Training Camp Takes: Jurrell Casey and the D-line prove dominant

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos’ pass rush is going to be a problem for opponents.

Sunday morning, it was a problem for Denver’s offense.

PRESSURE POINTS

While the edge rushers have been among the stars of camp, Sunday’s work saw the interior linemen seize the spotlight.

Let’s start with Jurrell Casey, who was disruptive throughout the day, defusing the Broncos’ pass-protection scheme.

The best example of his play came during the second team period of practice on a third-and-8 play. Casey worked against Elijah Wilkinson, moved past his inside shoulder and forced what would have been a sack in game conditions. Casey capped his day by knocking down a Drew Lock pass at the line of scrimmage.

Dre’Mont Jones, DeShawn Williams, DeMarcus Walker, Shelby Harris and McTelvin Agim also generated consistent pressure throughout the day. Williams also had a burst of dominance in a one-on-one rep, blowing past Patrick Morris to get to the spot for a sack.

But it wasn’t until the final two plays of the two-and-a-half-hour practice that the defense found the moment that encapsulated its day.

With 18 seconds remaining in a two-minute drill scenario, Lock and the first-team offense had second-and-10 at the defense’s 11-yard line, having spiked the football to stop the clock on the previous snap. On second-and- 10, Jones flushed Lock out of the pocket. The rush-and-coverage combination worked perfectly; no one was open downfield. Lock threw incomplete to reset for the next play.

For Jones, this pressure capped a day in which he was as disruptive against the run as he was the pass. Earlier in practice, Jones and OLB Justin Hollins blew up a Jeff Driskel handoff to Phillip Lindsay.

“[Jones] is light years of where he was last year at this time,” Broncos coach Vic Fangio said.

On third-and-10, the edge rushers did the work. Malik Reed broke through past Elijah Wilkinson, flushing Lock to the right. Bradley Chubb bore down on Lock as he got outside the pocket and looked downfield. That led to an errant pass that Bryce Callahan intercepted in the end zone. The double horn blew, practice ended and the defense skipped off the field.

CUSHENBERRY ROLLING WITH THE ONES

After rotating in with the first team at center in spurts along with Patrick Morris and Austin Schlottmann during the first seven days of training camp, Lloyd Cushenberry III took all of the first-team repetitions Sunday.

Fangio praised Cushenberry in the past week, lauding the rookie’s intelligence, “calm” demeanor at the line of scrimmage and his proficiency at “picking things up very well.”

But Sunday, Fangio noted that the third-round pick did “not really” have an advantage in the competition because of his college background at the position.

“It may factor in to where each player is at, but as far as the decision we make it will be based upon the play out here on the practice field,” Fangio said. “It’s obviously an advantage for him personally that he’s played center most of his college career.

“He’s played at a good college,” Fangio continued, referring to Cushenberry’s matriculation at LSU, which won the FBS national championship last year. “Obviously, they won the championship last year. He’s played it at a high level of competition in the SEC. You could say he’s more ready that some players are coming from certain programs.”

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• TE Noah Fant: Fant had one of the longest gains of the day on a screen pass in the right flat that saw perfect execution from the Broncos’ offensive line — and left Cushenberry out in space with no one to block, leading the way for Fant as he sprinted downfield. Fant also had a 19-yard catch down the middle from Lock late in practice. But his work against Bradley Chubb in the one-on-one pass-protection drill showed how far he has come. Chubb beat Fant once, but Fant was able to hold off Chubb on another repetition, displaying better hand placement and balance than he did in pass protection last year. Fant has always been a willing blocker; with more days like this, he will make himself into a quality pro blocker.
• OT Calvin Anderson: Pass-protection drills offered an opportunity for Anderson to shine, and he capitalized. One repetition that stood out was in the one-on-one drill against Hollins, when he dropped back into his stance and didn’t overcommit as Hollins tried to spin and find an alley to the spot. Later, during the two-on-two drill, which sees pass rushers stunt and twist, Anderson displayed good balance and quick feet to get set, and did a good job at reacting smartly to the stunts thrown at him.
• LB Josh Watson seems to always be around the ball when he’s on the field, and with injuries to Justin Strnad and Todd Davis, he will be in line for an increase in repetitions. Watson did an outstanding job at diagnosing runs as they developed and filling holes, repeatedly limiting damage on the ground. Watson also had a pass defensed and during the even-on-seven period notched an open-field tackle of RB Royce Freeman.

