Training Camp Takeaways: Case catches fire

Editor’s note: Welcome into one of many, many BSN Denver observation pieces to come this offseason. A fan favorite in the past, these stories will be posted after each and every training camp practice. Who is standing out, who is lagging behind and who is looking like the favorite in each of the position battles? Those questions and many more will be answered right here.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Ah, football Sunday.

Everything feels right again.

While, sure, there are still a few Sundays until an actual game is played, for the first time since the Philadelphia Eagles beat the New England Patriots — to many Denver Broncos fans delight — football was back on the field Sunday during the Broncos’ second practice of training camp.

Here’s what went down on the fields at the UCHealth Training Center.

A Case of fire

If every player has a finite amount of greatness, Case Keenum hasn’t drained his well just yet.

“I know what he can be if he tapped into his greatness and right now he’s tapping into it,” Emmanuel Sanders said after Sunday’s practice, giving an accurate indication of his quarterbacks day on the field.

After two short, efficient completions during the hurry-up drill to start practice, the starting quarterback completely changed his approach to picking apart Denver’s No. 1 defense on his next opportunity during 7-on-7.

He started by attacking the Broncos’ best player in the secondary with a rookie. On a corner route 25 yards down the sideline, DaeSean Hamilton was smothered by Chris Harris Jr. in coverage, so much so that only a perfect pass would lead to a completion.

Keenum completed the pass, dropping the ball over Hamilton’s left shoulder in perfect stride. On the next deep pass play, Keenum delivered a perfect ball to Demaryius Thomas for a gain of over 20 yards.

“Well, DaeSean started off first with the one-hander. Then Demaryius came in with one, so I was like ‘Alright let me join the party.’ They invited me,” Sanders said, previewing the play of the day (read below).

Keenum put together three-straight dimes.

“We’ve got a quarterback,” Sanders reiterated after practice grinning ear to ear. “He’s making the right reads. He’s spreading the ball around, and it’s fun.”

Throughout the rest of practice, Case was sharp and consistent, connecting with Thomas, Sanders, Hamilton and Courtland Sutton. There were multiple times where Keenum had pressure in his face and every single time he was able to get the ball out safely and quick.

“He’s always been a pure passer,” Joseph stated matter-of-factly. “His accuracy has always been very, very good and his arm strength is very good for a guy who is not very big. He’s a pure passer.”

Case’s decision making and accuracy haven’t been a point of contention during his offseason with the team. But, on Sunday, he proved his deep ball arsenal is broader than just a miracle pass to Stefon Diggs.

“Case, he’s a guy who will push the ball down the field. We want to take care of the ball, but also be aggressive to make some big plays,” Joseph said. “We have the weapons to do that for him. It’s fun to watch the ball go down the field.”

Even the head coach, who typically has an optimistic mindset about his best players, didn’t expect Keenum and his receivers to have “almost exact” timing so early in camp. When asked if he expected the chemistry to be so strong already, Joseph said, “No, no.”

It would be irresponsible to not give credit where credit is due: To the much talked about — and, at the time, seemingly overhyped — summer passing sessions.

“[The early success] speaks to their summer work. I thought yesterday our offense took a major, major step since the spring and that speaks to Case’s leadership of keeping guys together all summer,” Joseph said. “They came out yesterday, and it was a big improvement from the last day of mini camp in my opinion.”

As far as the developing deep connection that’s getting stronger each and every day, that’ll be a difference maker for the offense during the season.

“It’s going to lead to wins,” Sanders said. “Those chunk plays, those explosive plays are what we need. We’ve got to be able to execute. We know we’re going to have a great defense. Offensively, if we can pick it up and carry our own weight and just keep flying under the radar, I feel like we’re going to be alright.”

RUN AND GET IT

Despite speculation or rumors, the Broncos are nowhere close to naming a starting running back.

“If you watch our practice, all five guys are getting one reps,” Joseph shot back after being asked if there was a competition for the starting job and a separate competition for the backup jobs. “So we’re competing.”

As he has maintained all offseason, it is difficult to evaluate running backs until the pads come on, which won’t happen until Tuesday. Until then, the Broncos have been rotating all five backs with multiple units and have given all of them various responsibilities.

On the first day of camp, Phillip Lindsay stole the show with his big-play ability. Through the first two days of camp, Devontae Booker and Royce Freeman have had significant opportunities working alongside Keenum.

Once the pads come on, the competition will crank up enormously.

“You want to see balance,” Joseph said on what he’ll be looking for once the pads come on. “You don’t want to see guys blink. Obviously, you aren’t getting hit, and we’re wearing just helmets, so most guys change. Some guys change with pads. So we’ll see. You want to see great balance; you don’t want to see guys flinch. You want to see guys run through darkness and that’s a trait of a good back.”

HEALTH AND AVAILABILITY NOTES

• For a second-straight day, Josey Jewell and Kenny Bell missed practice dealing with minor hamstring injuries.
• Corey “Philly” Brown also missed practice after having an “accident” in the weight room. “He bumped his head,” Joseph said. “Simple as that.” The ordeal is only supposed to be a small bump in the road for the team’s new receiver.
• Ron Leary and Jared Veldheer took more reps than during the team’s first practice, but still sat out a significant portion of the team periods.
  • “We want to be smart and mix them in early and not get those guys sore where they can’t work. It’s a marathon,” Joseph emphasized. “We don’t want to peak versus Minnesota. We have time for those guys to get in great shape. To build some endurance in their bodies before we give them multiple reps. Our goal is to keep five guys together and to build chemistry with our o-line this year.”
• Joseph added that he wants his five-man offensive line working together “Early” by Week 1.

ADDITIONAL TIDBITS

• On a good day for the offense, cornerback Isaac Yiadom made an impressive play covering Courtland Sutton — a receiver who has proved to be incredibly difficult to stop. On a 15-yard out route, Lynch attempted to zip in a pass to the 6-foot-4 receiver, but the rookie third-round pick batted the ball down as it arrived.
• While he didn’t catch passes from Keenum, John Diarse caught Case’s fire. The undrafted rookie receiver snatched many balls out of the air, catching the attention of everyone watching.
• The team spent a significant amount of time practicing the new kick return rules. Special teams coordinator Tom McMahon ran through many drills teaching the team how to line up and blocking assignments.
• The team started the day with a no-huddle team period. According to Joseph, the idea was to “push the pace of practice early to get the guys going after the first day of being a little sore. It worked. It was good for us. Guys played fast for us.”
• The first day the Broncos will strap on the pads will be Tuesday. They’ll also be in full pads on Wednesday before their first day off on Thursday.
• Sanders reached out to Carlos Henderson — who is on the Reserve/Did Not Report list — who did not pick up. “It’s bigger than football,” Sanders said about wanting to talk to Henderson. “I just want to make sure he’s alright.”

PLAY OF THE DAY

Menelik Watson let potentially his only opportunity to win play-of-the-day honors slip through his hands on Sunday. During a field goal drill, the team ran a fake, having the 6-foot-5, 315-pound tackle run for a pass. Punter Marquette King punt the ball on point only before it slipped through Watson’s fingers on what would likely have been a touchdown.

But that opened the door for Sanders and Keenum — the connection of the day — to slide right in for the day’s top honors.

After consecutive deep connections with Hamilton and Thomas, Keenum looked No. 10’s way. On a corner route 25 yards down the left sideline, Keenum tossed one over Sanders’ head.

As the wide receiver quickly approached the sideline, he nonchalantly stole the ball out of the air with one hand after creating separation between himself and cornerback Brendan Langley.

Sanders made a 10/10 difficulty catch look routine.