Attendance
Did not practice: Physically Unable to Perform list — WR A.T. Perry (foot/ankle). Out — RT Mike McGlinchey.
McGlinchey left practice after stretching Thursday and wasn’t out there Friday, though he was spotted after practice. Head coach Sean Payton said the Broncos’ starting right tackle would likely be back to participating Saturday or Monday, but didn’t elaborate on what’s kept McGlinchey out.
Perry was on hand for practice but “still has some work to do,” Payton said earlier this week, before he’s cleared to get into the action.
Newcomer impact
An easy place to start: Tight end Evan Engram. Payton said it was the team’s first third-down installation day of camp and, not surprisingly, the Broncos’ new tight end was heavily involved. He’s got good feel for coverage and already has developed rapport with quarterback Bo Nix. Engram’s got the ability to stretch the field up the sideline and the seam, but also to be an easy target underneath defenses.
“I feel really at home in this offense and I feel like my strengths are being used at the highest level,” Engram said Friday. “It’s also challenged me to be sharp with my tools, be sharp on my details and the little things I need to clean up and get better at. It challenges me every single day, the different ways they’re planning to use me and also just the mentality they have and I want to have in the run game as well, to make that entire thing universal.”
Top Plays
Darts: Nix delivered one of the best throws of the day in the second half of practice during a team setting. He was on a dead sprint to the right and fired a dart back across the middle to rookie Pat Bryant, who was working across the field. It’s the kind of throw you’d better be sure about in a game, given the propensity for bad outcomes throwing back across the body.
Turnover time: Second-year inside linebacker Levelle Bailey created the first turnover of training camp when he snatched a ball that tight end Lucas Krull had bobbled along the sideline. Later in practice, Bailey ripped another ball away from Krull for a PBU. Bailey’s had a flair for the dramatic this summer. He ended a practice earlier in the offseason program with a pick, too. There are a bunch of players vying for reserve and special teams roles behind Alex Singleton and Dre Greenlaw. Bailey’s off to a good start.
Thumbs Up
Catching on: The Broncos’ young receiving corps had a really good day. All of Bryant, Troy Franklin, Devaughn Vele and Marvin Mims, Jr. had solid moments. Bryant and Franklin each jumped out several times, including a long touchdown pass from Jarrett Stidham to Franklin that likely would have been a sack. Still, Franklin ran right past Denver’s secondary, including safety Devon Key. Later, he beat first-round pick Jahdae Barron over the middle.
Thumbs Down
Slipped away: On the other end of Bailey’s highlight reel, Krull can’t let a defender take two different catch opportunities away from him. His calling card is his ability in the receiving game, but the roster’s going to be tougher to crack this year with Engram, Adam Trautman, Nate Adkins and rookie Caleb Lohner among the candidates at tight end. Letting a reserve linebacker make essentially the same play on you twice is a rough start for Krull, whom the Broncos counted on for regular playing time a year ago.
Odds and Ends
• Payton noted Friday that running backs J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey have been getting most of the work with the No. 1 offense, but said he’s interested in seeing what the rest of the group has, too.
“I want to see these other guys the same way,” Payton said. “We’ll see how it goes once we get into the preseason.”
• Safety Delarrin Turner-Yell, who hasn’t played in a game since injuring his knee at the end of the 2023 season, got beat by Engram one snap and then rebounded on the next to break on the ball and deflect a pass to Trent Sherfield Jr. Turner-Yell was a quality special teams player in 2023 and could end up being in the bubble conversation as camp unfolds.
• Undrafted rookie receiver Jerjuan Newton made a terrific catch down the sideline in traffic on a deep ball from Sam Ehlinger.
• The pads haven’t even come on yet and already when the Broncos go 11-on-11, defensive lineman Malcolm Roach can be heard from a long distance away. The defense has plenty of guys that can chirp, but none like Roach.
“There’s an optimism and a positive energy with him,” Payton said. “You find yourself, maybe it’s a hot day, but he just has that energy and adds a lot to a room. It’s kind of contagious. You feel his presence and sometimes you hear him before you see him. I don’t mind that with him.”
They had plenty to talk about Friday, too. The defensive front has been disruptive on a daily basis and they’re undoubtedly excited for the pads to come on Monday.
• One sneaky good battle through camp could end up being rookie defensive lineman Sai’Vion Jones and whether he can push Jordan Jackson and others for reps in the Broncos’ defensive line rotation.
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