Denver Broncos Training-Camp Takeaways: Courtland Sutton 'fairly close' to 100 percent, and who will play in Seattle on Saturday?

Editor’s note: Welcome to one of many takeaway pieces to come during Broncos training camp. A staple of DNVR’s training camp coverage, these stories will be posted after each and every practice of camp. 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. — The Broncos’ on-field work was not as good as it was in Minnesota for the joint practices there, Broncos coach Vic Fangio said as the team concluded training camp with a low-tempo, first-team-vs.-scout-team session Thursday at UCHealth Training Center.

“I thought our practices in Minnesota were a little bit better, but we got back into the swing here pretty quickly,” Fangio said. “But I do think the practices up there were a little better.”

Still, a game on Saturday in which Fangio expects starters to play on offense and defense offers a chance for more growth.

Saturday in Seattle: Who will play?

• DEFENSE: Fangio said that “a lot” of the defensive starters will play “about 12 to 15 plays.” That group may not include outside linebackers Von Miller and Bradley Chubb and cornerback Pat Surtain II, although Fangio said all “could” play,
  • MILLER: The one thing that could hold back Miller from playing? The artificial-turf surface at Seattle’s Lumen Field. Miller was injured on the Broncos’ indoor turf field last year, and prefers his first game back to be on grass. “I’m ready to go,” Miller said. “I think I was ready to play last week. It’s about feeling out the right opportunity to play. Seattle has turf. I didn’t want my first game to be turf. … I really wanted to get a grass playing field. I know we have to play on turf during the season, and our first game is on turf versus the Giants.”
  • BARON BROWNING: Fangio said that the third-round pick “can” play Saturday, even though he was just activated from the physically-unable-to-perform list Monday. “The most important thing is he did good physically,” Fangio said of Browning’s week. “He didn’t feel any aftereffects. We probably could have started him a little earlier [and] started practicing him, but he did good. I was pleased with what he did.”
• OFFENSE: The No. 1 offense will go longer than the defense because of the quarterback competition, which will see Teddy Bridgewater start. Left tackle Garett Bolles, who was held out of last week’s game in Minnesota, will play, Fangio said. RB Melvin Gordon III will be a game-day decision after he missed last week with a groin injury.
  • RIGHT TACKLE: Fangio said that Calvin Anderson and Bobby Massie will split the first-team repetitions at right tackle.

What does Lock need to do Saturday? ‘Play well’

It’s that simple, according to offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, who wants to see Lock string together two consecutive solid game performances.

“He just needs to play well. We talk about the quarterback thing behind the scenes and in private all the time, and I think that’s really kind of the topic. That’s for [Fangio] to discuss with you publicly, but he just needs to play well and continue on the right path.”

Even though last Saturday’s work for Lock came against Minnesota’s backups, he noted that the game still afforded a chance for the public to see some of Lock’s “real improvement” the the has made in practice and meetings.

“We’ve seen the improvement,” Shurmur said. “We’ve seen a young player — in my opinion — get better with an offseason and now a training camp. We’re all together, and he can deal with me a little better. We all work together better, and he’s also in a position where he’s competing with another player who’s doing an excellent job.”

Shurmur also said that there was no issue regarding himself and Lock in the wake of Lock getting guided out of a repetition during practice Tuesday, noting that it was a communication issue.

The offensive coordinator was visibly frustrated — but not with Lock, he said.

“That was the crowd-noise day. I was more ticked off at technology because when we amped up the sound — for whatever reason — Drew’s helmet went off so I couldn’t communicate with him. I wasn’t upset with Drew; I was just ticked at the situation.

“And again, I get animated a lot, I just don’t make it about me, and I try to keep it from you. That had nothing to do with Drew. Nothing to do with Drew. Sadly, because we’re all trying to do the math on everything, you’ve got to keep track of all those things. That’s just one thing that was probably misread.”

Courtland Sutton: ‘Fairly close’ to 100 percent speed

That being said, he’s not there — by his own admission.

“I think that I’m fairly close,” he said. “I never want to say I’m 100 [percent] because I always feel like I can get a little bit more. There’s always a little bit more in there, I just have to go tap into it.”

Even as his first goal of being able to play in one preseason game remains on the table, the fourth-year wide receiver is still at the point where he’s focused on the day-to-day progress he is making as he recovers from the torn ACL he suffered last September in Pittsburgh.

Sutton said he’s still having “a dialogue” with team medical personnel as to whether he should make his debut on Seattle’s turf field, or on grass at home against the Los Angeles Rams on Aug. 28.

No matter what, Sutton wants the opportunity to play, just to find out how he’ll respond to full-contact work — both mentally and physically.

“Obviously, I can sit there and think about how I’m going to get that first tackle, how it’s going to happen, but I can’t put myself in a situation to be like, ‘I want to get tackled this specific way and then I’m going to move forward after that,” Sutton said. “I think that is like a mental part of it but then also plays into the physical part of it because I still have to take that hit, being tackled.

“I think it’s a little bit of both [mental and physical].”

Quote of the Day

“He’s going to be quarterback for sure. He’s going to be a quarterback and play golf.” — Miller, on his newborn son, Valor B’Vsean Miller, who weight 8 pounds, 13 ounces at birth this week

Injury and Availability

CB Pat Surtain II: He was back on the field after missing Wednesday’s work due to a lower-leg injury, and could play Saturday, but Fangio said he planned to take a “conservative route” with his decision.

OLB Malik Reed: He returned to practice after sitting out Wednesday due to an ankle issue.

RB Mike Boone: Fangio said that Boone’s recovery timetable remains “three to four weeks.” He suffered a quadriceps injury that he suffered last Aug. 12 in the joint practice with the Vikings.

WR Tim Patrick: He remained sidelined due to a groin injury.

S Trey Marshall: He remained sidelined with an ankle injury suffered on the opening kickoff last Saturday in Minnesota. That is expected to keep him out for two weeks.

OLB Andre Mintze: The undrafted rookie suffered a concussion Saturday and remains in the league-mandated post-concussion protocol.

Name to Know

OLB Jonathon Cooper: Few players have maximized their opportunities more this summer than the seventh-round pick, who has flourished with the additional repetitions thrown his way because of rest days for Miller and Chubb. “[He has a] very, very high motor [and is] very, very strong. He just gets it,” Miller said of Cooper. “He gets it at an early age. He’s shedding guys. I don’t like giving him coaching tips because he’s doing such a great job. Whenever you give him any type of tip or any type of pointer, he picks it up right away. That’s the quality of a great player. You can coach him one time and you’re not coaching him on the same thing over and over and over. He just gets it.”