Broncos Camp Day 7: Multiple Players Injured | Takeaways

The Denver Broncos had a rough go of things on Day 7 of training camp.

Multiple players left practice early with injury, which we'll get to shortly. After a day without pads, the Broncos donned them again on Friday in the hot August sun, and the hitting commenced.

Head coach Sean Payton left practice early to head to Denver International Airport, where he's set to fly back east to Canton, OH, for the enshrinement of quarterback Drew Brees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Payton will hold the honor of introducing Brees on Saturday.

Payton took with him a few of Brees's former New Orleans Saints teammates, including Broncos run game coordinator Zach Strief, quality control coach Willie Snead IV, and kicker Wil Lutz. Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph ran Friday's practice in relief of Payton.

There's a lot to get to from Day 7, so let's start with the injury stuff.

Matt Henningsen Carted Off

The 27-year-old defensive lineman was carted off the field after he suffered an injury during individual period. We don't know the extent of Henningsen's injury yet, but he was visibly upset, holding his head in his hands as he was carted off.

One year ago, Hennningsen suffered a torn Achilles during Denver's joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers. Fingers crossed that Friday's injury wasn't as significant, but it doesn't look good for him.

Marvin Mims Jr. Exits Early

Mims practiced for a good chunk of the day, but pulled up on a deep pass. He threw his helmet in frustration, per The Denver Post's Parker Gabriel, and was seen by Luca Evans grabbing at his inner left leg.

Shortly after, Mims headed to the locker room. Hopefully, it's nothing serious, as he's had an impressive start to training camp. The last few days have been a bit quieter, but he made a nice play during team period, catching a Bo Nix slant and turning on the jets, as observed by KOA's Ryan Edwards.

Nate Adkins Leaves Early Too

Joining Mims as he walked off the field and to the locker room was Adkins. It's unclear when and how Adkins may have gotten banged up, but he didn't finish practice.

Adkins is Denver's best blocking tight end, and while he was just re-signed to a one-year deal, it came on the heels of a season in which he missed a lot of time with various injuries. Considering the competition in the room, he can't afford to miss too many days of camp, so fingers crossed.

Courtland Sutton and Nik Bonitto Return

After spending the previous three practices observing a prescription of veteran rest days, Sutton was back out there today. He looked good, totally limber, and his usual self.

Bonitto also returned to practice after tweaking something on his lower body on Tuesday. It was great to see the pair of Pro Bowlers back on the field, but Bonitto's return also marked his appearance at No. 32 on NFL Network's Top 100 Players of 2026, jumping six spots from where he was last year.

No. 32 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026…@Broncos LB Nik Bonitto! @NFLFilms pic.twitter.com/oK4OPMv4Is
— NFL (@NFL) August 7, 2026

Let today's developments end the trade speculation surrounding Sutton. It was extremely unusual for the Broncos to give a completely healthy wideout three straight days of rest, which caused the tinfoil-hat crowd to wonder whether the team could be shopping him.

I admit it was a conspicuous unfolding of events, but after the Broncos made Sutton available at the podium on Thursday, that put the kibosh on the rumors. No team that's shopping a player would risk exposing him to the media in a press conference. Sutton's return to practice only punctuated the reality that Denver hasn't put him on the trade block.

Veteran Rest Days

Garett Bolles and Frank Crum — Denver Broncos offensive tackle Garett Bolles (72) and Frank Crum (75) during practice at Broncos Park. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The same "load management" protocols that dictated Sutton sit for three days saw a handful of other tenured veterans get a rest after stretch period. Left tackle Garett Bolles, defensive linemen D.J. Jones and Malcolm Roach, linebacker Alex Singleton, and safety Brandon Jones received a vet day.

The Broncos know what they're doing. While this week has been marred by daily injuries across the roster, including to several starters, the Broncos avoided major injury — up until Friday, possibly, with Henningsen. We don't yet know what his injury is, though.

Since Payton arrived in 2023, the Broncos have been one of the NFL mavens of player health. The proof has been in the pudding. Denver went from being one of the most snake-bitten teams in the NFL to one of the healthiest as soon as Payton and V.P. of player health and performance Beau Lowery arrived.

This "load management" during camp is smart, and it's not blind. The Broncos monitor each player's biometrics through their Catapult system, which, in theory, allows them to get an early jump on possible health red flags and maybe even anticipate and avert potential injuries.

Injury Watch

Sutton and Bonitto returned to practice, but center Luke Wattenberg and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle did not. Waddle was seen jogging around the field wearing a long white sleeve on his left leg.

Jaylen Waddle moving significantly better today.

A nice jog. Wearing a sleeve on his leg. pic.twitter.com/NpD8YhHzVT
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevens) August 7, 2026

Also held out of practice were rookie rush linebacker Dasan McCullough and cornerbacks Jaden Robinson and Sam Fresch Jr., per Gabriel.

McCullough and Robinson have missed a few practices this week, but Fresch's absence today was new. A former UFL star, Fresch has had a mostly impressive start to camp, so here's to hoping he can return to the field soon because he'll need every possible rep if he's going to stand a chance at cracking that cornerback depth chart.

