Attendance

Did not practice: Physically Unable to Perform list — S Delarrin Turner-Yell (knee) and LB Drew Sanders (Achilles). Non-Football Injury list — RB Blake Watson (muscle strain). Out — DL John Franklin-Myers (personal).

The Broncos had their first big injury of the year during a 9-on-7 drill when offensive lineman Quinn Bailey suffered a fractured right ankle, head coach Sean Payton said.

QB Race Today

Bo Nix took the No. 1 reps Wednesday and it happened to be Denver’s heaviest workload in pads so far this season. The team went through not only 9-on-7 but then four periods of team work — they’d not done more than three in a day so far in camp.

Nix had probably his sharpest day so far. He squeezed a tight throw into Josh Reynolds past Pat Surtain II, then hit Reynolds on a perfectly placed throw to the sideline high above the reach of nickel Ja’Quan McMillian. The operation was smoother, too, after Nix had some issues recently with snap counts and center-quarterback exchanges. Zach Wilson handled the second-team reps and Jarrett Stidham ran the third team on Wednesday. Since Wilson took the first-team reps Friday, the top work has gone: Stidham Saturday, Nix Monday, Stidham Tuesday, Nix Wednesday.

Said Payton of Nix: “We’ll see the tape and evaluate it, but I thought overall (he did) pretty well. There’s clips, plays that you’ll correct it and there’s others where you’re going to say, ‘Hey.’ … He ran with the ones and I like his progress.”

Top Play

If it wasn’t clear already, this was Josh Reynolds’ day. The 6-foot-3 receiver went high over Ja’Quan McMillian and then again later ranged above cornerback Levi Wallace for a big gain along the sideline on a pass from Zach Wilson. He worked over the middle, on the outside and showed the ability to make plays wherever he lined up. That, plus his work in the run game, is why the Broncos were excited to land him later in free agency.

“Shoot, he had three or four catches that were something else,” Payton said. “… He’s a tough player. He’s got range. You saw it today, there were several 50/50 balls that he ended up with.”

Thumbs Up

Receiver depth: The Broncos may not end up having an elite wide receiver room, but one thing that’s becoming clear is that they’re going to have stiff competition to make the roster. A trio of players who spent most or all of last year on the practice squad — Lil’Jordan Humphrey, David Sills IV and Michael Bandy — in particular have had quality training camps so far. There won’t be room for everybody. It’s going to be a good battle for the next four weeks.

Thumbs Down

Guys on the ground: Injuries happen in football. Offensive linemen get rolled up on. It’s possible Quinn Bailey would have been injured regardless of what happened Wednesday. Still, the difference in the number of players on the ground preceding the injury was noticeable compared to Tuesday’s team sessions. It’s why coaches harp on players to help keep each other up in practice so frequently. When bodies are hitting the deck, freak things happen more frequently.

Odds and Ends

• Four edge rushers are pretty squarely on the 53-man roster in Baron Browning, Jonathon Cooper, Nik Bonitto and rookie Jonah Elliss. The battle for a final spot or two has been a good one so far. Second-year man Thomas Incoom has generated consistent pressure. Durell Nchami and Jaylon Allen have done good things, too. Ronnie Perkins, claimed last year from New England, has had perhaps the most disruptive first week-plus of any of them and he’s done it more frequently rotating in with the top groups.

• Speaking of those players, Payton was complimentary on Wednesday of the early returns on Elliss, whom the Broncos drafted in the third round of April’s draft. “The evaluation has just begun, but we saw a lot of things that we really liked on his college tape,” Payton said. “… We’re encouraged to work with him and we feel like he can be a contributor.”

• Luke Wattenberg got most of the top-line work at center early in camp but recently Alex Forsyth (Tuesday) and veteran Sam Mustipher (Wednesday) have got run, too. Bailey’s injury hurts Denver’s depth up front but they’ve still got several options to work through filling out the reserve spots even after the center battle is decided.

• Matt Peart might have been an under-the-radar signing in free agency this year, but he could well be the Broncos’ swing tackle. That’s a position Payton has previously said is a critical one given the nature of the position and the rarity of having two tackles stay healthy the entire season.

• TE Greg Dulcich has had a positive start to camp. On Wednesday, Payton said Dulcich remains “a little behind” as a blocker but noted that they’re not doing Dulcich any favors if they ask him to do things on the field that he just can’t. “Certainly I see him as a space player,” Payton said. “A guy that can give us matchup advantages. And then we’ll be smart relative to what type of run schemes — the easy schemes where he’s up on a safety, backside cutoff. There’s certain run schemes that he’ll be utilized more in than others.”

Thursday schedule

Parking lots open at 8 a.m., gates at 9 a.m. and practice runs 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

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Originally Published: July 31, 2024 at 2:29 p.m.