The Denver Broncos wrapped up Week 1 of OTAs last week after three straight days of practice. Denver will be back on the field this week, beginning on Tuesday, for the second week of organized team activities.
Denver Broncos gearing up for Week 2 of OTAs
After having 100% attendance in their offseason program, that attendance has carried over into on-field work at OTAs. There were several players that we did not see on Thursday while attending practice, but several of those players are coming off of injury or off-season related procedures.
Coming into Week 2 of OTAs, Sam Ehlinger and Jarrett Stidham are likely to continue getting a bulk of the reps as the Broncos rightfully bring Bo Nix along. Nix has been throwing and doing some things in pre-practice, and we should see him during mandatory minicamp at least on a limited basis, according to Sean Payton.
Last year, the Broncos added Ehlinger in free agency, and there was a competition for the backup job behind Nix, but it wasn’t as publicly advertised.
Back in March, Payton said that the team sees competition for that spot once again, noting that nothing is etched in stone.
“We see competition… And it wasn’t different last year,” Payton said. “There’s nothing that is etched in stone. There just isn’t, and that’s a good thing.”
Ehlinger looked sharp in Thursday’s practice, and it’s unknown how Stidham looked in Tuesday or Wednesday’s practices. However, evaluating quarterback play, or any play for that matter in OTAs counts as a small part of the overall evaluation of the roster.
There is no physical contact allowed, and that element definitely impacts the offensive line against Denver’s defense when it comes to pressure looks. When the pads come on, the evaluation for these two players will be much more important.
Right now, the key responsibility for every player is knowing what their job is, being properly aligned, and executing within the structure of offense, defense, and special teams.
Broncos rookie linebackers have best projected path to 53-man roster
After Payton revealed that Jonah Elliss would be staying home at outside linebacker, the path for undrafted rookie linebacker Taurean York and seventh-rounder Red Murdock has become more realistic.
Justin Strnad and Alex Singleton appear to be unquestioned as the starting duo this upcoming season, but spots three through five are wide open for the taking. York, Murdock, Levelle Bailey, Jordan Turner, and Karene Reid will be the five names competing to fill those potential final three spots on the active roster in the fall.
Bailey made the active roster in 2024 after the preseason, and last year, Reid made it.
Murdock and York’s college experience is valuable, and the fact that they were team captains and signal callers for their respective defenses gives them an advantage that I don’t believe was present with Denver’s linebacker group depth-wise in prior years.
In Thursday’s practice last week, Murdock and York moved well in 7-on-7 and in Denver’s two team periods, dropping back into coverage, communicating effectively both pre and post-snap.
Ultimately, they’ll be better evaluated once pads come on, and Denver plays their three preseason games, but early on, they are exciting prospects.
Caleb Lohner to miss remainder of OTAs, minicamp
After generating some buzz after Sean Payton highlighted him during rookie minicamp nearly a month ago, second-year tight end Caleb Lohner was one of the players that was not spotted last Thursday.
As Mike Klis of 9News first reported, Lohner had a ‘routine lower-body cleanup procedure. He’ll miss this week and next week’s mandatory minicamp, but is expected to be ready for the start of training camp.
In the meantime, the Broncos have been able to maximize reps for their tight ends in practice, rotating Adam Trautman, Evan Engram, Dallen Bentley, Justin Joly, Nate Adkins, and Lucas Krull across various units.
Engram was featured the most in the passing game during Thursday’s practice and it will be worth monitoring if that trend continues as we get access to practice this week and three straight days next week for minicamp.