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• C Patrick Morris: First, he found himself working entirely as a backup with Cushenberry ascending to the first team. Then, was pulled out of a team-period drill after shoving Agim to the ground. Agim was briefly treated on the field by team medical personnel before returning. “[This] is bad to do for two reasons. One, it’s a penalty. Two, we don’t throw each other down like that,” Fangio said. While calm in his post-practice press conference as he discussed the matter, Fangio, other coaches and several players on defense erupted in anger at Morris, who returned to action during the following period.

INJURY AND AVAILABILITY NOTES

• WR Juwann Winfree (groin) and RB Melvin Gordon (ribs) worked out on the north practice field with the team’s strength-and-conditioning coaches. “[Gordon] could be out there tomorrow, could not be,” Fangio said. “It’s the ribs. Ribs are touchy. He truly is day-to-day.”
• ILB Justin Strnad left practice because of a wrist injury.
• OLB Von Miller returned to practice after dealing with an elbow injury.
• WR K.J. Hamler watched practice from the sideline as he continues to deal with a hamstring injury. “Hamler’s still a ways away,” Fangio said.
• TE Nick Vannett returned to practice after being in the league-mandated post-concussion protocol, but was limited to individual-period work.
• CB Michael Ojemudia will miss “at least a week” because of a quadriceps injury, Fangio said.
• LB Todd Davis did not practice and was seen walking into the main building at UCHealth Training Center with a boot on his lower left leg as he recovers from a calf injury.
• TE Austin Fort (knee) remains sidelined after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery when training camp opened.

PLAY OF THE DAY

Phillip Lindsay shone early in practice, and his best run of the day came when he read a hole perfectly as it flashed open, making one cut and surging forward for a play that could have been a gain of at least 20 yards in game conditions. Dalton Risner and Graham Glasgow executed their pulling blocks perfectly to create the seam through which Lindsay galloped.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS

• RT Demar Dotson had a chance to display his pass-protection skills during one-on-one drills. On one repetition against OLB Jeremiah Attaochu, Dotson withstood a bull-rush to the chest, maintaining his balance as he stepped back into his stance. This allowed him to withstand a further charge from Attaochu, keeping the edge rusher away from the spot where the quarterback would be. Dotson continues to work on the No. 3 offensive line in team periods.
• Rookie Netane Muti showed promise and power as he continues to work on the third team at right guard. He sprung Jeremy Cox for a double-digit gain on the ground by pushing downfield.
• Punter Sam Martin showed the consistency that helped spur the Broncos to sign him during a period in which the Broncos focused on placement punting. With the line of scrimmage at around midfield, Martin dropped eight consecutive punts inside the 15- yard line. Seven ended in fair catches by Diontae Spencer, Trinity Benson and Jerry Jeudy. Martin’s hang times were also consistent; even of the eight punts were in the air for between 4.12 and 4.52 seconds, with a 3.84-second punt that was caught at the 6-yard line serving as the outlier.
• RB Levante Bellamy was in the passing game, although his best chance for a huge play went astray when Brett Rypien overthrew him as he broke downfield on a wheel route during a seven-on-seven period. However, he did deliver on the ground, making a cut that sent Trey Marshall flailing. However, he also struggled in the one-on-one pass-protection period. Watson knocked him to the ground on one repetition, and he also struggled to contain Strnad and LB Alexander Johnson.
• Although Lock’s day ended with an interception on a rollout under pressure, he had some bright moments when he got outside of the pocket, perhaps none better than when he rolled to his right and hit WR Tim Patrick for a 15-yard gain. Lock led Patrick perfectly, and the receiver got his feet in-bounds for the reception.