Attendance

Did not practice: Physically Unable to Perform list — OLB Baron Browning (knee). Non-Football Injury list — DL Mike Purcell (knee).

Rookie cornerback Riley Moss missed practice for the third day in a row, with head coach Sean Payton finally addressing the reason for his absence: a core muscle injury that required surgery.

Middle linebacker Jonas Griffith did not participate in practice after getting dinged up Tuesday, and Payton declined to specify what sidelined him. In addition, outside linebacker Aaron Patrick did not participate, potentially as a rest day for a player coming off a major injury (torn ACL).

New injuries

In a welcome change, the Broncos came away unscathed from a relatively light practice. Additionally, edge rusher Frank Clark returned after not participating the last two days.

Top Play

Brandon Johnson may very well have pole position in the quest to replace Tim Patrick, who was lost to a season-ending Achilles injury earlier in the week. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound second-year receiver has been running with the 1s this week, and showed why in 1-on-1 drills with a nifty toe-tapping grab off a 40-yard pass from Jarrett Stidham that easily delivered the loudest ovation of the day.

Thumbs Up

Looking Bonitto: Tough as it might be to judge the effectiveness of edge rushers in training camp, it was hard not to notice Nik Bonitto getting into the Broncos backfield on Wednesday. That included one play in the first period of red zone work that saw him jump the snap and apply immediate pressure on quarterback Russell Wilson, forcing a rushed throw that was batted down by K’Waun Williams at the line of scrimmage.

“Sometimes it’s a bigger learning curve for guys,” Payton said when asked what he wanted to see from Bonitto in Year 2. “… This will be a big training camp for him.”

Thumbs Down

More picks: Another day, another play where Justin Simmons gets the best of Russell Wilson. This time, it came on the quarterback’s first throw of competitive 11-on-11 drills, with Wilson seemingly trying to fit a ball into triple coverage only for the pass to sail over the intended target and into the arms of Simmons.

While Simmons deserves a tip of the cap for his third straight day with a pick of his teammate, Wilson’s errant throw and questionable decision-making warrants a wag of the finger.

The pick was the first of two interceptions thrown by Russ on Wednesday, with the second coming in the last red zone period and again featuring a debatable decision followed by an errant throw. Wilson had a target toward the left corner of the end zone, but instead opted to squeeze the ball into a small window with Jeudy streaking across the middle. The throw was behind Jeudy, and K’Waun Williams made a spectacular play on the ball, holding on through contact with one of his defensive teammates. So, yeah, two guys were right there.

Odds and Ends

• In addition to the two interceptions, Russell Wilson also missed an open Jerry Jeudy for what may have been a touchdown at the start of the second red zone session.

• Looking for a silver lining for Wilson and the offense on an otherwise unimpressive day? Let’s go with Wilson and Courtland Sutton hooking up for a touchdown on the second red zone play on the day. Wilson rolled to his left and found Sutton on an out-breaking route with a precise pass.

Unfortunately, that was about it. So, how worried was Sean Payton?

“You’re asking me to grade today’s practice?” an incredulous Payton asked. “… No big whoop, he’s doing fine.”

• If Montrell Washington can’t make the team as a returner, perhaps he could be a deep threat? For the second day in a row, the second-year receiver/returner out of Samford looked impressive hauling in a long ball during drills.

• Another bright spot for the offense: Veteran tight end Adam Trautman looked awfully good going up to catch a pair of passes from backup QBs Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci in 11-on-11 work.

• On Tuesday, veteran Kareem Jackson commented on the bond in the secondary between himself and fellow safety Caden Sterns, while also making sure to mention he had no intention of ceding his starting job to his younger teammate. Asked about those comments, Sterns was complimentary, but also got in a dig: “That’s big bro. … Really an uncle, (because) he’s older. Really old.”

• Broncos punter Riley Dixon did some solid work pinning balls inside the 10-yard. As did Devon Key catching them (twice).

• There was a minor skirmish (heavy emphasis on “minor”) after defensive tackle PJ Mustipher brought Jaleel McLaughlin to the ground in 11-on-11 drills. Given that defensive players weren’t supposed to be tackling, center Kyle Fuller took exception to the play — just not enough to launch more than a little chest-bumping.

• Payton said the Broncos will do more red zone installation Thursday before going through their first competitive two-minute drill work on Friday.

• Referees will speak to the Broncos about rule changes — kickoff fair catches going directly to the 25-yard line is the big one — on Thursday and will have a presence at practice after that.

Thursday’s schedule

The Broncos are back on the field for practice, but it is not open to the public.

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