Run Game Shines... Finally

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

The Broncos' ground game came alive finally on Day 7 of camp. The success was across all three offensive units, with J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey, and rookie Jonah Coleman all having a good day.

Even Jaleel McLaughlin got in on the action, which is great to see. It's worth noting, however, that Denver's first-team unit was missing Roach and Jones — two players who've terrorized the offense thus far — while the third-team defense was without Henningsen. Henningsen has been dominant against the third-team offensive line.

The Broncos' offense needed a win, that's for sure. The offense hasn't been bad this camp — far from it — but the format of these practices always favor the defense, especially early on. And the Broncos have one of the NFL's elite defensive units, and they're deep.

Still, kudos to the Broncos' offense for getting it done. The defense may have been without Roach and Jones, but the offense was without Bolles at left tackle, and Adkins missed a good chunk of practice, so that balances things out a bit.

Bo Nix Shines in Two-Minute

Nix was a little iffy at times on Day 7, but as is his way, he put it all together when the Broncos got into the two-minute drill. The setting: down 24-20 with about a minute left, Nix and company started on their own 39-yard line.

Nix orchestrated a nice drive, hitting Lil'Jordan Humphrey and Sutton for big gains before finding Evan Engram in the end zone for a touchdown, per DNVR's Zac Stevens.

Nix's two-minute success combined with the Broncos' run-game progress was great to see. This offense doesn't have it easy going against a stacked defense that, by this point in camp, has seen all the looks and can easily anticipate what's coming.

I said it earlier this week, and I'll say it again here: Iron sharpens iron. Going against such a stiff test on a daily basis can only make Nix and company better, and help them hone their football callus. They're going to need it with how tough their first eight weeks are on the schedule.

Day 8's Biggest Winners

Courtland Sutton and Pat Bryant. — Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton (14) and wide receiver Pat Bryant (13) during Denver Broncos Training Camp. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Pat Bryant | WR
Courtland Sutton | WR
Nik Bonitto | OLB
Jonah Coleman | RB
RJ Harvey | RB
J.K. Dobbins | RB
Kage Casey | OL
Red Murdock | LB
Riley Moss | CB
Taurean York | LB
Evan Engram | TE
Jahdae Barron | CB

Just assume that Bryant is among the day's biggest winners at this point. Sutton and Bonitto are winners simply because of their return to the field after missing several days. They're needed at their respective posts.

Dobbins, Harvey, and Coleman are big winners, as Friday's practice was easily their most productive. The Broncos' coaches have been very focused on the run game, showing a commitment — even in the face of consistent failure — to get it going. That perseverence will pay off come the regular season.

Casey — the rookie fourth-rounder — was an impenetrable wall during one-on-ones (Evans). It's good to see the rookie's technique so on point this early in his career. Can't wait to see him in the preseason games.

After a relatively quiet first week or so of camp, Murdock turned it on. He had a forced fumble and a huge tackle for a loss, blowing up running back Cody Schrader.

Murdock's predatory skill set as a linebacker attracted the Broncos to him. He left the college ranks as the FBS' all-time leader in forced fumbles. I wouldn't be surprised if Friday marks a turning point for this year's "Mr. Irrelevant." Watch out.

York was impressive once again, running with the third team (Edwards). While linebacker Levelle Bailey capitalized on Singleton's absence with a much longer look with the first-team defense (and safety Devon Key in place of Jones), York continued to capture attention at camp.

Moss had some impressive pass break-ups on Friday. He's been absolutely stellar thus far.

Engram caught that touchdown during two-minute. He started off camp red-hot, but cooled considerably this week, so it's good to see him finish strong ahead of Saturday's structured scrimmage.

Barron had another good day in coverage. That's two days in a row he's made the "winners" column. Very encouraging.

Day 8's Losers

Denver Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin (11) pulls in a pass during training camp at Broncos Park. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Matt Henningsen | DL
Marvin Mims Jr. | WR
Nate Adkins | TE
Sean Fresch Jr. | CB
Troy Franklin | WR
Hakeem Butler | WR

You hate to see anything interrupt a player's momentum, especially the injury bug, but that's the only reason Henningsen, Mims, and Adkins make this list. Henningsen and Mims, especially, have had a very strong camp.

The same goes for Fresch. He needs to get back on the field as soon as possible.

Franklin missed a deep pass on Friday (Evans). That's unfortunate because after a shockingly quiet first week of camp, Franklin put together back-to-back days in the 'Winners' column. He's simply not getting the same volume of targets this summer, so when they come his way, he has to capitalize.

Before Mims got hurt, he ran a nifty end-around that may have been productive had Butler not whiffed on his block at the point of attack. After being one of the biggest winners of the first week of camp, he's been one of the clear losers of the second.

That's two days in a row he's shown low effort, at times, in practice, and we all know how seriously Payton takes perimeter blocking from his wide receivers. Not good.

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