ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — In an instant, RJ Harvey was through the hole and the up the field.

Days after getting early work with the first-team offense against the 49ers, Harvey had a pair of impressive carries in 11-on-11 action during Broncos practice.

Harvey's two carries of note showed the wide-ranging nature of his skill set, as he first powered between the tackles and showed his agility as he moved to the second level. On the very next play, he displayed his speed that allowed him to get outside.

That burst to get to the edge was also clearly evident in the Broncos' initial preseason action. Harvey recorded carries of 7 and 11 yards in limited snaps, and on both plays, he appeared to evade defenders near the line of scrimmage to earn extra yardage. And while Head Coach Sean Payton said Tuesday there was one play in the game where Harvey could have stayed more patient, he also spoke to Harvey's speed as one of his best traits.

"At the end of the day, the great skill set he has is that ability speed-wise, but he can get through the line of scrimmage the same way," Payton said. "There was one [play] where we felt like, 'Hey, trust it. Be a little bit more patient.' But he's an extremely instinctive runner. We're going to get a number of looks to see him between the tackles. It's all there on college tape. And the best thing is, he's such a willing learner. He's very — not critical of himself — but man, he wants to please, and he's very coachable. There's certain runs as we get into looking at Arizona, their front and what we want to feature that I think he'll be comfortable with."

McMILLIAN MAKES ANOTHER PLAY

Nickel cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian recorded his second interception in four days as he picked off a deep pass in the final 11-of-11 period of Tuesday's practice. McMillian, who ended the first-team offense's scoring chance, also snagged an interception during Saturday's preseason opener against the 49ers.

In the past two seasons, McMillian has recorded four interceptions, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries — and Payton indicated that sort of production indicates McMillian's intelligence as a player.

"Man, he's smart," Payton said of McMillian. "Again, there's certain players, the ball finds them. If the ball finds players, that generally means they're pretty smart. And then you have to have ball skills. You can be pretty smart with bad hands, and the ball's going to find you, you're just not going to catch it. He's got those skill sets."

'HE'S GOT A BRIGHT FUTURE'

Broncos rookie punter Jeremy Crawshaw got extensive work on Tuesday and boomed a series of punts, as Denver practiced multiple punting scenarios. Crawshaw's talent was on display, and veteran Thomas Morstead — whom Payton drafted in New Orleans in 2009 and still plays for the 49ers — spoke to Payton on Saturday about the rookie's skill set.

"He came up to me afterward, and he just went on about having a chance to meet our guy and then watch his flexibility," Payton said. "He just said — and Thomas has done this long enough — he said, 'Man, you really got a good one.'"

Crawshaw averaged 37 yards per punt — and 27.7 net yards — on three attempts in his first game action, but Payton said the talent is evident.

"It's working through some of those things that we do with rookies, but you guys see it," Payton said. "[It's about] him getting used to the game situations. He's got a bright future."

QUICK HITS

… While the first-team defense seemed to hold the edge in 11-on-11 action, Bo Nix was sharp in early 7-on-7 action. He completed a series of passes to convert third downs, including a third-and-long pass he snuck by Pat Surtain II to Courtland Sutton. Among the other highlights in 7-on-7 work was a deep touchdown pass from Jarrett Stidham to Troy Franklin.

… Payton said the Broncos' joint practice on Thursday against the Cardinals may impact how much the team's starters play in Denver's lone home preseason game.

"Normally, I would go into the second quarter," Payton said. "I don't know that I'm going to do that based on the schedule. We'll see."

… After spending the first portion of training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list, wide receiver A.T. Perry returned to practice on Tuesday.

"He's getting close," Payton said. "He's smart. Today, he was cleared for individual. Again, we're not going to put a player out there until they're 100 percent ready. There's kind of an on-ramp for someone like him who's missed quite a bit of practice."

… Outside linebacker Nik Bonitto did not practice Tuesday with a foot injury, but Payton said he is "doing fine" and should return Wednesday.

"He's going to be all right," Payton said.

… Linebacker Dre Greenlaw returned to practice on Tuesday, while cornerback Reese Taylor and tight end Nate Adkins remained sidelined.