ENGLEWOOD, Colo. --Every day at practice, Peyton Manning and the Broncos offense get a look at a defensive front that features pass rushers the likes of DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller.
In August, they'll get an up-close-and-personal look at J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney.
The Denver Broncos and Houston Texans have announced that the two teams will host joint practices during training camp at Dove Valley this year.
The sessions will be held beginning Tuesday, Aug. 19 through Thursday, Aug. 21 in advance of the teams' preseason matchup on Saturday, Aug. 23 at 7 p.m. MDT at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
It's not the first time the Broncos and Texans have held joint practices -- they did so in Houston in 2003 and 2005.
The last time the Broncos matched up with an opposing team during training camp was in 2008, when the Dallas Cowboys practiced at Dove Valley for two days leading up to a preseason game.
The Broncos won that contest 23-13.
At that time, players talked about the excitement of getting a break from pushing, hitting and blocking each other. Having a new team on the practice fields provides a chance to gauge the roster against different players and a different scheme.
The matchups to watch back then included Ware against then-rookie Ryan Clady.
Now, Clady will get to match up against Clowney or Watt. Aqib Talib will see how to handle Andre Johnson in practice. Demaryius Thomas will get a look at cornerback Johnathan Joseph.
The joint practices add one more piece of excitement in the lead-up to the 2014 season.
