Why Broncos Are Ditching Joint Practices for Training Camp This Year

In recent years around the NFL, it's become commonplace around training camp and preseason for several teams to take part in one, or even multiple joint practices with another team, giving players a different look against opposing rosters instead of just getting reps against guys already in their own building.

For the Denver Broncos, though, this year is going to look a bit different. They won't be taking part in any joint practices leading up to the season in training camp.

The Broncos are only one of four teams around the league making that decision— the other three being the Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, and Denver's AFC West rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs, with all 28 other teams opting to schedule at least one on their calendar entering next month.

It's a bit of a shift from the Broncos’ preseason plans for those joint practices from this time last offseason. In 2025, Denver had taken part in two joint practices with the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals, but have opted to forego any similar opportunities entirely one year later.

Why the Broncos Are Skipping Joint Practices This Year

Denver's not without a method to their madness, though. And when asking Broncos head coach Sean Payton about the decision, it tends to make a good bit of sense as to why they've opted to take a shift in their stance.

The primary reason? The Broncos' postseason run from back in January ended up pushing their offseason installation back in training camp by a few weeks.

That installation process also becomes halted by a joint practice if the team decides to take one or two days to match up with another team. So instead of taking that approach, the Broncos have opted to focus on their own game-planning and use their reps in the preseason to get a different look against an opposing roster.

“We’re not going to this year, and there’s a reason why: because of the postseason and we pushed things back here," Payton said of the Broncos' lack of joint practices.

"When you do have a joint practice, you miss maybe two days of installation. So this year we know we have the preseason games, but we’re not going to have a joint practice.”

Jun 16, 2026; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton speaks to the media following mini camp drills at Broncos Park. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sure, those joint practices against another team could offer a look at players in a bit of a higher intensity setting, or see how they match up against an offense or defense that isn't their own.

After all, each unit on both sides of the ball in Denver will be facing one another for a good amount of time throughout their weeks of training camp practice––which is why most teams opt to take part in those joint practices in the first place.

Payton sees things a bit differently, though. He'll use his team's training camp dates to fully implement his game plan for the season ahead, and utilize his three games of preseason to get a glimpse of how his team operates against another roster.

“So are the games," Payton said on joint practices being good opportunities for evaluating players. "We play them in the games."

The Broncos' three preseason games will take place throughout August, against the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings, which look as if they'll be a prime time for Payton and Denver's staff to really unpack how this 90-man roster performs in a setting that isn't within their own camp––rather than participating in a joint practice.

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