OTAs are kicking off today, can you taste how close football is, fans?
While a whole host of new players will be at Dove Valley, practicing with their new teammates — players like quarterback Case Keenum and rookies Bradley Chubb and Courtland Sutton — five players will be held out of the practices this week per Mike Klis.
https://twitter.com/MikeKlis/status/998772004273573888
Unfortunately for many fans, they won’t be hearing about fan-favorite Jordan “Sunshine” Taylor this week, a backup wideout who’s performed well in offseason practices in the past.
For the newly shaped offensive line, not having both Ron Leary and Jared Veldheer will be a big blow to getting some early consistency. Leary is a rock-solid guard who came over to Denver last year after playing his first five years with the Dallas Cowboys and Veldheer was acquired in the offseason in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals for a sixth-round pick. Why will Veldheer be held out? Nicki Jhabvala has the scoop here:
Among those not expected to participate in Broncos OTAs on tomorrow is RT Jared Veldheer. He suffered an ankle injury last December and the team is being cautious with his return.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) May 21, 2018
So, two-fifths of the Broncos starting offensive line — the worst part of the team the last few years — is out. Again, a big blow, but with all hope, both of those big men will be back and ready to go in July for Training Camp.
Speaking of big men, defensive tackle and underrated offseason addition Clinton McDonald is also out. At 6’2″ and 297 pounds, McDonald is a perfect tackle for a 3-4 scheme, and he’ll likely rotate in and out with the massive Domata Peko.
Finally, De’Angelo Henderson — the running back / punt returner with fumblitis — will be held out as well.
What that means is many more players will get a shot at getting reps and working on their skills as they push to earn playing time. For the offensive line, especially, it will give the depth guys an opportunity to improve now and gain confidence going into Training Camp. These OTAs take place today, May 22-24, and then another round kicks off May 29-31 as well as June 4-7.
Note: De’Angelo Henderson recently changed his number from Shannon Sharpe’s old No. 84 to No. 16, which was famously worn by Jake Plummer in the Mile High City.