ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — As the Broncos put the pads back on ahead of their first preseason game, Head Coach Sean Payton saw room for his team to improve.

"I thought it was OK," Payton said of Tuesday's practice. "It wasn't one of our better practices. We've got to turn it around tomorrow and get some better work done."

Payton later said that the practice would potentially look different to him when he watched the film, but he said that "mentally, I thought we hit a wall a little bit" on Day 10 of open practice.

"When you come off the field, there's times where you feel like, 'Man,'" Payton said. "I thought it was just OK. We'll be sharper tomorrow."

Payton said Wednesday will offer an opportunity to see how the team responds, and he will look for strides as the team moves forward in training camp.

"We'll look at the tape, and it probably won't be as bad," Payton said. "It's pretty common for me to go in there and say, 'All right, maybe it was just me.' Tomorrow will be another day in pads, and you want to see improvement."

'WE'VE GOT TO KEEP GIVING HIM OPPORTUNITIES'

Rookie wide receiver Devaughn Vele posted one of the top highlights of practice as he elevated to make a contested back-shoulder catch for a potential touchdown from Zach Wilson.

"I like his size and hands in traffic," Payton said. "I thought he's had a couple snaps now this week where [I think], 'Man, we've got to keep giving him opportunities.' I think he has strong hands in traffic. There's a few players like him out here but I think he can take reps inside, and then I think he can also play at the X [position]. His ability to catch away from his body [stands out]. When you're throwing it to him, he's got a large catch radius, so you become a more accurate quarterback."

A seventh-round pick, Vele led Utah in receiving in 2023 with 43 catches for 593 yards and three touchdowns.

QUICK HITS

… The Broncos finished the morning of work with another end-of-game scenario, as the offense regained the ball at its own 38-yard line with 1:38 to play in a tie game. The first-team unit, led by Jarrett Stidham, converted a fourth-and-7 via a deep pass to Courtland Sutton that pushed the ball into the red zone. In Nix's opportunity, he converted multiple third-down chances to set up a field-goal attempt of around 47 yards, which Wil Lutz knocked through for the "win." Denver's defense earned a stop working against the third unit.

… Veteran cornerback Tremon Smith recorded the second interception of 11-on-11 action during training camp as he came up with a tipped pass that glanced off the running back's hands. Rookie cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine also made an impressive play during 11-on-11 work as he broke up a deep pass to Josh Reynolds in the end zone.

… In a short-yardage run period, defensive end John Franklin-Myers, safety JL Skinner, defensive end Angelo Blackson and outside linebacker Jonah Elliss were among the players who made noticeable stops.

… Both Stidham and Nix made solid throws in seven-on-seven work, as Stidham found Adam Trautman for a touchdown pass and Nix delivered a strike to Lucas Krull for a score.