After three straight days of pads and physicality, the Denver Broncos went lighter for Thursday’s practice, where technique and rep quality were the emphasis for Sean Payton, his staff, and the players.
Denver Broncos Day 8 Camp Recap: Lighter doesn’t mean less
The Denver Broncos were back on the field here on Thursday for a lighter practice, with helmets, jerseys, and shorts after three straight days of full pads.
Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle was present without a helmet and did some work on the side field, while Courtland Sutton returned to practice but did not participate in individual drills or team drills. He did get some on-field work in over on the side field away from the players who were going through their normal rehab routine with athletic trainers.
Outside linebacker Nik Bonitto was present for practice with a helmet, but did not participate in individual or team drills either. Offensive guard Ben Powers had a veteran rest day, as Sean Payton outlined last week that there would be a specific schedule for certain players where they’ll get rest days — veterans with a certain stature of experience, and players who are coming off of significant injuries from last season.
After practice, Payton mentioned that Waddle had a “strain” and that we should see him back out on the field in four or five days.
Let’s dive into some of our practice notes from the on-field work.
During Denver’s 7-on-7 period, Bo Nix found Evan Engram for a nice gain working the middle of the field, and connected with him again for another quick pass to conclude his reps during the period.
In the Broncos’ first team period of the day, Nix connected with rookie running back Jonah Coleman for a solid gain to the outside, and RJ Harvey had himself a nice run for a moderate gain. On Nix’s third rep of the team period, he fired a shot to Pat Bryant, who has emerged as an early star of camp, for a nice gain with Riley Moss tightly covering him.
“He’s really good vertically and he makes his releases look all the same, which is tough for a guy like me,” Moss said. “When he’s shooting 15 yards deep and then he’ll cut in or he’ll cut out, it all looks the same. He does a great job. Then at the catch point, he’s strong. He can get up. He has a big frame.”
Running back Jaleel McLaughlin had an impressive day with several strong runs, and he hauled in a tightly contested catch downfield with Taurean York covering him.
Transitioning to Denver’s second-team period, Nix connected on four straight passes to Marvin Mims, Adam Trautman, Engram, and Michael Bandy. In that same period, Broncos second-year cornerback Jahdae Barron had a nice pass breakup against Lil’Jordan Humphrey, playing tight to his hip and bringing his ball-side hand through to knock it away.
Barron had one of his strongest days of camp yet, showcasing tight coverage on several passing plays and coming away with a couple of breakups on the day.
Moss had two pass breakups while in coverage on Marvin Mims to close out Denver’s final team period of the day, covering Mims on a vertical route on one of the reps, and playing Mims’ hip tightly on an in-breaking route.
The Broncos wrapped up Thursday’s practice without anybody leaving early due to injury. They’ll be back on Friday for another practice, and we’ll likely hear from Payton one more time before he heads off to Canton, Ohio, for the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction of Drew Brees.
Saturday’s practice will be run by Vance Joseph in Payton’s absence.