Broncos Insider Reveals When Vic Fangio, Coaches, & Rookies Will Report to Dove Valley
Earlier this week, we learned that the NFL is seriously mulling over the possibility of cutting down the preseason from its traditional four exhibition games down to two. Subsequently, if that happens, teams might then choose to whittle the current 90-man rosters down to 75 or 80 players.
All this, of course, as an adjustment to the pandemic as the league rolls with the coronavirus punches. Above all else (not counting safety, of course), the NFL has put the 2020 regular season on a pedestal. Keeping the schedule in its entirety and starting on time remain the priority.
If that means that a couple of exhibition preseason games get lopped off this summer, it's a price the NFL might be willing to pay if it improves the safety of its players, coaches, and personnel, while keeping the regular season on-schedule.
One date the NFL hasn't moved off of is training camp. The Denver Broncos will kick off camp, following an offseason without any actual football activities taking place at UC Health Training Center, on July 28.
Thanks to recent a report from KUSA's Mike Klis, we learned when Head Coach Vic Fangio, his staff of assistants, and the Broncos' rookie class will report to Dove Valley.
The coaches will return to the Broncos' UCHealth Training Center on July 14. Rookies and others will report July 21 with the veterans coming in a week later.
That means the rookies, like first-round WR Jerry Jeudy and second-round WR KJ Hamler, will hit the facility and begin the crucial process of engaging with their new coaches, a full week before the veterans do.
If the NFL follows through on the recent reports, the first and fourth preseason games will be canceled. That means that the Broncos would have 25 days from the start of camp to their first preseason game on August 22 vs. the Chicago Bears at Empower Field at Mile High.
The Broncos would then, under this new-fangled preseason plan, travel to take on the Los Angeles Rams on August 29. From there, the Broncos would not take the field again until the regular-season opener vs. the Tennessee Titans, which will take place at Mile High on September 14.
For fans still hand-wringing over whether the regular season will actually happen, just getting cleats on the grass on July 28 will go a long ways toward assuaging those fears. At this stage, it's unclear whether fans will be allowed to attend games this year but up to this point, the league is leaving it up to the individual teams to decide the issue.
The Broncos have not given any indication, other than joining the other 31 teams in blocking out the first eight rows around the stadium, of doing anything other than allowing fans into the stadium for the games. Sitting here on July 3, we're only a few weeks out from the decision points.
All will be known in due time but the momentum is pointing towards the NFL season happening, a comforting return to normalcy for Broncos Country and fans across the U.S.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
