After perhaps the craziest offseason in team history, the Denver Broncos officially returned to training camp Thursday. Hard practice may be just what Denver needs to put the last few months behind them and focus on winning a second straight championship.
The fact that there was no real football to really dissect over the past few months seemed to make for a tough offseason for the Broncos even more difficult to digest.
Denver of course lost their top two quarterbacks in Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler. The Broncos also lost two key defensive players from last season in Malik Jackson and Danny Trevathan. And to top it all off, Aqib Talib is recovering from gunshot wounds and Super Bowl MVP Von Miller almost sat out this upcoming season prior to signing the richest non-quarterback deal in league history.
It does not matter anymore how many starters are returning from last year’s Super Bowl winning team or how things got done or did not get done in the offseason. All that matters now is Gary Kubiak finding a way to win with what he now has on the field, which is still a pretty solid team.
During every training camp there are new gems found and veterans who struggle. Keep an eye on the running back position during camp. Who will get the majority of carries behind C.J. Anderson? Look for Devontae Booker to make an impact right away and push Ronnie Hillman. Hillman has already been spotted getting some work in with special teams, which has not been the norm in past years.
On defense, this should be the season that both Shane Ray and Shaquil Barrett really break out. We saw flashes from both players last season. Both Ray and Barrett should have an outstanding camp and add to the Broncos pass rush depth this season.
Special teams could see a shake-up as well. Britton Colquitt is punting for his job due to his salary cap number and rookie Riley Dixon. Also, is Jordan Norwood ready to be the man in the return game? Training camp is where return jobs are won and this year’s camp will be extremely important for Norwood.
There is also the very important position battle at quarterback that seems to be a big deal around these parts. It looks like Mark Sanchez will have to hold-off a very capable Trevor Siemian, while first-round pick Paxton Lynch continues to develop and tries to close the gap between him and the other two quarterbacks.
It is a brand new season with a brand new team at Dove Valley. However, short-term goals are still the same as any other training camp. Develop into a winning team and stay as healthy as possible. It should be a fun go-around these next few weeks.
Catch Weekend Drive with Sean Walsh every Saturday and Sunday from 2p-4p on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 or stream live any time for the best local coverage of Colorado sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup.
