Today was the second day of the Broncos acclimation/ramp up practices and their last one before training camp officially opens tomorrow. Fans will be in attendance, we’ll have live updates, and Broncos Camp will be in full swing. Like yesterday, it was a lighter practice, and media is still operating under the offseason rules, so information is limited, but again, that all changes tomorrow.
Today, we do not have too much to talk about.
Jaylen Waddle made an incredible one-handed catch during individual drills, Sean Payton talks Drew Brees, news and notes, some injury updates, and more.
Jaylen Waddle one-handed catch
Camp hasn’t officially started yet, but the early highlight of camp is this one-handed grab during individual drills. Again, it’s routes vs. air, but it’s all we have right now, and it’s a pretty damn good catch regardless.
Yesterday, Sean Payton was asked about wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, and he told reporters that he is one of those players who can “walk on water” due to his talent.
“There are certain prototypes at every position, and then there is that one where if they can walk on water… He’s one of those players relative to how he runs, how he stops and his competitive instincts. There is a clear vision for him. I think the knowledge we had with all the other pieces relative to a trade like that was important.”
We know how talented he is, and if he can make one-handed grabs like this look so easy, maybe, just maybe, he can actually walk on water as Payton stated.
Sean Payton talks about presenting Drew Brees and the Hall of Fame
The topic during Sean Payton’s press conference wasn’t really about Broncos camp, but about the honor of presenting his former Saints quarterback Drew Brees into the Hall of Fame next week. The Saints released a viral video this morning showing Payton being surprised via FaceTime by Brees telling him that he would like him to present him at the Hall of Fame, which triggered these questions.
Payton was asked about this, and he told reporters that Brees caught him off guard, which likely led to the emotion he showed in the moment.
“Listen, it caught me off guard. I was with a group. We were getting ready to golf the next day and I just never… I have an Android phone, so I’d never really gotten a FaceTime. It was just a lot being 15 years together. Honestly, I remember talking to him later, a lot of times for a number of reasons, those quarterback-head coach relationships, you kind of always take for granted, and yet sometimes—oftentimes—they don’t end like you’d want them to end. I was really proud that it ended the way he wanted it to, so I’m excited for him. As a coach, it’s an honor that someone would ask you to do that.”
Due to presenting Brees, Payton and a few other former Saints coaches will miss next Saturday’s practice, and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph or special teams coach Darren Rizzi will likely run the practice that day.
“There’s going to be a group [going to Canton]. I think we’ve already begun to discuss. There’ll be one practice we miss Saturday. We’ll leave after Friday’s practice and then be back Sunday. I think the schedule there has changed over the years. They play the game on Thursday. There are a handful of guys here that shared a lot of those memories, and we’ll be excited for him.”
It should be a cool moment for Payton and others next week, and I am sure we should get some cool content from that experience.
News and Notes
- Edge rusher Jonathon Cooper practiced fully again today and appears to be full-go for training camp
- Defense was the winner from team drills today – defensive line swarmed the Broncos QBs
- TE Evan Engram had a touchdown during a red zone drill
- Bo Nix hit WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey for a touchdown during a red zone drill
- CB Sam Fresch Jr. had an INT of QB Sam Ehlinger
- Training Camp officially kicks off tomorrow
- Broncos worked out DBs Ricardo Hallman and Sam Webb today, according to reports – Source
Injury Report
- Guard Nick Gargiulo remains on the PUP due to a knee injury he suffered last season and is expected to remain on the PUP when the season begins.
- Linebacker Jordan Turner remains on the NFI list for an undisclosed reason and did not practice today
- TE Caleb Lohner did not practice after undergoing cleanup surgery during the offseason
- CB Blake Cotton sat out today’s practice after tweaking something during yesterday’s practice
Tweets from Camp
Quotes
Head Coach Sean Payton on the similarities between Pro Football Hall of Fame QB Drew Brees and QB Bo Nix
“I think that No. 1, they were high-volume college players. He [Pro Football Hall of Fame QB Drew Brees] played a lot of snaps at Purdue. I would say the immediate, just analytical statistical number would be the accuracy numbers. From an NFL perspective, he’ll go down as the most accurate passer in the history of the league, and collegiately he was at Purdue. I think historically speaking, [QB] Bo [Nix] was the most-accurate college passer when you look at a lot of numbers, so that would be the first. [It’s] a tough comparison for anybody in their fourth year, but that would just be the beginning. Their personalities are different, of course, but their accuracy and their positioning of the ball is certainly noticed.”
