Broncos Training Camp Observations: The kid turns heads

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos are back. One week earlier than usual, too.

On Thursday morning, the Broncos not only kicked off their training camp but kicked off training camp across the NFL as they prepare for the Hall of Fame game a mere two weeks away.

As always, BSN Denver was on hand to take in all of the action.

Here’s what went down during the team’s first of 19 camp practices.

THE KID WINS THE DAY

Well, hello, Drew Lock.

The rookie didn’t post an equivalent of a 400-yard, four-touchdown game, but he made the right plays over and over and over again—a level of consistently that will impress the coaches as much as anything.

On Thursday, Lock lived in the short game, hitting the check down in the middle of the field often, while also giving looks to the outside on short routes. The second-round pick did a great job of taking what the defense was giving him and not forcing anything.

Saying that, Lock took his shots. And they paid off.

The second potential catch of the day came from a 50-plus-yard lob from Lock to receiver Brendan Langley. With the ball in good position in the right front corner of the end zone, Langley seemingly climbed over the defender and made a remarkable catch feet off the ground. Touchdown, Lock to Langley.

That, however, wasn’t the most impressive pass from the 6-foot-4, 228-pound quarterback.

In true gunslinger fashion, with pressure in his face, as he was running to the right, Lock made a beautiful sidearm throw that hit his receiver in stride for a first down. The ball came out of Lock’s arm as if it was shot out of a slingshot.

The degree of difficulty on the pass was a 10. Lock made it look like a walk in the park.

After practice, the rookie admitted he honed in on his footwork over the summer. On Thursday, that was clear as he looked much sharper moving around in the pocket, including stepping up when pressure came from the outside.

THE USUAL OFFENSE

No, no, no the Broncos’ offense didn’t look like the dreadful offenses that have been in Denver the past three years, it just looked like a typical first-day-of-training-camp offense.

If Thursday was a mid-season game, there would have been pandemonium across Denver, but fortunately, there are nearly two months until the first game.

For a variety of reasons—drops, overthrows or dropped snaps—the ball was bouncing off the grass early and often.

Jake Butt, Devontae Jackson and Juwann Winfree got in the drop action, while every quarterback had multiple overthrows, whether it be the touch was just off, or there was a miscommunication.

After being the star of training camp last year, Courtland Sutton had a case of the drops during the first practice this year. Sutton had numerous balls hit the ground that he should have brought in, including what would have been a beautiful catch that was pinned in both his hands before Bryce Callahan broke it up.

“I kind of ride him and tease him a little bit so I’ll take advantage of that,” Vic Fangio said after practice, downplaying the disappointing practice for Sutton.

While Flacco didn’t light up the team’s first practice, he was solid, making the right reads most of the time. The one play he didn’t make the right read came back to bite him, though.

Looking deep down the right sideline, Flacco let a bomb go. The only problem was Isaac Yiadom was all over it, reading it from the jump, positioning himself as the primary receiver and intercepting the underthrown ball.

Flacco responded well on the very next series. On back-to-back plays, he found a wide-open DaeSean Hamilton. The first play, off a boot, Flacco gently put the ball exactly where it needed to be for a first-down pass.

The next play, Flacco displayed his under-the-radar mobility as he scrambled to his left, escaping pressure and hit the second-year receiver for a gain of 15.

Flacco consistently put his mobility to the test as he stepped up in the pocket and slid out of the pocket most of the day to avoid pressure. For a 6-foot-6, 245-pound quarterback that many deem can’t run, he sure looked comfortable moving around.

A potential catch of the day was courtesy of Flacco’s huge arm. Fully stretched out, Winfree brought in a pass on the left sideline as he was falling down in smothering coverage for a first down.

After practice, Fangio categorized Flacco’s day as simply “good.”

INJURIES HEALED FAST

Typically, talk of injuries after a practice is a bad, bad thing (read below for the bad).

But for the most part on Thursday, the injury talk was mostly centered around how the injuries were no more.

Phillip Lindsay, Emmanuel Sanders and Jake Butt all took giant steps in their recovery from their respective injuries.

Butt participated in more than just individual drills, something he hasn’t done since tearing his ACL last season, but the excitement was with Sanders and Lindsay. Both players looked incredibly explosive and fast as if neither had endured any type of injury at the end of last year that limited them greatly during the offseason program.

Although it was his first time practicing in a team setting this year, Lindsay instantly looked like the team’s best offensive player.

On his very first run, the 1,000-yard rusher drifted with his offensive line to the right, until he found an opening and exploded on a cutback, leaving most of the defense in the dust.

Lindsay did this multiple times during practice, showing his incredible vision and ability to be an every-down back.

“He looked good. He looked good. About like I thought he would. Or about like I hoped he would is probably a better phrase,” Fangio said after practice, praising his running back. “But again, he had a wrist injury, an unusual wrist injury so he had his legs so I probably shouldn’t be surprised. But he was chomping at the bit to get out there.”

Fangio stated he doesn’t believe Lindsay has any limitations moving forward. That checked out from the way he looked on Thursday, huge news for Rich Scangarello and the Broncos’ offense.

While Sanders didn’t participate in team periods, he took a step in the right direction by catching passes from Flacco before being shut down for the rest of practice. No. 10 looked like he could play if needed and was crisp in his routes as he didn’t show any hesitation to plant his foot.

“We’re going to ease him back in,” Fangio said of Sanders. “He’s doing really good, and he’s not on PUP. It’s going to be day-to-day with him how much we add on to his plate, and we’re just going to build to it and see how it goes.”

Sanders believes it will be at least two to three weeks until he takes another significant step. Sanders is the clear leader of the receiving group as he took over the group on multiple occasions and talked to them.

ADDITIONAL TIDBITS

• Todd Davis was carted off the field after suffering an injury during practice. He is receiving further testing during the afternoon.
• John Elway spent a significant portion of practice talking to Flacco, Lock, Kevin Hogan and Brett Rypien on the sidelines. Flacco joked after practice he sometimes feels like a kid standing next to John freaking Elway.
• Isaac Yiadom and De’Vante Bausby both had interceptions on the day. Yiadom, who was sidelined for most of the offseason program recovering from an injury, made multiple plays on the ball and had a strong showing on the first day. Yiadom and Bausby are competing for the third cornerback position.
• The quarterbacks displayed their mobility most of the day not because they wanted to, but because they had to with the pass rush collapsing the pocket all day long.
• UDFA Malik Reed had an impressive day, getting into the pocket on multiple occasions.
• Jeff Heuerman and Troy Fumagalli got a lot of run with Flacco, with Fumagalli becoming a safety net for Flacco in the middle of the field.
• To no surprise, River Cracraft was the first player on the field.
• Brittany Bowlen will begin working for the Broncos in November or December, Joe Ellis told 9News.
• The Broncos announced that Jason Belser, Lamar Owens and Will Tukuafu will join the team during training camp as part of the Bill Walsh NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship.
• The Broncos signed receiver Steven Dunbar Jr., who takes the roster spot of Aaron Burbridge, who retired and was waived on Wednesday. Dunbar spent 2018 with Rich Scangarello and the San Francisco 49ers as a member of their practice squad and active roster. He’s 6-foot-3, 202 pounds out of Houston.