ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — As the Broncos near their first full training camp practice, the Broncos' backfield features plenty of competition.

And while the focus is largely on the quarterback competition, Denver's running back room should also feature a number of players battling for roles and roster spots.

"That position group has looked pretty good," Head Coach Sean Payton said Thursday. "… I think we have good competition there. We have good skill sets, and guys that can do different things there. Historically speaking for me, I've always believed that that depth is important because there's a lot of wear and tear in 17 weeks to play with just one runner."

Fourth-year running back Javonte Williams, who has impressed Payton early in camp, said the competition should benefit everyone in a group that also includes Samaje Perine, Jaleel McLaughlin, Audric Estime, Tyler Badie and Blake Watson.

"It's going to be real intense, and that's the way you should want it to be," Williams said. "No days off. … Every day we're coming in, and competition [should] be excellent. We're all just going to get better from it."

Estime, a 2024 fifth-round pick, is among the players who could help the Broncos' running back room take a step forward in 2024. He joined the Broncos after averaging 6.4 yards per carry and 111.8 yards per game in 2023, and the Notre Dame product was a priority for the Broncos in the draft.

"The vision was pretty clear," Payton said. "This was a guy when we did all the studies on him, we took 15-yard runs or more [and he was] first in his class. Minus runs … [he was] first in his class. Really good vision in the hole. Rarely did you see [this] player lose yards. He had good feet for someone who is 220 pounds. So I saw runner first and value on where we took him.

"… When the draft starts, every once in a while there's a player you could say, 'When this thing is all over with, I'd love to have this player.' Fortunately, we were able to get this player."

After undergoing a procedure that kept him out of the end of the offseason program, Estime has returned to be a factor in the running back room.

"He's smart, he's tough and I like his size," Payton said.

Toss in a resurgent Williams, Perine — a dependable third-down and two-minute-drill contributor in 2023 — and the elusive McLaughlin, and the Broncos' running back room could make significant strides during the season ahead.

CONTINUING THE QB COMPETITION

The Broncos' quarterback competition resumed Thursday, and rookie Bo Nix took the majority of the first-team reps, as Payton confirmed after practice.

Payton said he would keep the media "filled in on how we do that day by day," and he said "we'll see how it goes" when asked about if Zach Wilson would receive first-team reps on Friday.

Regardless of which players gets the first-team reps on Friday, Payton said he's been pleased with the way in which Nix, Wilson and Stidham have found a balance between avoiding mistakes and not being afraid to take chances.

"There's that happy medium," Payton said. "I think that you can see some of that in college, relative to how they play. These guys are doing a good job of that. They did throughout the spring."

Following OTAs, Nix said the key to the balance is realizing that while mistakes will happen, it's important to avoid the critical errors.

"I think it comes down to you're never going to avoid mistakes," Nix told DenverBroncos.com in mid-June. "So, you might as well go out there and play fast and do the best you can to avoid them and be smart. But, I mean, you're going to make mistakes every time. [The] big thing is minimizing them and making them small mistakes. So the mistake is … you messed up on a drop or getting the right read or maybe took a wrong step, but the play was efficient. You got it done. I think [those are] the better mistakes that you can learn from. And, obviously, the catastrophes you want to stay away from. But that's part of playing the position."

As all three quarterbacks continue to look for that balance, Payton said there's a "calming element when you watch them" and that there is an increased understanding of the system.

"I think all three of them know this system now — know it well enough," Payton said. "Obviously, they're getting more and more reps. If they didn't get a rep on a certain play in the spring, they might have had two reps of it already here."

INJURY UPDATE

While rookie running back Blake Watson remains on the Non-Football Injury list, Payton said the Broncos expect to get the Memphis product "back sooner than later."

Watson ran for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns in his final collegiate season and joined the Broncos as an undrafted free agent.

"I'm not going to have a specific timeline, but I think we'll be OK with him," Payton said.

Safety Caden Sterns — who suffered a season-ending injury during Week 1 of the 2023 regular season — still has "a road ahead of him" as he aims to return to the field, according to Payton.

"He is pushing hard in his recovery," Payton said. "He's getting closer."

Rookie guard Nick Gargiulo did not participate Thursday after leaving Wednesday's session before the end of practice.