ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — When Broncos Owner & CEO Greg Penner sat down in front of media on Wednesday to close the book on the 2024 season, he began with an expression of gratitude.

He thanked the players, coaches and the staff, and then spoke further about the contributions of three individuals: Head Coach Sean Payton, General Manager George Paton and, lastly, Beau Lowery, a man who is certainly less well known to Broncos Country.

Lowery, the Broncos' Vice President of Player Health & Performance, played a key role during the team's march to its first playoff appearance in nearly a decade, and Penner made sure his contributions did not go unnoticed.

"We were top five in terms of health, and that's a big turnaround from where we were a couple of years ago," Penner said. "Beau Lowery and his whole group are doing a terrific job."

Lowery joined the Broncos in 2023 in a newly created role that oversees the different elements of the player-performance puzzle. He and the organization placed an emphasis on personnel, structure and data while fusing that knowledge with the day-to-day planning on the practice fields, in the training room and in the weight room.

"Two things that I would primarily attribute it to: One was bringing in someone like Beau Lowery, who sits above the training room, strength and conditioning, nutrition, sport science and sees all those verticals but looks at it on a horizontal basis by athlete," Penner said. "That was a big change for us.

"[The] second thing was then marrying that up and the data they're seeing and all that with how the coaches are structuring practice. So, you want enough of that physical practice where players get calloused at the right points in the season, and then you've got to make sure to give them the rest when they need the rest. If you can get that right and look at it on an athlete-by-athlete basis, to me, … those two things have been the biggest contributors to our success."

PASSPORTS AT THE READY

Nearly three years after notching the organization's first international regular-season win, the Broncos could potentially be heading back overseas in 2025.

Two of Denver's 2025 opponents have been designated as host teams for games in Europe, with the Jets set to play in London's Tottenham Hostpur Stadium and the Colts set to play at Berlin's Olympic Stadium.

"It's very possible we end up playing in a game in London or Berlin," Penner said. "I think Sean has a great approach to these things, which is, 'Hey, that's an opportunity for the team to have some time to bond in a different way.' You saw that with the team this year at The Greenbrier, which I think was helpful for the team building a young group and a culture. We welcome that, if we have the opportunity to do it."

In September, the Broncos spent nearly a week at The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia between two East Coast games. After beating the Buccaneers in Tampa, the team traveled to White Sulphur Springs, practiced at The Greenbrier's facility (which has hosted other teams for training camps in recent years) and then made a short flight to New York, capping the trip with a win over the Jets. The stretch appeared to be a galvanizing one for the Broncos, as the team overcame a 0-2 start and went on a 9-3 run.

If the Broncos are selected for one of the games, it would represent the team's third international regular-season game in franchise history. Prior to a win over the Jaguars in 2022 at Wembley Stadium, the team played the 49ers in 2010. Should the Broncos play against the Colts in Germany, they will appear in the NFL's first-ever regular-season game played in Berlin. Denver also previously played a preseason game at Berlin's Olympic Stadium in a 1992 American Bowl game against the Dolphins.

FACILITY, STADIUM UPDATES

As the Broncos built toward a playoff appearance throughout the 2024 season, it was hard not to notice the building going on in the background of outdoor practices. During the summer, the organization broke ground on the site for the team's next practice facility, and gradually it has taken shape, with a crane now towering over the land where the fan-filled grassy berm once sat.

When the plans were announced in 2023, the team said it expected to complete the facility in 2026, and Penner said Wednesday that construction has been "going according to plan."

"We broke ground on the new training facility in September, and we're about 10 to 15 percent of the way there, in terms of completion on construction," Penner said. "We're about 90 percent of the way there on design. Everything's going according to plan. We had some snow days baked in. I think we've only had two days off so far, so things are progressing as planned, and we couldn't be more excited about how that's coming together. Our goal is to only have one training camp where that really disrupts our training camp. I think you all saw it this season. We managed the practice very well. Sean — the whole staff was great. Didn't disrupt us at all. So that's all on track, and we're really pleased."

The Broncos' home on Sundays in the fall also has continued to be discussed, and Penner said the organization is continuing to evaluate the situation.

"We're continuing to do our [due] diligence," Penner said. "It is a complex question and decision of what we decide to do, and we haven't ruled out anything at this point. We're still looking at options on the current site [and] around Denver. We've visited other places like Lone Tree. We've still got more steps to take there."

GETTING ON THREADS

Amid a 2024 offseason that included a transition at starting quarterback, perhaps the most highly anticipation change came to the Broncos' look, as the team unveiled a new set of uniforms for the first time since 1997.

The Broncos presented its "Mile High Collection" as a modern set of uniforms and paired them with the classic throwbacks as an extra alternate uniform.

"The fans' perception, I think, varied," Penner said. "The one thing I would say about the fans was that there was very strong interest. I think some loved it, some didn't like it. And I think that's to be expected. But they definitely care. I think we wore 13 different combinations this year ... including the throwbacks. I think, unanimously, everybody loved the throwbacks. I like the navy with the snowcap helmets. I think those are great as well. The core uniform, I thought, looked great."