News and notes from Day 10 of Broncos Camp

Day 10 of Broncos Camp is in the books, and it was their final practice before their joint practice with the 49ers on Thursday. They were back in pads today, and it was a big day for second-year wide receiver Troy Franklin, who arguably had his best day of camp today. Rookie wide receiver Pat Bryant was also active today, and the fight for snaps in the Broncos’ wide receiver room is heating up. With running back J.K. Dobbins receiving a veteran day off, rookie running back R.J. Harvey carried the load for the Broncos’ offense and looked quick and explosive. We also heard from the Broncos coordinators for the first time this summer.

In today’s piece, we will have more on wide receivers Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant, and the wide receiver positional battle is heating up. We hear from the coordinators, injury updates, news and notes, quotes, and more!

Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant are impressing

The theme throughout the offseason and now training camp has been second-year wide receiver Troy Franklin making explosive plays throughout practice. That continued today and he, according to reports, had his best day yet.

As DNVR’s Zac Stevens notes, Franklin had multiple touchdown receptions during today’s practice. They came during 7-on-7 drills, but still, it is good to see him making plays. We didn’t hear much about him during camp last season, and now, he is out there making plays each and every practice. Franklin also had the play of the day during the move the ball period when he dove to catch a 25-yard reception from quarterback Bo Nix.

After practice, Broncos Offensive Coordinator Joe Lombardi told reporters that Franklin is playing faster and “really stood out” in camp thus far. Lombardi also noted that quarterback Bo Nix and Franklin have a good feel for each other out there.

“They have a good feel for each other. Experience with a receiver really helps as a quarterback, knowing where they’re going to be. That’s really paid off. As he [WR Troy Franklin]’s learned the offense, he’s able to play naturally and that’s what Bo’s used to.” — Broncos Offensive Coordinator Joe Lombardi

As for Pat Bryant, the rookie wide receiver may not have the explosive plays that Franklin has had, but he has been heavily targeted throughout practice by all three quarterbacks. He has showcased his route running and the ability to attack the ball in the air. Devaughn Vele seems like the favorite to be the Broncos’ WR2 or WR3 this season, but if Bryant continues to improve, he will be pushing for snaps.

Lombardi talked about the Broncos’ wide receiving depth after practice today and told reporters that the team has a lot of depth and that it is going to be interesting to see how everything plays out as camp develops.

“[WR] Courtland [Sutton] has been having a really good camp. He looks to me even better than he did last camp. We mentioned [WR] Troy [Franklin]. [WR] Marvin [Mims Jr.] is coming along. He finished strong last year, and we expect him to keep on that upward trajectory. [WR Devaughn] Vele’s been dealing with some things, but he’s looking good now. I think he’s had a couple of his best days the last two days. We’ve added [WR Trent] Sherfield Sr. and he’s been… I think we all know he’s a great blocker, but the ball keeps finding him in practice. He’s making a lot of catches out here. [WR Michael] Bandy is always Mr. Reliable. We have some young guys that are really playing well, some of our rookies that were free agents. It’s been a really good class as far as that’s concerned. Like you said, we have a lot of depth and it’s going to be interesting as camp goes on and develops. — Broncos offensive Coordinator Joe Lombardi

The Broncos’ wide receiver room has gone from a weakness with a ton of questions to suddenly one of the deepest parts of their team. They have four young receivers (Mims, Franklin, Vele, and Bryant) all fighting for snaps, a veteran in Courtland Sutton as your WR1, a special teamer/blocker in Sherfield, and a number of UDFA’s pushing for a roster/practice squad spot.

It is going to be interesting to see how it plays out, and I am anxious to see how they all perform in the joint practices and the preseason games.

Injury Report

WR A.T. Perry remained on the PUP list and missed another practice

LB Drew Sanders is out “north of 4 to 6 weeks” after undergoing foot surgery

Rookie edge rusher Que Robinson returned to practice today after sitting out the last few practices due to a bone bruise - Source

Veteran LB Dre Greenlaw returned to practice today after missing the previous few due to a soft tissue injury - Source

A number of veterans, including Trent Sherfield, Malcolm Roach, J.K. Dobbins, and others, received a veteran’s day off - Source

News and Notes

Broncos’ offense was clicking during their 7-on-7 period. Bo Nix had TD passes to Devaughn Vele and Troy Franklin, Jarrett Stidham had TD passes to Franklin and Bandy, and Ehlinger had TD passes to Pat Bryant and Cade Prieskorn - Source

CB Kris Abrams-Draine is having a strong camp and had a PBU of Jarrett Stidham during today’s practice - Source

QB Bo Nix moved the offense into field goal range during a move-the-ball period to end practice - Source

Rookie RB R.J. Harvey flashed today while receiving RB1 snaps with Dobbins sitting out practice - Source

Tweets from Camp

Notable Quotes

DC Vance Joseph on his thoughts on the defense

“So far pleased. It’s a matter of building a system for our new players. It’s a matter of trying to find our play style. Thus far, it’s been good. Everyone’s hustling and playing fast, we’re making plenty of mistakes to correct, which is important during training camp. I have no complaints.

