ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos dove right into practicing situational football as training camp officially began Friday.
In their first open practice of 2024 Training Camp powered by Ford, the Broncos focused extensively on third-down work in seven-on-seven and 11-on-11 action.
A late team period, in particular, offered the Broncos a chance to practice various third-down situations. In consecutive plays, the team faced third-and-3, third-and-5, third-and-7 and third-and-12 scenarios.
The results varied, as the Broncos' offense and defense each earned their share of wins. In seven-on-seven action, Zach Wilson found Lucas Krull for a 20-yard gain as he received his turn in the rotation to work with the first-team offense. Jarrett Stidham fired several completions, with a pass to David Sills among the most impressive. In one of Bo Nix's reps, the rookie found Michael Bandy in stride for a first-down completion.
Later, in 11-on-11 action, Wilson found Marvin Mims Jr. and Bandy for potential first-down pickups, while both Stidham and Nix may have helped pick up third-and-long conversions with passes to Devaughn Vele and Nate Adkins, respectively.
"I think it's about how quickly can you process, and can the ball come out of your hands?" Payton said of the Broncos' quarterbacks in regards to taking chances. "When we're working third-and-12, I'm telling them, 'Hey, it's complete or incomplete.' Punting the ball at that point is not a bad thing, when you start statistically looking at what percentage of conversions are you going to have. So it's being confident in the route and what your eyes are seeing. It's a big part of what makes someone really successful in our league, and then what maybe makes someone not as successful. It's that fine line of, 'I like it, I don't like it, I like it too much.' That's what we spend a lot of time evaluating on college tape."
Denver's defense, though, also found plenty of success. Cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian provided close coverage and cornerback Riley Moss recorded a pass breakup in seven-on-seven work, while inside linebacker Justin Strnad posted a pass breakup and cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine stayed with his assignment to prevent a completion in 11-on-11 action.
Outside linebackers Baron Browning and Ronnie Perkins were among the players who likely would have recorded sacks in game action during 11-on-11 reps, while rookie Jonah Elliss showed a strong rush on one team play. The Broncos' defensive line also smothered several run attempts. Cornerback Reese Taylor, meanwhile, nearly snagged the first interception of training camp during a third-and-5 simulation.
QB EVALUATION
Wilson, Stidham and Nix found varying levels of success during the first open practice of camp, but Payton said there's more to the evaluation process than the immediate result of the play.
"There's things you have to evaluate sometimes," Payton said. "In other words, the pocket — was it broken down? There's certain things that can take place that may affect their execution, so when you're evaluating and you're grading the reps, you take all of that into account."
Payton said the group with which they're playing — whether it's the first, second or third team — is also factored into the evaluation process.
Through three practices, though, Payton said he's noticed some positive trends with the Broncos' signal-callers.
"I like the way they're protecting the ball," Payton said. "I think they're working through their progressions. They all can move and they all can run some. I think that's also been a plus in our league. They're getting a lot of looks thrown at them, especially today with third down. But overall, there's a lot that goes into that evaluation."
REYNOLDS MAKES AN IMPACT
Several Broncos wide receivers made multiple catches during Friday's practice, including free-agent addition Josh Reynolds.
The former Detroit Lion got involved early during seven-on-seven work before making a pair of catches in 11-on-11 action. He was also targeted on a couple of other occasions.
"He's flexible, he's smart," Payton said of Reynolds. "He's someone who has — believe it or not — he's linear built, but he can block. I think he has good hands in traffic, and I like his stature. I like his length. [Pass Game Coordinator] Johnny Morton … worked with him in Detroit. We had a little bit more knowledge of the player. He loves playing. If you guys are around him or you're interviewing him, and you see him in the mornings, he's one of those guys who's upbeat. He seems to be having a good day, and really seems to enjoy what he's doing. He's been a good addition."
QUICK HITS
… Moss had a productive morning, as he recorded multiple pass breakups, nearly secured an interception and downed a punt at the 1-yard line during a special teams drill.
… Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin each broke free at times during the session, with McLaughlin showing his speed as he raced up the sideline on one rep.
