Attendance
Did not practice: Physically Unable to Perform list — WR A.T. Perry (foot/ankle). Out — ILB Alex Singleton (thumb), ILB Drew Sanders (foot), ILB Dre Greenlaw (quad). Returned to practice: OLB Que Robinson (knee).
Greenlaw and Singleton were both in pads early in practice but didn’t end up doing any team work. Fullback Mike Burton was also in pads, but only worked out on the side field.
On the final full day of practice before heading to California on Wednesday, several established players also had what appeared to be veteran rest days. That list included RB J.K. Dobbins, LG Ben Powers, and DLs Malcolm Roach and John Franklin-Myers.
Newcomer impact
Rookie running back RJ Harvey took advantage of a few creases on Tuesday and ripped off some good runs. What’s more, now he’ll get his first taste of playing against another team Thursday against San Francisco in the teams’ joint practice. The Broncos will have plenty of work to go around for all of their backs, but Harvey will be of particular interest because of his status as a second-round pick and because he looks poised to play a major role in Sean Payton’s offense from the jump.
Top Plays
It was just 7-on-7, but quarterback Bo Nix dropped a perfectly placed ball to the back corner of the end zone for Troy Franklin early in practice. It was a beauty and allowed Franklin to reel it in at full stride past the coverage of rookie first-rounder Jahdae Barron. In general, Tuesday marked the continuation of a terrific training camp for Franklin going into his second pro season.
“Guys mature as they get more experience, and he’s certainly playing faster and making more plays,” offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said on Tuesday. “We’re real excited about him. He’s really stood out.”
Thumbs Up
Tuesday was a good day for receiver Michael Bandy, too. He made a bunch of plays in 7-on-7 and team settings. Lombardi’s coached Bandy here now going into a third season and had him in Los Angeles with the Chargers for two seasons as well. On Tuesday, Lombardi called him “Mr. Reliable,” while Payton recently said he’s well-versed enough in the offense that he can play any of the receiver spots.
Even if Bandy doesn’t make the 53-man roster — the receiver room looks like it’s going to be tough to crack — that’s the kind of versatility and trust that ends up turning into opportunities to stay as a veteran on the practice squad.
Thumbs Down
We’ll have to see if Greenlaw gets any work against his old team Thursday after missing the past several days with a quad issue. It would be a shame if he didn’t, but it may well end up being the right move for Greenlaw and the Broncos. After six seasons with the 49ers — and especially considering the lengths the team went to before free agency to try to retain him — you know he’d love to be out there running around and hitting.
If not, though, it’ll be because the Broncos are trying to ensure he gets to Week 1 healthy.
Odds and Ends
• If it wasn’t clear already, Lombardi is bullish on the Broncos’ receiver room. In addition to Franklin and Bandy, he ticked through just about everybody in the room when asked about the overall production.
“Courtland (Sutton)’s been having a really good camp,” Lombardi said. “He looks to me even better than he did last camp. … (Devaughn) Vele’s been dealing with some things, but he’s looking good now. Think he’s had a couple of his best days the past two days. We added (Trent) Sherfield, and I think we all know he’s a great blocker, but the ball keeps finding him in practice, and he’s making a lot of catches.”
That group will be one to watch in Thursday’s joint practice and Saturday’s preseason opener against the Niners.
• Denver’s defense hasn’t made it easy on the offense any day so far in camp, but Nix has started to turn up the heat a little bit the past two days. He’s had a series of sharp periods, including some two-minute work and red zone 7-on-7 during Tuesday’s practice.
“This is a heck of a defense to be practicing against every day, but he’s doing a good job just getting to the second level on things,” Lombardi said of Nix.
• Rookie receiver Pat Bryant did something not many have succeeded at so far in training camp. He got open against cornerback Riley Moss. Bryant created enough separation to cleanly catch the ball and get up the sideline a few yards on Moss, who has been sticky in coverage on a daily basis so far this summer.
• Denver’s got enviable continuity on the offensive line, and they think they’ve got good depth, too. Over the course of the 2024 season, Alex Palczewski showed he could play tackle or guard if needed. The Broncos appear to think swing tackle Matt Peart can have the same kind of versatility. With those two and Alex Forsyth seemingly solidly in the picture but competing with Calvin Throckmorton and a host of young players, there are a bunch of candidates for maybe only one or two spots.
• The quarterbacks spent one special teams period lofting deep balls toward a net in the corner of the end zone, which, of course, leads to friendly competition — and big cheers from the crowd whenever somebody flushes one. Everybody found the net a couple of times, though backup Jarrett Stidham proved to be a formidable foe. Quarterbacks coach Davis Webb also dropped one in, and safety Brandon Jones, running by at the end of the drill, nearly cashed one only to watch it clunk off the front bar.
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