DC Vance Joseph on the next steps for the defense

“I think the next step is avoiding the awkward big plays, the awkward series. If you’re going to be a top defense in this league, just consistency, building depth to do that and over a long season is important for us. I’d say every defense’s goal is to always be consistent, and if you’re going to be dominant, that’s every down, every game, every quarter. That’s our goal.”

DC Vance Joseph on DL Zach Allen growth’s

“I think [DL] Zach [Allen] has grown every single year. As he’s gotten stronger and bigger as a player, he’s played the run game better. He’s always been a pretty good pass rusher, but the run game stuff has gotten a lot better. Obviously he’s played a bunch of football. His football I.Q. is very high, so you can gameplan around Zach. He can call the games up front, third-down stuff, he calls it for us. His I.Q. and how hard he plays is his calling card, so he’s always been a great player but with more strength and experience. He’s truly special.”

OC Joe Lombardi on the continuity with QB Bo Nix and the offensive system

“Things just slow down for him, and so he’s able to just play a little bit faster and recognize what he’s looking at a little bit more, just increases his comfort level. This is a heck of a defense we practice against every day, but he’s doing a good job just able to get to the second level of things.”

OC Joe Lombardi on the benefits of QB Bo Nix being able to adjust on the fly

“A ton. He’s got a lot of experience, not all at the pro level, but he’s had a lot of reps under his belt. So the game isn’t too fast for him, not too big for him. He’s able to articulate what he’s seeing when we’re trying to make an adjustment. He gets it. I think he was exceptional with that as a rookie, and you just expected it to get better as his experience keeps going on.”

ST’s Coach Darren Rizzi on P Jeremy Crawshaw

“Like I’ve said before with [P] Jeremy [Crawshaw], his talent level is outstanding. Like any specialist, the most important thing is the production on the field. There’s talent and there’s production, and so the consistency is going to be the most important thing. It’s like you guys have probably heard me talk before, specialists are a lot like golfers or swingers in baseball. You could be the most talented guy, but when you get in the batter’s box or the tee box, you’ve got to produce. So that’s the only thing we have left in this equation is getting him out there in these games, putting him in some live situations and seeing it. He’s a pleasure to work with every day. I’m really, really happy we have him.”

ST’s Coach Darren Rizzi on roster spots coming down to special teams, and if he likes the pressure put on him

“I think it’s awesome. I think one of the things about [Head Coach] Sean [Payton] is that you look at the 32 head coaches around the league. I don’t know if there’s a Coach who has more awareness of that phase of the game, of this phase of the game than Sean. It’s always been the case. You look back at his teams at the Saints, it’s always been an emphasis. So that’s why I love working under him. It’s always an emphasis for us. He’s put that back on the players on the roster right now, like, ‘Hey, this is a way and an avenue to make this roster.’ Not only for the rookies, but for the veterans as well. I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of a camp—this is my 17th year in the league—where there’s going to be as many tough decisions as we’re going to have. Listen, I welcome it. I love it. It’s what I do for a living. So I think the emphasis we’ve put on it, you guys have watched us out here in practice. We’re evaluating everything. The players know that, and competition brings out the best in everybody. So that’s why I really can’t wait till we are in the lights out here on Saturday, and these three preseason games are really going to tell us a lot. It’s one thing to do it here in practice, but to get out there and do it in these games, it’s going to be fun to watch.”

ST’s Coach Darren Rizzi on WR Trent Sherfield Sr. and what he brings to the unit

“It’s funny. Every time he [WR Trent Sherfield Sr.] has been a free agent, I’ve evaluated him and tried to get him on my side. I joked around with him when he got here that finally we’re together. I’ve been sick of kind of playing against him. Listen, those offensive core skill players are very, very valuable. There’s not a lot of them in the league. You look at some of the skill guys, offensively, receiver, running back, a lot of those guys don’t play special teams in college, so they’re kind of diamonds in the rough coming out. He’s a guy who’s a proven commodity. He’s excellent, excellent last year in the coverage aspect. He’s always been a good blocker on offense, and in the return game, he brings an added toughness. He adds an element. He’s kind of exactly what you’re looking for [in] that receiver, whatever number you want to put on it. Some people call it three, four, five, whatever number you want to put. As long as he’s at the game, I don’t care what number he’s got. His veteran presence has also been great. We have a number of young receivers, not only receivers, but also the defensive backs, all the skill guys. They’re kind of watching guys like him and [S] Sam Franklin Jr. and guys that have been around the league and have had production in this phase. That’s fun to watch. That leadership is hard to come by, so I’m really happy we got him.”

Click here to read article