Broncos Camp Day 11: Good J.K. Dobbins News | Takeaways

Denver Broncos training camp marched ahead on Wednesday.

With the first preseason game coming up on Friday vs. the Atlanta Falcons, Day 11 of Broncos camp was unique. The Broncos' practice format was an opponent-prep session with no pads.

It was also a shorter practice; just 90 minutes long, give or take. What did we learn?

Let's get to the key storylines from Day 11, what takeaways may be had, and the winners and losers.

Bo Nix Won't Play on Friday, But Most Starters Will

After Wednesday's practice, head coach Sean Payton announced that Nix will not play on Friday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. However, Payton said that most starters will play "around 15 snaps" vs. the Falcons.

"Expecting our starters to play around 15 plays," Payton said after Wednesday's practice. "Bo won't play. He'll play next week."

Payton made it clear that Denver plans for Nix to get some preseason exposure, but the team is going to wait until Game 2 to debut its young franchise quarterback. Nix will also play in Game 3.

Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger Each Get a Half

Jarrett Stidham, Bo Nix, Sam Ehlinger — Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10), quarterback Jarrett Stidham (8) and quarterback Sam Ehlinger (4) during training camp at Broncos Park. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With Nix sitting out, the plan is for Stidham to play the first half and Ehlinger to play the second. Although Payton recently tried to walk back his offseason "we see a competition" comments about the No. 2 quarterback, this job is very much up for grabs.

Stidham has been the understood backup for the past three years — and he's paid like it. But after his performance in the AFC championship game, perhaps, the Broncos want to see if Ehlinger could be a better option.

Ehlinger has had a great camp, but it will take a lot to unseat Stidham as the QB2. The preseason games will play a major role in the Broncos' decision here.

Injury Watch

Running back J.K. Dobbins practiced on Day 11, making it two days in a row after he got dinged up in Monday's session. The Broncos need him healthy in order for their revamped ground game to reach its full potential this season, so don't expect to see the veteran back in Atlanta.

Working on the side field during practice on Wednesday were wide receivers Jaylen Waddle and Marvin Mims Jr., centers Luke Wattenberg and Alex Forsyth, offensive lineman Alex Palczewski, linebacker Jordan Turner, and rush linebacker Dasan McCullough, per The Denver Post's Parker Gabriel. Palczewski's presence on the side field is new; he practiced in full on Day 10.

Adkins got hurt last Friday, but recently returned to practice after missing a couple of days, so he may have reaggravated his injury. Turner was just activated off the Non-Football Injury list on Day 9, so missing more live reps isn't good for his roster outlook.

Not seen at practice were tight end Caleb Lohner, wide receiver Michael Bandy, and center Michael Deiter. We learned from Payton after practice that Deiter suffered a serious quad injury on Tuesday that will end his season.

With all three of Denver's top centers injured, Calvin Throckmorton has run with the first-team, despite being listed as the No. 2 left guard on the first unofficial depth chart.

Broncos Work Out S Taylor Rapp

The Broncos worked out the veteran safety on Wednesday, per Gabriel, which comes with some curious implications for how the depth competition is shaping up at the position. Beyond Talanoa Hufanga, Brandon Jones, and Devon Key, the Broncos have been hoping to see great competition at safety.

If the Broncos keep four safeties, there's only one open roster spot. Key is an assumed lock because of his special teams prowess (first-team All-Pro last year), and he's also getting the first bite at the apple in replacing P.J. Locke as the No. 3 safety.

If the Broncos sign Rapp, it will be a poor reflection of how the Broncos see the depth safeties. However, with all three preseason games left to be played, there's plenty of time yet for one or two of these safeties to make a case for themselves.

Day 11's Winners

Denver Broncos safety Devon Key (26) during practice at Broncos Park. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

J.K. Dobbins | RB
Devon Key | S

Again, it was a lighter practice, so there wasn't as much to see from an individual performance perspective, but Dobbins makes the winner's column for practicing two days in a row.

Key makes it for returning to practice after missing many days with a soft-tissue injury.

Day 11's Losers

Adam Trautman and Nate Adkins — Denver Broncos tight end Adam Trautman (82) and tight end Nate Adkins (45) during training camp at Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Michael Deiter | C
Alex Palczewski | OL
Nate Adkins | TE
Jordan Turner | LB
JL Skinner | S
Tycen Anderson | S
Miles Scott | S
Parker Robertson | S

Deiter's injury puts him on this list. He's the second player injured in camp whose season is already over.

Palczewski and Adkins make the list for not practicing in full. It'll be interesting to see if they travel with the team to Atlanta, as Payton said the Broncos plan to leave the injured players behind.

Skinner, Anderson, Scott, and Robertson make the list simply because of the implications of Rapp working out. It's a little unfair to paint them all with such broad strokes, but if the Broncos sign a safety, it means they're not happy with what they're seeing on the depth side.

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