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Broncos camp: Observations from practice in preparation for Seahawks game
This week, I had the great privilege of making it to training camp at Dove Valley for two straight practices. I have attended training camp in the past, back when Gary Kubiak was head coach of the 2015 squad and Peyton Manning was at the helm leading the team to what would become the ultimate Super Bowl victory.
It's interesting seeing what each coaching staff prioritizes when it comes to these precious few practices before the regular season kicks off. Every coaching staff does most of the same drills, but it is interesting to observe how the time is divided up and whether the head coach trusts his staff to do their job or not.
There were lots of stories that Josh McDaniels, for example, never trusted his staff the way he should have and had to be involved in every little detail of the team. Even after the team started 6-0 and the defense was playing great, he still went to the defensive coordinator Mike Nolan and told him he didn’t like how he was calling games.
In my limited two days of camp, there are some observations I was able to glean from both the coaching staff and the players themselves. I do recommend if you can ever get to camp to take advantage of that opportunity, even as a fan.
There is no better view than the ones the fans are given at Dove Valley to watch practice. Even many of the media have started leaving their booths to the side and joining the fans realizing how great of a vantage point it truly is.
How Vic Fangio runs practice
Vic Fangio observes at Broncos camp.
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For years, people (myself included) have wanted to see a staff that was absolutely known for their ability to coach up young guys and develop them into special players. The Broncos might have finally found such a staff.
It's easy to see that Vic Fangio prioritizes teaching and trusting his staff to do just that. A big chunk of practice was spent with the players divided up into their position groups and the position coaches getting lots of time to work with their players.
One that caught my eye was Mike Munchak coaching up the offensive line. With no music playing it is a little easier to hear the coaches talking to the players and I have no doubts now that the offensive line will be improved in big part because of Munchak.
It has been a few years, but I do not remember even with Gary Kubiak at the helm there being as much time spent in position groups working on the little details. This could explain some of the struggles for the offense early in training camp of not working as much together as an entire unit.
The teaching seems to be paying off as the offense is starting to look like a much more competent group than what I was hearing earlier on in training camp.
Quarterbacks
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In the NFL, until a team has a true established quarterback at the helm, the position will always be the main storyline of training camp. I might have picked a bad day to show up to camp when it comes to Joe Flacco, as he did throw two pick-sixes to Kareem Jackson.
Beyond those two throws, though, there is a big difference between Flacco and the other quarterbacks. It is easy to see that Flacco is miles ahead of the others.
His ability to process the information and make quick decisions on time was something none of the other quarterbacks showed with consistency. I do think this offense is a great fit for him and I do expect a bit of a bounce-back year for Flacco, as there were some great moments for the starting offense during practice.
A couple of weeks back, Charles Robinson tweeted out 10 Broncos observations during his time in training camp. One of them had me a bit baffled when he stated he wouldn’t be surprised if Drew Lock remained the third-string quarterback to start the season.
After watching practice and the Hall of Fame game, I don’t think this observation is as farfetched as I first thought. I also don’t think it would be a knock on Lock if that is what happens.
It was easy to see that he needs time to develop. He is being asked to do things he has never done in his quarterback career. The arm talent is there, but he needs time to refine himself as a quarterback.
During practice, Lock struggled early on getting through his progressions and was late on a lot of throws. As he settled in, though, he showed why he could be the future fitting throws into very tight windows. I would encourage all to show patience when it comes to Drew Lock.
Kevin Hogan and Brett Rypien were about what I expected. Hogan made some nice throws but showed he does have some limitations to his game. He also struggled with timing, taking more sacks than the other quarterbacks and holding onto the ball.
Rypien is a very smart quarterback, but his lack of velocity on his throws showed up a few times leading to turnovers during practice in his limited reps. I do think he can develop into a quality backup, but he would be best served spending time on the practice squad this year.
O-line
Again, Mike Munchak's influence cannot be overstated. It is easy to see the players have taken well to his coaching and even had times where they got the best of a very strong defensive unit.
