As the Denver Broncos get ready to kick off the second day of training camp and their final acclimation practice before fans are able to attend, there are three big things Broncos Country needs to watch for going into Day 2.
Denver Broncos Training Camp Day 2 primer
Wednesday’s practice was the Denver Broncos’ first acclimation practice before the start of the training camp ramp-up period. Here are the three things Broncos Country needs to know before Day 2 of camp.
Will Broncos’ QB rotation change on Thursday?
Wednesday’s first training camp practice for the Broncos saw Jarrett Stidham get the first reps between the quarterbacks. Bo Nix received the second reps, and Zach Wilson received the third. During OTAs, Sean Payton usually gave Stidham the first reps of the week and let Wilson get the second day of practice reps, followed by Nix on the third.
With Nix and Stidham seemingly ahead in what we have seen in the various practices covered, will Payton give Nix the primary reps today? Also, in Denver’s first acclimation practice, there was only one 7-on-7 period and only one team period on the day. In each of those specific periods, each quarterback received four reps under center and eight total reps.
The ramp up period hopefully means that we’ll see at least one more team period today than we did yesterday.
Will Greg Dulcich make it back without any setbacks?
It was great seeing Greg Dulcich back on the practice field on Wednesday and he looked like his old self. As he cleared the initial hurdle of coming back to practice after having offseason foot surgery, all eyes are on whether or not he can avoid any setbacks as his body physically does more.
His route running, yard-after-the-catch ability was on full display during Denver’s first practice, and if he can remain healthy, he’ll be a promising re-addition to the Broncos offense at tight end.
How will various Broncos’ position battles start to establish themselves going into Friday?
There appear to be more position battles during this year’s training camp for the Broncos on offense and defense than I can recall in the last few years. In particular, wide receiver, running back, center, cornerback, and inside linebacker have crucial competitions that fans need to keep in mind as they gear up to attend the long list of open practices.
A lot of eyes on #Broncos rookie WR Troy Franklin during training camp and preseason. Sean Payton mentioned his speed on the outside and certain routes he excels in that should help him at the NFL level. pic.twitter.com/sXvnllDgC0
— Cody Roark (@CodyRoarkNFL) July 24, 2024
At receiver, if the Broncos decide to keep six players at the position, fans should keep their eyes on Jalen Virgil and Troy Franklin as two names for the final two spots. It won’t come easy as they’ll also have Devaughn Vele, Phillip Dorsett, Brandon Johnson, Michael Bandy, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, and David Sills also vying for those spots. Every rep, route, and catch matters for this position group.
Jalen Virgil should be another player to watch in camp for the third year in a row for #BroncosCountry pic.twitter.com/R23SCWLX4g
— Cody Roark (@CodyRoarkNFL) July 24, 2024
Javonte Williams roster spot shouldn’t even be in question despite some reporters own personal speculation about the subject being taken as gospel. Payton has a lot of belief in him, and his playing weight is in a good spot going into camp, where he looked sharp and quick during Wednesday’s opening practice. Audric Estime returned on Wednesday after having surgery during OTAs and had a burstful run during Denver’s lone team period of the day. Jaleel McLaughlin is a weapon for Payton and it will be hard for his spot to be uprooted. Samaje Perine, Tyler Badie, and Blake Watson will factor into the competition as well.
“Good question relative to a three-down back because that encompasses a lot,” Payton said. “I’ve been spoiled. Obviously when we signed Perine, he’s someone that played in that role before, so we had protection evidence. We also had pretty good ball skill evidence. You guys saw it last year even for us at times, catching underneath on third-and-eight. They’re going to have to bring the chains out to see if he got it, but I do think we train them with the anticipation that they can play on third down. I think we have a group that we feel strongly about that can and each maybe does some different things. What Jaleel [McLaughlin] does might be different than some of those others, but that flexibility is good.”
Damarri Mathis, Riley Moss, Levi Wallace, Kris Abrams-Draine, Art Green, Ja’Quan McMillian and others factor into the rep rotation on the outside for the team’s other cornerback job opposite of Patrick Surtain II. Mathis appeared to get the first reps during Wednesday’s practice, so we’ll see if Moss gets the opportunity here this morning.
Jonas Griffith and Cody Barton were the primary two players at inside linebacker rotating in next to Alex Singleton on Wednesday. We’ll see if that stays the same on Thursday or if Justin Strnad and Levelle Bailey get some reps.
The Denver Broncos kick off practice at 10:00 a.m. MT at Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit. Stay tuned here for updates following Thursday’s conclusion of practice.