Broncos Camp | Day 12: A Clear Leader in the Center Competition Emerges
Englewood, CO — For a second consecutive week, Denver Broncos fans hustled into Centura Health Training Center to get a glimpse of their team with what remains of the summer as kids return to school in early August.
The Broncos' Monday practice, which was closed to fans, was reportedly a great day of work for the offense. Tuesday morning’s practice amped up as the first game week of camp with full pads.
The Broncos will hit the road to face the Arizona Cardinals on Friday for the first preseason game of the year. The team might be traveling on Thursday, but Broncos fans got the opportunity to enjoy Tuesday's practice and can do so on Wednesday as well.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton revealed last week his intention to play starters in the first preseason game (15-18 snaps), much to the delight of Broncos Country. With that in mind, let’s review three camp takeaways from Tuesday's practice.
Cushenberry has Commanding Grip on Starting Job
When camp started two weeks ago, the Broncos' center position was an area of concern for me. Glancing over the roster, you’ll notice four starting center candidates, including Lloyd Cushenberry III, Kyle Fuller, Luke Wattenberg, and rookie Alex Forsyth.
Although the Broncos coaching staff would never admit this, it’s obvious there’s no real competition for the starting position. Cushenberry, who was a 2020 third-round draft pick, has been the clear-cut starter to spearhead the Bronco0's new-look O-line.
The 6-foot-4, 315-pounder from LSU has received nearly all of the first-team reps in camp and has looked fairly smooth working with Russell Wilson. Cushenberry, 25, looks to have benefited from the team’s new training staff that implemented a challenging strength and conditioning program this offseason.
No longer is No. 79 getting bull-rushed into the backfield by larger nose tackles and D-linemen. ‘Cush’ seems to have settled his jittery nerves this summer and is building trust and playing aggressively alongside first-team guards Ben Powers and Quinn Meinerz. Cushenberry is playing with confidence and finally looks to be enjoying football again, something that we haven’t seen since his college days.
While it may be difficult for media and fans to view one-on-one drills between the O-line and D-line, due to them working on the far parts of the field, it’s obvious that Cushenberry is the only center that can lead this group. On Tuesday, Cush consistently demonstrated sound technique and control over his much larger opponents in multiple one-on-one reps.
The Broncos' O-line is currently facing criticism with its tackles, who are facing a furious barrage of pass rushers, but Cushenberry has been instrumental in clearing some massive running lanes for running backs Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine. Cush also held his own against D-linemen like D.J. Jones and Jonathan Harris in pass protection.
Cushenberry is showcasing hustle, grit, and a willingness to do what it takes to earn his status as a starter on this football team. His snaps have been clean and without folly from a variety of sets, including under center and shotgun.
The preseason will be a great measuring tool for Payton and the fan base to get a real feel for what will be a significant year for Cushenberry. I’m not saying lock this man down to a new contract just yet but keep that idea in mind as decisions continue to get made for this team’s short and long-term future.
Bash Bros Itching for Live Rounds
The linebacker position is extremely difficult to evaluate in training camp because the natural element of aggression and flying to the football with ferocious power, hitting, and tackling to the ground are discouraged in the practice environment. There have been some tough, no-nonsense fully-padded practices, though. Make no mistake about it. but defensive coordinator Vance Joseph doesn’t have Josey Jewell and Alex Singleton out there looking to thump one of their teammates on offense.
But that doesn’t mean that the linebackers aren’t getting their work in, as starting duo is poised for another season together in between the trenches of the linemen and secondary. My notepad has been littered with notes about No. 47 and No. 49, specifically in 9-on-7 drills.
During this drill on multiple days, Jewell and Singleton have not only disrupted the first-team offense’s run game, but they’ve taken on O-linemen with small pops of the shoulder pads followed by audible excitement over what would’ve been a devastating blow.
Both Jewell and Singleton have also had their share of moments in pass coverage, recognizing that what they lack in raw speed and agility, they compensate with precise angles and film preparation that can anticipate routes pre-snap. There’s a combined 11 years of NFL experience between both men, and they're grafting rookie Drew Sanders into their unit.
There haven’t been many plays this camp where Jewell or Singleton, dubbed the 'Bash Brothers,' could be found missing an assignment. They’re rarely out of place.
The Broncos' linebacker corps is one of the most consistent units of personnel that not only grasps its task at hand but is willing to sacrifice the position for someone else to make a play on the edge or line.
Fans will be delighted to know that Sanders fits right in with Jewell and Singelton with his level of physicality and blue-collar approach to practice. The 22-year-old arrives in Denver after being selected in the third round of the draft and has had an exciting camp this summer as well. All three men — Jewell, Singleton, and Sanders — have to rally their unit after losing Jonas Griffith to a season-ending injury last week.
The first opportunity to do so takes place on Friday in Arizona as the ‘Bash Bros’ get their first taste of live rounds with an opponent they won’t have to protect or take care of. So, while some fans can’t stand preseason games, the Broncos' linebackers are itching to hit an opponent and gauge their level of physicality in a competitive environment.
Kicking Competition Far From Settled
Many Broncos hope to start things off on the right foot on Friday in the preseason opener against the Cardinals, and this is especially true for the Broncos' two kickers. Maher and Fry have been in a position battle for the past two weeks as both men aim to replace Super Bowl 50 champion Brandon McManus, who was released earlier this offseason and is now with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
On Tuesday, both men were perfect in extra-point attempts and short-to-medium-range field goals. While I generally refrain from analyzing kickers, I respect how important it is for a football team to get the position right.
Payton placed a heavy emphasis on the two-minute offense with goals of being able to move the football, set up the field goal, and leave the field with a walk-off win. The fact of the matter is the Broncos are implementing a new offense under Payton, and things will take some time to completely gel. However, being able to reliably hit on field goals and extra-point attempts is one of the surest ways that a team can win games; just ask the 2015 Broncos.
It's crucial that Payton get the kicker position right at Centura Health Training Center during this training camp. The casual fan is somewhat underwhelmed with both candidates due to their less-than-astonishing career accolades, but rest assured, both men have been nailing their kicks in scoring opportunities and kickoff coverage.
I understand that a QB competition is more fun to debate, but all the pomp and circumstance of such high-profile summer position battles fade into oblivion when a team fails to capitalize on crucial field goals in the regular season.
Last season, Maher played for the Dallas Cowboys, where he made 29-of-32 field-goal attempts, nine of which were from at least 50 yards, in addition to logging the third 60-yard field goal of his career. But what fans remember most about Maher was his disastrous performance in the playoffs, where he missed a whopping four extra-point tries against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a variety of ugly inconsistencies.
Maybe a change of scenery was for the best with Maher, who played for Payton's New Orleans Saints in 2021 and has been reunited with him in Denver. Who you know can be important in life, but if Payton were truly sold on Maher, why was he the second kicker signed this offseason?
The first was Fry, who went undrafted out of South Carolina in 2017 and is no stranger to competition, as his NFL resume boasts a career replete with tryouts. He most recently kicked for two teams in 2021, including the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs. Fry went 3-of-4 on field-goal attempts as a Chief and didn’t play in 2022.
It's been a long time since there's been a kicking battle in the Mile High City, so it’s a bit uncomfortable now that the team is in this position. Two weeks into camp, my money is on Maher, who’s more experienced and poised. So far, he seems deserving of a second chance.
But there’s no way to rule out Fry, who continues to make this competition tougher for Payton to evaluate. How the dust settles in the desert could be the most helpful in Payton deciding which of these two kickers should be Denver's guy in 2023.
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