The interior group if Dalton Risner, Connor McGovern, and Ron Leary showed well while I was there. McGovern continued his streak of no bad snaps in both practices. Risner especially looks like he could quickly develop into a star for this team. His power, intelligence, and technique were all on display while I was watching him.
Depth is still an issue for this unit, but Rome was not built in a day. I also want to make clear I do not expect the starting unit to all of a sudden become a top-5 group in the NFL right away, but with some patience, I do expect big things for them as the season progresses.
Offensive weapons
The running back group is as advertised. Philip Lindsay is much quicker in person and showed in this zone blocking scheme he is going to be deadly when asked to make one cut and get upfield. He can fit through the tiniest of holes and turn nothing into big plays.
Royce Freeman is the one I do think will surprise people this year. He looks quick and his ability to see the cut back lane was fun to watch.
The new addition of Theo Riddick looks to be a good one. He was quickly getting up to speed with plenty of plays being called his direction. His play speed looked great and I do think he will be heavily featured in that third-down spot.
I know many are wanting Lindsay to be much more involved in the passing game, but I will caution that Lindsay struggled while I watched practice with drops. Both days he put the ball on the ground multiple times and one of his drops led to a tipped interception during the final drill on Monday’s practice.
The tight ends and wide receivers also continued to struggle with drops. I don’t think this problem is completely going away. Most of the drops, though, were by players that won’t be heavily featured this upcoming season unless there are quite a few injuries.
Emmanuel Sanders continued to show he is the top wide receiver and has the best hands on the team. Courtland Sutton made a few nice catches, but it does seem like he and Flacco are struggling to consistently get on the same page.
DaeSean Hamilton consistently was getting open from the slot and should be featured quite a bit this season, especially on third down. Tight end-wise, the Broncos were trying to get Noah Fant up to speed as quickly as possible. He struggled while I was at training camp, not knowing everything he was supposed to be doing, but when he knew the play his athleticism helped him get open in a hurry.
D-line
When the season is over, I think we might all look back and say the defensive line was the most underrated unit coming in. There is no question that the starting three should be a pretty good group that can make plays in both the run and pass game.
It was the backups that really showed the Hall of Fame Game was no fluke. Dre’Mont Jones and DeMarcus Walker were both making plays in the backfield. On one play, I watched Walker get immediate pressure up the middle on Kevin Hogan, get the sack (can’t tackle the quarterback obviously), and then run twenty yards down the field celebrating the sack before Hogan ever got the ball out to a receiver.
I have not been a big fan of Walker ever since he was drafted, but I do think he is showing some good improvement and could not only make this roster but make an impact in games.
Linebackers
I’m going to make a 'water is wet' statement here, but Bradley Chubb is going to have a big year. Von Miller is still the star of this team, but it will not surprise me one bit to see Chubb get more sacks this season.
This defense fits him well and he looks focused on the goal at hand. The off-ball linebackers are where the main question comes to hand.
Unfortunately, they were struggling in coverage to be where they needed to be during practice. Tight ends and running backs were wide open on a lot of plays. The Broncos need Todd Davis and Josey Jewell to stay healthy this year.
Secondary
This group is going to be special. Chris Harris, Jr. is prime for another great year. Justin Simmons could lead the league in interceptions and Kareem Jackson seems to be just warming up with what the Broncos can do with him.
What could make this unit surprise some people this year is the growth of Isaac Yiadom and De’Vante Bausby. I was impressed with both during the Hall of Fame Game and both showed pretty well in practice while I was there.
The safety depth looks to be some of the best on the team on top of all that making for an interesting issue come cut-down time.
Final thoughts
There are still some major concerns with this team heading into the upcoming season. Having watched this team up close in two days’ worth of practices, though, I will say I feel a bit better of where this team is talent-wise and depth-wise.
The Broncos are heading in the right direction and Vic Fangio seems to have been a very good choice after two years of chaos for this organization. This team will need some patience as they figure out the new schemes on both the offense and defense, but I don’t think many teams in the NFL will want to be playing them over the second half of the season.
Follow Carl on Twitter @CarlDumlerMHH.
