The first two-plus weeks of training camp are full of hypotheses.
This guy looks impressive. That guy looks surprisingly not. This undrafted rookie looks like a keeper. This draft pick doesn’t.
Everybody’s in the best shape of their lives. Everybody has confidence that their team is being underappreciated. Everybody is certain that the work being done is going to translate into regular-season success.
Even though answers — real answers — don’t start arriving until the regular season, preseason games do provide a layer of information to sift through.
The Broncos have plenty on that front, even beyond a quarterback battle that features Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson.
Most starters will likely play somewhere between a handful of snaps and a couple of series. From those guys to the last handful on the 90-man roster, here are six particular players, positions and trends to watch 11 a.m. Sunday when Denver takes on the Colts in Indianapolis.
A young safety group
Head coach Sean Payton has expressed a lot of confidence in this group so far.
Justin Simmons has been gone since the spring. Caden Sterns was waived a few days ago. Brandon Jones has missed two weeks with a hamstring injury and likely will not play against Indianapolis.
That means JL Skinner, who played one defensive snap as a rookie, will likely start opposite P.J. Locke. After Locke exits, expect a heavy workload for Skinner but also Devon Key, Tanner McCalister, Keidron Smith and Omar Brown.
Skinner and Key, in particular, have impressed so far this summer. Against a different team and with live tackling, though, we’ll get a truer measure.
“They’re both good, young players,” defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said Thursday. “It’s been fun to watch them both grow. They’re both taking strides with making calls. Against our offense, it’s a lot of movement and a lot of motions daily. It isn’t easy on those guys, but it’s been good to watch those two grow and compete.”
WR Devaughn Vele
Sometimes rookies take time to get into a groove. Not so with Denver’s seventh-round wide receiver. He’s jumped off the field since the first day of rookie minicamp. Every year one or two late-round or undrafted rookies stake their claim early. Brandon Johnson did it in 2022. Jaleel McLaughlin last year. Vele is on that kind of path this summer, and he’s done it not only by running consistently crisp and precise routes but also by being strong at the catch point and making the occasional highlight-reel grab, too.
If he keeps it up through the first couple of preseason games, he’s not just going to make the roster. He’s going to make Payton and company think long and hard about featuring him in the offense sooner rather than later.
The returners — no, not those
Sure, the NFL’s new kickoff play will draw eyeballs. But teams are also going to save the good stuff for Week 1 and beyond.
No, the returners in this case are the Broncos players who have missed substantial time because of injury and should return to the field for the first time.
They have a bunch: WRs Tim Patrick and Jalen Virgil, ILB Jonas Griffith and TE Greg Dulcich among them. It might be a little bit early for DL Eyioma Uwazurike to see game action — he just returned from a year-plus gambling suspension Monday — but he did get some team repetitions late in the practice week.
The key for this group: Just get the feet wet again. A big play or moment would be great, but any and all of them will be happy to sweat, hit somebody and make it through healthy.
RB Audric Estime
In contention with Vele as the Broncos’ most impressive rookie so far is running back Audric Estime. He’s physical. He’s not afraid of finishing runs even in practice, and he looks quick for 225 pounds so far in camp. If the impression he’s making in practice carries over to games, he’s going to play — and play a lot — this fall, even in a competitive running back room.
Estime only had 26 collegiate receptions, but he looks like he can be a serviceable receiver. His ability in the passing game as well as ball security and the ability to break tackles are all elements that will show up in preseason games more than in practice.
So, what’s the former Notre Dame standout have in store?
Centers of attention
One of the better battles in camp has been for the starting center job. Luke Wattenberg handled most of the first-team reps for the opening week-plus of camp. Alex Forsyth’s worked with the top group, too, and veteran Sam Mustipher has had a day here and there.
The overhauled Broncos defensive line is providing a good test for that trio so far in camp, but it’s always different going against an actual opponent.
What we do know about the group is they’re all bright. Now we’ll take the next step toward finding out if the young guys, in particular, can hold up at the point of attack.
Not only that, but it would not be a surprise to see any or all of them get reps at guard throughout the game.
Pressure gauge
The Broncos’ starting duo of outside linebackers, Baron Browning and Jonathon Cooper, has put together a productive camp so far. Nik Bonitto has dealt with a lingering back issue and may not play, given his lack of practice reps this week. Rookie Jonah Elliss is learning the ropes and figures to see a ton of snaps both on the edge and on special teams.
After that, the battle gets good. All of Thomas Incoom, Durell Nchami, Dondrea Tillman and Jaylon Allen have flashed at times during camp and all figure to be in the mix to break camp with the team. But the Broncos can’t keep all of them on the 53-man roster. They may only be able to keep one or two. So, whose work stands out in the games? And do one or a couple of these guys get a chance to show what they can do early in the game if and when Indianapolis has more of its two-deep players in?
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