The Denver Broncos are set to practice with the San Francisco 49ers this morning, and we’ll dive into three things we want to see from the team ahead of Saturday’s preseason opener.
Denver Broncos-49ers Joint Practice: Three things we want to see
Joint practices are going to become a more common theme as the NFL looks to eventually transition away from three preseason games in its effort to add an additional regular season game.
For Broncos head coach Sean Payton, he believes that joint practices can offer a lot of value toward evaluating his team and, more importantly, some of the younger players fighting for a roster spot.
“I think we try to pick up some of these joint practices to supplement what we had before,” Payton said. “To try to get those reps. Like I said, it won’t be long before it’s two, and so then it falls on us. We have to evaluate them, and I think again, it gets back to practicing with other teams.”
Denver will practice this morning against Kyle Shanahan’s squad.
Broncos offense, Bo Nix operating effectively vs. Robert Saleh’s defense
Last year, we saw Bo Nix operate and command the offense well in their joint practice against the Green Bay Packers. Today, Nix will get to compete on the road against Robert Saleh’s defense, led by Fred Warner and Nick Bosa.
While Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga aren’t there at the second and third levels of that defense anymore, it’s still a unit that should be a tough draw this upcoming season.
Nix has been aggressive and in command of the offense this offseason and hasn’t been shy at targeting various levels of the field, even if that means trying to throw at Patrick Surtain II. Now, Nix will be in a setting where he and the offense will receive a different look from a different defensive front.
The main thing we want to see from the offense is them moving the ball downfield, avoiding turnovers, and, more importantly, scoring often. Nobody keeps true score in these scrimmages, but there’s a goal in mind that Payton and his coaching staff have, and that’s to treat this scrimmage like they would an actual game.
Broncos defense containing 49ers run game, play-action
The 49ers have a fully healthy Christian McCaffrey back into the mix alongside second-year rusher Isaac Guerendo, who has explosive potential on every touch.
This 49ers offense will be a nice test for the Broncos defense which is looking to be even better against the run than they were last season, and over the course of the last two seasons, Vance Joseph’s scheme has struggled against this type of heavy motion, outside zone offense (Miami, Detroit 2023) and the play-action game that opens up because of it.
Denver will have to account for George Kittle on the vertical and crossing game, as well as second-year receiver Ricky Pearsall, who has had a strong training camp per 49ers beat reporters. Brandon Aiyuk still isn’t ready coming off of his ACL injury from last year, and Jauan Jennings wants a new contract or wants to be traded.
Communication from the secondary and inside linebackers will be crucial against the 49ers, not only in a practice setting, but also in Saturday’s preseason game.
Stay healthy
This one may be cliché, but it’s one of the most important things we want to see from today’s practice and the preseason. You want guys to get to the regular season, which is the most important goal.
We’ll see if Dre Greenlaw practices today in what will be a homecoming for him and Talanoa Hufanga, who were key pieces to the 49ers’ defense for the last handful of years.
Practice will begin here in a few hours and we’ll hear from Sean Payton following today’s joint practice.