All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga on how they are able to build on the success from last year
“I think for us, the message that’s been kind of said is, ‘The standard.’ There’s always a standard that you [set], at least for our defense. What does that standard look like? It’s guys being in early, it’s guys staying late, it’s guys studying and it’s guys learning. At the end of the day, it’s really the type of style that you play. The schematics is always going to be down there and that’s game plan to game plan, but what’s the style that you want? I think that’s what coach always refers to us is, ‘The standard.’ It’s guys running to the ball, guys flying, guys finishing plays and being physical. Obviously, we don’t have pads on yet, but being physical players as a defense. That’s what they’ve set as a groundwork here. I was able to be blessed to come into it last year. At the end of the day, you want to push it forward for the guys that are young and new. And it has to restart again. It’s a long journey, but for us, we’re excited to be part of that standard and hopefully we can continue to set it.”
All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga on if going into his second year with the team helps him understand the defense better
“I think [S Brandon Jones] was right about that. I think a lot of it is just learning. And it’s really not… Some people say it’s a complicated defense or whatever. ‘VJ’ (Defensive Coordinator Vance Joesph) really puts guys in a position to make plays, and he works around people’s abilities. At that day, if you have a hard down, you have to live through that hard down and play it. And so for us to learn and getting into that second year and that groove of what kind of plays he’s looking to call down in the red zone, whether it is third down or backed up on first-and-10. You kind of have an idea now of what he likes to call. And I think it makes you more comfortable to go into that game plan and really home in on that down and really feel comfortable. Some guys, when you don’t know what you’re doing and it feels kind of rushed for a first-year player, which is hard, but it really does kind of make you feel a little uncomfortable. But now that you kind of get in the mix, I totally understand what [S] Brandon [Jones] says when he says that.”
All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga on if the importance of turnovers has been stressed already
“For sure, it was the first thing. For us, it’s just really attacking the ball. Whether it’s in the air or in the ground game. For everybody, it was really just a lack of turnovers… We did a really good job of getting sacks, but how can we get to sacks with a force fumble? Or how can we change this pass deflection into an interception or a tip just to get somebody else an interception? It’s been talked about and it’s been drilled. At the end of the day, guys were working in the offseason to really make sure that’s point of emphasis. I think I talked to you guys about that last time. I really messed up last year when it came to those things. I left a lot of—we call it money—but money on the field as a team. For me, [I’m] going in and working and hopefully coming down with a few this year.”
RT Mike McGlinchey on what gamedays will be like with Offensive Coordinator Davis Webb
“[Offensive Coordinator] Davis [Webb] is a fiery guy. He’s very competitive. He loves what he does. I fully [expect] Davis to carry himself with a lot of intensity—as he always does—but he’s always very controlled. He never crosses the line. As a play caller, you have to have your wits about you, and he does. I’m excited to see the energy that he brings. I’m excited to see how we operate all together. I think the first two days have felt really good. They’ve felt really crisp, clean and exciting. He’s excited for the opportunity. We’ve met as an offense a lot over the last couple weeks early in OTAs and he sets a great tone and he’s a good leader. I’m excited for our offense this year.”
RT Mike McGlinchey on what the consistency in the offensive line group the past few years allows them to do now
“I think first and foremost leveling up our consistency because we’ve played together for such a long time. I think the relationships that we’ve built together, like those guys are some of my best friends. If somebody steps out of line or somebody goes the wrong way or isn’t doing what they need to do, it makes it easier to kind of get on each other because there’s a standard that we’ve kind of set and that we’ve all agreed to uphold. I think just overall, each guy has to do their job better than they did the year before, or the day before like we were just talking about. That’s something that we preach every day, and that’s something that I’m not worried about moving forward.”
