Broncos Camp Stock Report: Biggest Winners and Losers After Week 1

After a productive week of training camp practices, the Denver Broncos are taking a rest day.

Sunday, there are no practices being held at the new-and-improved Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit. The Broncos have been extremely smart in their gradual approach to training camp, beginning things with a pair of "acclimation" practices, followed by two full practices that increased in intensity and scope successively.

The idea is to ease this 90-man roster into training camp, instead of going from zero to 60, as many teams around the NFL did this past week. The Broncos want to be smart about their training camp approach in an effort to prevent injuries and gradually build the football callus needed to attack the 2026 regular season.

Although we don't have a full week yet to analyze, with the Broncos reporting to training camp last Tuesday, and having four days of practices under their belt, we're going to highlight the biggest winners and losers thus far. Sunday's rest day offers us the opportunity to reflect on what we've seen, as the Broncos gear up for their first padded practice on Monday.

With that said, let's talk winners and losers, in no particular order. View this as a stock report because it certainly isn't definitive, not this early.

Winners

Sean Fresch Jr. | CB

Fresch started out practice with a bang, breaking up some passes during team period and intercepting another on the second day of "acclimation." With how deep the Broncos' cornerback room is, the 5-foot-9, 181-pound former UFL standout will need to continue showing out when the pads go on.

Fresch is also a dynamic returner on special teams, though we won't be able to get a great bead on that until the preseason games arrive. So far, so good for the feisty young cornerback.

RJ Harvey | RB

Without the pads on, it's more difficult for trench players and running backs to stand out. Where Harvey has shined is as a receiver out of the backfield, which comes as no big surprise considering how adepth he was in this area as a rookie last year.

Harvey has made several big plays down the field as a receiver, showcasing his versatility and why Sean Payton has labeled him a "Joker." Harvey's standing as the No. 2 running back and primary backfield pass-catching weapon remains strong.

Hakeem Butler | WR

The two-time UFL Offensive Player of the Year has been a consistent downfield playmaker thus far. At 6-foot-5 and 227 pounds, you'd be forgiven for assuming he's a tight end, even though right now the Broncos have him wearing the No. 30 jersey.

Butler is a my-ball receiver down the field, and his 70-yard touchdown catch in Saturday's practice wowed onlookers and made him a topic of conversation when Payton was at the podium afterward. Like Fresch, the depth chart Butler is trying to crack is deep, but he's off to as good a start as he could hope for.

Marvin Mims Jr. | WR

Since the Jaylen Waddle trade, Mims has wondered, along with the rest of us, how he'll fit into the Broncos' offense, but so far this camp, the fourth-year wideout has been a feature instead of an afterthought. Mims has been a consistent playmaker at all levels of the field and has connected on several deep passes during team periods.

Whether he's running with the ones, twos, or threes, Mims's play has sent a clear message to the Broncos' front office about his contract status. He's hungry for an extension, and very much wishes to continue his NFL career in Denver beyond 2026.

Everyone's excited about Waddle; now imagine this offense with Waddle, Courtland Sutton, and Mims being utilized in a high-volume attack to put defenses on their heels. It's an exciting thought, especially when you include the next guy.

Evan Engram | TE

If you had written Engram off after his not-so-impressive first year in Denver, you'd be forgiven. Like Mims, Engram seemed like an afterthought, although he finished third on the team in receiving.

So far in this camp, though, Engram has been a feature of the offense. Both he and Mims suddenly being way more involved smacks of Davis Webb's touch.

Engram has made some huge plays downfield since camp started, and is playing like a man reborn.

Sam Ehlinger | QB

It's early, but Ehlinger is definitely in the conversation for the Broncos' No. 2 quarterback job. Saturday's practice was noteworth because it started out with Ehlinger running the second-team offense.

After practice, Payton played down the significance of that, which reminds us not to knee-jerk to hard over small developments like this so early in training camp, but it's at least noteworthy. With a year in the scheme under his belt, time will tell whether Ehlinger can truly capture the QB2 job that is very much open for competition.

Riley Moss | CB

Moss has had a few great days as the Broncos' defense has won the majority of these four practices thus far. He's had some key pass break-ups in team period and is playing like a veteran whose future and security with the team are very much at stake.

There's been no extension buzz yet, but Moss and Mims are two of the leading candidates to get paid as they enter a contract year.

Brent Austin | CB

The undrafted rookie has already made some stand-out plays in camp. Like Fresch, though, Austin will need to continue making an impact if he's going to force his way into the coaches' conversation, and perhaps earn a coveted spot on the Broncos' 16-man practice squad.

Karene Reid | LB

Reid forced a fumble during team period in Friday's practice, then recovered it. After Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad, the Broncos' linebacker depth chart is completely up for grabs, but Reid has laid an early claim to one of the two open spots on the 53-man roster.

Reid is also an impactful third-phase player, which was a big reason he made the 53-man roster out of camp last year as an undrafted rookie. In his effort to repeat that feat, he's off to a great start.

Losers

Jarrett Stidham | QB

Stidham has had his ups and downs thus far, but even though I placed him in the 'Losers' column, he's made some big plays, too. He's also looked indecisive at times and has taken too many would-be sacks.

The fact that the coaches swapped Ehlinger and Stidham to start things out on Saturday is not a great sign for the the latter. But it's early yet, and we can't read too deeply into any of this stuff.

How Stidham responds will be crucial if he's going to retain the QB2 job that he's held down without threat for the past three years.

Troy Franklin | WR

To clarify, Franklin hasn't looked bad. It's just that other receivers are outshining him and that's not good if he wants to earn the No. 3 receiver job.

With wideouts like Mims and Pat Bryant (who I didn't list as a 'Winner,' though he certainly is) flashing early, we're still waiting for a big day from Franklin. It's nothing to worry about, though, as it's early and there's plenty of training camp runway left.

JL Skinner | S

With the Broncos' safety battle ensuing, Skinner can't afford to have too many bad days. That's especially true considering the former 2023 sixth-round pick is also entering a contract year.

Skinner has been beaten deep early in camp, so with the pads going on this week, he needs to bounce back.

Sam Webb | CB

Webb was signed on Thursday, so he's still very much learning the scheme. He was beaten badly on one deep pass last week, which looked like a busted-coverage situation.

Webb faces long odds to even sniff the Broncos' practice squad, so the young veteran needs to turn it on as soon as possible.

Drew Sanders | LB

After the first "acclimation" practice, Sanders hasn't practiced. He's coming back from a foot injury that ended his season during training camp last season, so the Broncos could just be playing it safe.

Payton played down Sanders's absence from the past three practices, but as a player who's missed each of the past two seasons with injuries and is now in a contract year, at some point, he has to play. Sanders was a third-round pick in Payton's maiden draft class, but since his rookie year, he's been sidelined, and the hope was that this summer, that narrative would change.

It hasn't... yet.

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