Broncos Camp: 6 Biggest Takeaways From Acclimation Day 2

Denver Broncos training camp marched ahead on Thursday, as the team held its second straight "acclimation" practice. Friday will be the first camp practice open to fans, marking the end of the acclimation process.

It was a spirited practice, with a focus early on the red zone. There was some back and forth, but the defense may have won the day in team period.

There's plenty of news and notes to get to, so let's break down the key things to know about the Broncos' second acclimation practice. In case you missed it, here's the notebook from Tuesday's first acclimation practice.

Payton's Hall-of-Fame Call

Legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame next weekend, and he'll need someone to introduce him. An inductee's intro person is usually very symbolic, and it carries a lot of weight.

Brees asked Broncos head coach Sean Payton to do the honors, and the poignant call was captured for social media. Payton was clearly moved.

"I can't believe you just did that" 🥹@DrewBrees asks @SeanPayton to present him at the @ProFootballHOF

🎥: @GregBensel pic.twitter.com/GKJniyiJLj
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) July 30, 2026

Payton's trip to Canton, Ohio, next weekend will require him to miss one day of camp practice, but defensive coordinator Vance Joseph could be the one to step in to run things while the Broncos' head coach is away. It should be no skin off the team's teeth, and as a former head coach with now three years of experience working under Payton, Joseph is more than capable.

Special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi is another option. He's an experienced coach and served as New Orleans' interim head coach for several weeks in 2024.

“I haven’t even discussed it," Payton said on Thursday. "I’m sure Vance or Rizzi, one of our experienced coaches that are staying back. Yes, probably Vance.”

What an honor for Payton. It's going to be quite the experience, no doubt. Congratulations to Brees and the Saints.

Waddle Woos With a One-Handed Catch

Arguably, the play of the day was a Bo Nix pass to new wide receiver Jaylen Waddle on air. Waddle caught it with one hand — not because he had to but because he could. There were no DBs in coverage.

Sheeeeesh, @D1__JW 🐧 pic.twitter.com/VKXhvEPoSk
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) July 30, 2026

The highlight play from practice could be a harbinger of bigger things to come when the season rolls around. The Broncos gave up a first- and third-round draft pick to acquire Waddle from the Miami Dolphins, and at 27 years old, he's still in his prime.

As Nix has said about Waddle, "That guy walks fast." The Broncos have lacked an explosive element in their passing game, but that vacuum is about to be filled with gusto.

Waddle has eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving milestone three times in his young NFL career, although he came up short the past two seasons, mainly due to quarterback instability. With Nix entering his third year and a strong supporting cast around him, Webb could be headed back to the 1,000-yard club.

Courtland Sutton will continue to be Nix's security blanket, and the veteran receiver is a bona fide Pro Bowler in his own right, so he'll get his. But Waddle is poised to elevate this passing game to heights we haven't witnessed yet in the Payton/Nix era.

DB Makes a 'Fresch' Impression

The Broncos signed cornerback Sean Fresch Jr. as soon as the UFL season ended. Initially, it looked like he was being brought in for his returner ability on special teams, but I've since learned a lot more about him.

Fresch is a force to be reckoned with at cornerback. He showed that on Thursday, making an impressive interception during 11-on-11 drills that wowed onlookers at Sam Ehlinger's expense.

Fresch also made some nice plays in 7-on-7, as The Denver Post's Luca Evans opined. Keep an eye on the 5-foot-9, 181-pound defensive back as training camp marches ahead. Fresch is rocking the No. 37 among the DBs.

The Broncos are extremely deep at cornerback, with five players seemingly locked for the roster. There is a world in which I could see the Broncos keeping six cornerbacks, but only if that sixth guy makes his case utterly undeniable.

It would also go a long way if that sixth guy brought some versatility to the table, which Fresch most certainly does. Not only is he a dynamic returner, but he could contribute on special teams coverage units, too.

Balanced RB Touch Share

As Evans also pointed out, the Broncos kept the running back touch share pretty even during team periods among J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey, and Jonah Coleman. Payton loves his running-back-by-committee approach, and while we've kind of assumed that Dobbins would be the RB1 by a hefty margin touch-wise, it'll be interesting to see how the carries continue to get divided by the coaches.

Training camp is one thing and so is the preseason, but regular-season games are something altogether different. In other words, the Broncos may be balancing the running back touches now, but the push comes to shove in the games that count, we should find out quite quickly which guys will be trusted the most by the coaches.

We already know that Dobbins and Harvey have earned the trust of the coaching staff. As one of the few complete all-around backs in the 2026 draft class, though, the Broncos could already be close to viewing Coleman in that same way.

However the touch share shakes out, it's all good for the Broncos. This offense needs to field a better ground game in 2026, and having three fresh and healthy running backs to rotate and throw at opponents will go a long way toward improving the Broncos' rushing totals.

Injury Updates

Tight end Caleb Lohner missed practice again, as he recovers from a "routine" clean-up procedure on his knee. That procedure was in early June, so hopefully he's close to being cleared for practice.

The Broncos re-signed three of their veteran tight ends this past spring, and then they drafted two more, including fifth-rounder Justin Joly. If Lohner is going to make a push for the 53-man roster this summer, instead of another year-long stay on the practice squad, he'll need all the reps he can get.

Linebacker Jordan Turner (NFI) and offensive guard Nick Gargiulo (PUP) are the only other players on the Broncos' 90-man roster yet to practice. The Broncos placed them on their respective lists on the doorstep of training camp, but both were classified as either Active/Non-Football Injury or Active/Physically Unable to Perform, which means they shouldn't be long for the sideline.

Looking Ahead

Again, Friday's camp practice will be open to the fans. On Saturday, the Broncos will host their annual "Back Together Weekend" event at Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit.

Those fans who were lucky enough to get in the queue for the free camp tickets are in for a treat, with the line of covered bleachers in full view of the Broncos' stunning $175 million facility.

Sign up for our free Denver Broncos On SI newsletter, and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Add us as a preferred source on Google