Broncos Training Camp Observations: A series that can't be ignored

 

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — As of Thursday’s practice, the Broncos have been on the training-camp grind for a full week.

As a majority of the league begins their respective camps on Thursday, the Broncos are already in mid-season form. Well, roughly half the team, that is, and Thursday’s practice shed light on that better than ever.

As always, BSN Denver was on hand for the near-three-hour practice. Here’s what went down.

BEAT BY WHO?!

It’s one thing to be beat by Von Miller, Bradley Chubb, Chris Harris Jr. and Co., as the Broncos’ offense has been time-and-time again through the first week of camp.

But it’s a whole other animal when the backups look like the starters. That’s what it looked like on Thursday.

When the first-team offense went up against the backup defense, it was difficult to tell that it wasn’t the starting defense that was on the field.

In two different series, Flacco and Co. got to face the backup squad. Success was hard to come by.

On the very first play of the first series, Courtland Sutton was wide open on a deep post. Blazing at full speed as he crossed the middle of the field from right to left, there wasn’t a defender in sight. Flacco loaded up and launched the ball 50-yards downfield.

But with a bit of pressure coming his way, he launched it too far, overthrowing what would have been an easy, easy touchdown.

The next play it was more of the same as Flacco and Sutton were yards apart on a deep out on the left sideline. Flacco found Tim Patrick on the next play in the middle of the field for a gain of 10 yards.

In the next series, against the backups still, there was a small amount of progress. But not on the first play.

The backup front seven collapsed the pocket, likely resulting in a sack, but since the play wasn’t blown dead Flacco was forced to intentionally sail it out of bounds.

The next two plays were positive, both short completions in the right flat, the first to Phillip Lindsay and the second to Kelvin McKnight.

Of all of the concerns surrounding the offense through the first week of camp, this could very well be the scariest as backups were able to hold the offense in check.

There were at least two sacks on the day by the starting unit with Chris Harris Jr. flying off the edge untouched for one of them. Additionally, Justin Simmons had an interception fly right through hands near the end of practice off Flacco’s arm. Garett Bolles and Austin Fort also provided false starts for the unit.

There were a few positive plays on the day from the offense, going up against the first-string defense, too.

Flacco connected with Sutton on a deep out roughly 20 yards downfield with Isaac Yiadom in tight coverage. No. 14 displayed nice footwork, getting both feet on bounds.

After faking the handoff, Flacco wound up and connected with Fort 30-plus yards down the left hash. The rookie tight end was off to the races, potentially reaching the end zone in a game.

Outside of those two plays, all of the positive plays were within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage—an aspect that hasn’t changed through the first week of camp.

OH SNAP!

Not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven. Nope, that’s not the number of rings Joe Flacco declared he was going to win as a member of the Broncos after practice.

It’s the growing, and ever concerning, number of bad snaps from Connor McGovern in a seven-day stretch.

“I’ve noticed it. There are too many right now and obviously that’s something that’s got to get cleaned up,” Fangio said without hesitation. “Some of those we’ve had today—not today, this camp—have been the quarterback’s fault. The ball’s right there and they’re taking their eyes off it too quick and they’re not catching it. It hasn’t all been the center’s fault.”

But on Thursday, it was the center’s fault. The first poor snap was nearly as bad as it could be.

With Flacco in shotgun, McGovern’s snap came in uncatchable at his feet and to the left. With Chubb jumping the snap from the left side, he would have been the first player to the ball, easily scooping and scoring it for six.

Later in practice, another dud snap immediately had the play blown dead with Flacco clearly showing his frustration.

This hasn’t just been an issue through the first week of camp. McGovern not only struggled to hit Flacco in the numbers consistently throughout the entire offseason program, but he had many poor snaps the second half of last season when he replaced Matt Paradis after his injury.

“It’s the most basic fundamental there is. If we can’t get that, it doesn’t matter what play we call,” Fangio said, shooting it straight. “That obviously has to be perfect soon.”

UNSUSPECTING BACKERS

Another day, another linebacker.

For a second day, since Todd Davis has been sidelined with a calf injury, undrafted rookie Josh Watson got the call to play alongside Josey Jewell.

The 6-foot-2, 240-pound linebacker held his own, too. Looking like Brandon Marshall repping 54, Watson looked comfortable in coverage and plugged holes in the run game.

The Colorado State product also got in Flacco’s face as he came on a delayed blitz, forcing the veteran quarterback to get rid of the ball quickly. The pass was incomplete.

Another rookie linebacker that mildly surprised on Thursday was fifth-round pick Justin Hollins.

Hollins didn’t surprise with his play per se, but by where he was playing. All of the talk surrounding No. 52 for months has been how he will transition to playing inside linebacker along with his natural position of outside backer.

But on Thursday, the 6-foot-5, 248-pounder lined up at his natural position on the edge and showed why he was primarily on the outside in college.

Lined up on the outside shoulder of the left tackle, Hollins shot out of a cannon at the snap, turned the corner and was in Drew Lock’s lap before No. 3 had time to think. Sack. Hollins was there in an instant.

ADDITIONAL TIDBITS

• Drew Lock’s “getting better,” according to Fangio, but he also joked “he’s not a union NFL quarterback yet.”
• Kareem Jackson will stay at safety for the first two weeks of camp before getting work in at nickel and corner. The reason, according to Fangio, is Jackson has played the least amount throughout his career at safety. Fangio added that Jackson can play corner “in an emergency.” It would be safe to not count of Jackson playing too much corner this year if everyone stays healthy.
• After being the unquestioned fourth-string quarterback for the beginning of camp, Brett Rypien has been getting more and more action with the top units, including some with the second team on Thursday. Rypien sees the field very well, unafraid to progress through his reads in the pocket.
• Juwann Winfree was back at practice on Thursday after missing the past two practices.
• DaeSean Hamilton missed his first practice of camp after being held out of half of Wednesday’s practice after tweaking his hamstring.
  • After practice, Fangio said the injury is “not as bad as [it] could have been,” adding, “He woke up feeling better today. Encouraged that it will be short rather than long, but how those hamstrings can go.”
• Jake Butt (knee), Todd Davis (calf) and River Cracraft (oblique) also missed Thursday’s practice as they continue to recover from their respective injuries.
• Tight end Bug Howard was carted off practice with an ankle injury that Fangio said could be a sprain.
• Offensive lineman Jake Rodgers left practice with a calf injury.