Broncos Camp Day 10: Broncos Thin at Center | Takeaways

Denver Broncos training camp marches on, with the team back at it on Tuesday.

Day 10 of Broncos camp featured a 2:10-minute practice in the weltering Colorado heat. The players were in pads once again, slugging it out at Broncos Park.

The hope was that a day would pass without a player injury, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. Since the pads went on eight days ago, the Broncos haven't completed a practice without at least one injury.

With that said, let's get to the unfortunate injury that occured on Day 10, as well as the takeaways, and winners and losers.

Michael Deiter Carted Off

The Broncos are suddenly extremely thin at center. Deiter went down during a 9-on-7 team drill and had to be carted off by trainers.

With Luke Wattenberg and Alex Forsyth already sidelined by injuries, Deiter had been running with the first-team. The Broncos' center depth is being tested, but head coach Sean Payton dismissed it as a concern moving forward.

“We’ll work through it," Payton said after practice. "We have guys that are flexible. We’ll be fine."

Following Deiter's injury, Calvin Throckmorton took over as the first-team center, a young veteran who's been with the Broncos organization for a couple of years. Undrafted rookie Gavin Ortega saw a bump-up, too, running with the second-team offense, per The Denver Gazette's Chris Tomasson.

The Broncos still list All-Pro right guard Quinn Meinerz as a guard/center on their roster, and on cue, he was seen practicing his snapping skills on Tuesday, though not during any team drills. After practice, Meinerz said that he tries to stay sharp at snapping, just in case of emergency.

With the first preseason game coming up on Friday on the road against the Atlanta Falcons, that emergency may be at hand, despite Payton's remarks.

Injury Watch

Not in pads on Tuesday were Forsyth, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, outside linebacker Dasan McCullough, wide receiver Michael Bandy, and tight end Caleb Lohner. Meanwhile, running back J.K. Dobbins, wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr., and Wattenberg were in pads but didn't fully participate, per The Denver Post's Parker Gabriel.

That's a step in the right direction for Dobbins (injured on Monday), Mims, and Wattenberg. The Broncos have really struggled to avoid the injury bug in this camp.

It is football, after all, so there's no avoiding injuries completely, but this camp has to be the most eventful injury-wise since Payton took over as head coach in 2023. Again, it's been every single day.

I do wonder whether the Broncos' strong emphasis on the run game in this camp has anything to do with the injuries, especially to the centers and front-seven players on defense. It'll build that callus, to be sure, but it's coming at a cost.

Dobbins Shows Progress

Dobbins was in pads, but he also participated in individual drills (Tomasson). Dobbins had fun with the media, conveying that he's doing just fine, as captured by CBS Colorado's Romi Bean.

J.K. Dobbins running hard and letting everyone know he is good and healthy 👍😏 pic.twitter.com/D9O9O4VEav
— Romi Bean (@Romi_Bean) August 11, 2026

Dobbins had to let everyone know he's good after the "pinky promise" he delivered early in camp, vowing to the media and fans that he'd stay healthy for all 17 games. He has a long injury history since entering the league as a Baltimore Ravens second-round pick in 2020, and missed the final seven regular-season games and the playoffs in his first year with the Broncos.

Despite the injury, the Broncos re-signed Dobbins on a two-year, $16 million deal in March, which amounted to a 4x raise. The Broncos believe they can keep him on the field, and not only view him as one of the NFL's premier running backs, but also as a "force multiplier" in terms of the many ways he makes the team better.

It's good to see Dobbins at least practicing individual drills.

Day 10's Winners

Denver Broncos running back Jonah Coleman (20) during training camp at Broncos Park. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Pat Bryant | WR
Calvin Throckmorton | OL
Riley Moss | CB
Jonah Coleman | RB
Kolbe Katsis | WR
Lucas Krull | TE

"Patty Ice" continued his breakout camp performance on Day 10, catching multiple touchdown passes. He's been a force to be reckoned with, especially in the red zone.

Throckmorton is a big winner on Day 10 because he got to run with the first-team offense. He may be the fourth center option, but it's a great opportunity to showcase his versatility and value to the Broncos, especially with how much depth the team now has on the interior offensive line.

Moss and Bryant are the two biggest standouts of camp thus far. Moss once again had multiple pass break-ups on Day 10, including a deep Bo Nix pass to Courtland Sutton, per KOA's Ryan Edwards.

Coleman may be a rookie, but he doesn't look or talk like one. He's already displayed his prowess as a between-the-tackles rusher in camp and his receiving skills out of the backfield, but on Day 10, he had a couple of impressive reps in pass protection, too, per Denver7's Troy Renck. Coleman is a complete back.

Toward the end of practice, when the Broncos were running their situational drills — like two-minute and red-zone — Katsis made an impressive catch in the back of the end zone, skying up to catch a 25-yard Sam Ehlinger "dime" on 4th-&-10, per 9NEWS' Mike Klis. Katsis has had a great camp thus far, and as an undrafted rookie, he also brings returner ability to the table, which I'm sure fans will get to see in the preseason games.

Krull caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Jarrett Stidham to end practice (Klis). It was another nice red-zone play made by the veteran tight end, who's feeling the pressure with the Broncos' two rookie tight ends, both of whom were draft picks (Justin Joly and Dallen Bentley), pushing from the bottom of the depth chart.

Day 10's Losers

Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton (14) during training camp at Broncos Park. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Michael Deiter | OL
Courtland Sutton | WR

Deiter makes this list simply because of his unfortunate injury. Otherwise, though, he's been solid and reliable this summer as the Broncos' third center behind Wattenberg and Forsyth. Fingers crossed for the seventh-year Deiter.

Sutton makes this list simply because he's yet to really shine since returning to practice late last week following three straight veteran rest days. On Day 10, Nix looked Sutton's way a couple of times during team period, but couldn't connect; both were broken up by Moss.

With Bryant making plays left and right, it would be good for Sutton to remind everyone of his Pro Bowl pedigree in practice, but the absence of big plays of late is far from an indictment on his status and place with the Broncos. When the regular season rolls around, odds are, Sutton will continue to be Nix's first look and security blanket.

It's worth mentioning, though, how Bryant has capitalized on the time missed by veterans like Sutton and Waddle. Nix has been looking Bryant's way first in practice; how much that has to do with the absences of Sutton and Waddle is unclear, but at the very least, it's safe to say that "Patty Ice" has established some strong chemistry and trust with his quarterback.

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