, too.

There’s plenty of work left to be done, though, over the team’s three-day mandatory minicamp, which begins Tuesday.

These are the first mandatory days of the offseason. Most players and coaches have been participating in the voluntary work since before the NFL Draft. Head coach Sean Payton likes several of those weeks to be mostly about the weight room rather than on-field work.

Now, though, they’ll get part of this week to go over more installations and provide the final tune-up before everybody disappears for a few weeks and returns at the end of July for training camp.

Here are a couple of storylines worth watching the next three days:

QB race movement?

Payton’s approach to three weeks of organized team activities was pretty straightforward. Three quarterbacks, three days per week. Each one got a day running with the top offense each week.

A three-day minicamp, then, should also be straightforward for Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson, right?

We’ll find out.

Payton and company can continue splitting things up evenly between the three quarterbacks this week, but the rubber is going to meet the road quickly when training camp starts. Will Payton name a starter early in camp? Or will the offensive braintrust at least start tilting repetitions toward one or two of the trio? Given the overall inexperienced among the three, whoever ends up starting Week 1 would certainly benefit from as many training camp reps as possible.

Payton could also instead start to tinker with the number of reps this week.

In the three open practices (out of 10 total) in recent weeks, Stidham and Nix have played more consistently than Wilson. None has been leaps and bounds better than the others, at least as far as outside observation goes.

“This group of quarterbacks in general are kind of like gym rats,” Payton said last week. “They enjoy the process. It’s been a good room. … These guys are doing well. They’re pushing each other.”

Whether the Broncos stick on their OTA plan for the quarterbacks or start to shift the reps some, Nix, Stidham and Wilson will continue to be the biggest story of the summer for Denver.

Hello, Court

The quarterbacks will have Courtland Sutton in the building for the first time this offseason, too. Denver’s top receiver skipped the voluntary portion of workouts to make it clear he wants his contract addressed. He confirmed last week, though, that he’ll be in town this week for the mandatory work.

One outstanding question, though: How much actual practice time will he get? Sutton doesn’t have to be a full practice participant to avoid about $100,000 in fine money. He just has to be in attendance.

Payton has repeatedly spoken highly of Sutton’s work ethic, and the 29-year-old receiver has been working out on his own in Florida. So will Denver throw him right into a heavy workload? Get him some reps with the quarterback? Or have him mostly as an observer this week?

TE Progress?

There are jobs up for grabs across the roster, but most of them won’t be settled until sometime in training camp.

Cornerback No. 2? Prime spots in the receiver rotation? Running back? Center? Inside linebacker next to Alex Singleton? All will be down-ballot from the quarterback race but interesting nonetheless two months from now.

One position that has as many question marks as any, though, is tight end. Payton gushed about Lucas Krull recently, saying after one strong practice that he told Krull, “Someday soon, they’re going to know who 85 is.”

Another consideration is whether it’s possible the Broncos will see Greg Dulcich back this week for minicamp. He’s been working out on the side field during open OTA practices as he rehabs from hamstring and foot injuries that combined to cost him nearly all of 2023.

Payton early in OTAs said that, “it’s not going to be (that) we don’t see him until training camp.”

In terms of on-field work, this will be Dulcich’s last chance before camp.

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