The Denver Broncos and the New Orleans Saints are both expected to play their starters in Saturday’s preseason finale. How many snaps Broncos players ultimately play will depend on how the start of the game goes, but we’ll get a chance to see Bo Nix and the starting offense nonetheless.

Denver Broncos starters expected to play a few snaps vs. Saints

The Denver Broncos are expected to get some snaps in Saturday’s preseason finale against the New Orleans Saints, according to head coach Sean Payton, who met with us after Thursday’s walkthrough practice.

“Our plan is to play our starters for eight to 10 plays depending, that’s not just etched in stone, and then get into our second phase and third phase,” Payton said.

The Saints will also play a handful of their starters, so Saturday’s game has some stake and meaning to it from an evaluation standpoint. After the starters come out, the second and third phases of Broncos players will likely face one of the Saints’ starting quarterbacks, with Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough competing for the starting job this season, and there’s a good chance former Broncos wide receiver Devaughn Vele suits up against his former team.

After giving offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and QBs coach, passing game coordinator Davis Webb, the reins of calling plays in the first two preseason games, Payton will resume those duties on Saturday against the Saints as the gameday process begins to return to normal ahead of the Broncos’ regular season opener.

Broncos rookie cornerback Jahdae Barron held out of Thursday’s practice

Rookie cornerback Jahdae Barron was one of several key players not spotted during Tuesday’s practice, including running back Jaleel McLaughlin and fullback Michael Burton.

Barron is dealing with a minor soft-tissue thing, which Payton said they held him out for, and that he’ll play in Saturday’s game vs. the Saints.

“He’s fine,” Payton said. “We held him out, just soft tissue. He’s fine. We anticipate him playing.”

McLaughlin’s absence was for a better reason. He and his wife welcomed their first child together, which warrants a well-deserved absence. He’ll play in Saturday’s game, according to Payton.

Nate Adkins too valuable to Broncos’ offensive operation

After suffering an ankle injury several weeks ago, Broncos hybrid tight end/fullback Nate Adkins had tightrope surgery to alleviate the issue, which has caused him to miss the back part of training camp and preseason.

With roster cuts coming up, there’s been much debate and speculation surrounding whether or not the team will place him on short-term IR when cuts are happening, because of the new by-law in place that allows teams to designate two players for an early return, instead of the old rules that would have kept players out for the entire season if placed on injured reserve during camp and the preseason.

Payton mentioned how valuable Adkins is to the team and the role he plays for them specifically, indicating that he’s a clear-cut lock for the 53-man roster and should be ready to go in the Week 2-4 timeframe of the regular season.

“I can’t say he’s going to be medically ready to play Week 1, but close enough to where we’re probably going to hold him,” Payton said. “We discussed it the other day, he’s going to beat the short-term IR… Week 2, Week 3. He’s too good of a football player for us. We’re going to need him.”

It wouldn’t come as a surprise if Drew Sanders is someone who gets placed on short-term IR when cuts happen next week, as he continues to work his way back from a foot injury that he suffered during the first week of training camp.

For a handful of players, Saturday’s game will be their final audition for a chance at the 53-man roster or the practice squad. Kickoff is set for 11:00 a.m. MT.