The Denver Broncos had their final training camp practice of the summer on Wednesday and are now one step closer to their Week 1 matchup vs. their divisional rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs. This training camp lacked some of the overall drama of previous Broncos Camps, but certainly was full of storylines and developments that should have all of Broncos Country excited for the weeks and months ahead.
So, with all that said, here are the five things I believe we learned from Broncos Camp this year.
Bo Nix is healthy and set for a big season
Before camp even started, we had an idea that Nix would be good to go. He was a limited participant in the mandatory minicamp practices and was seen working out prior to camp and looking good to go. However, people still had concerns and wanted to see Nix move on the practice field and practice fully.
Well, they got that and more.
Nix practiced fully on Day 1, and that continued throughout the entirety of training camp. He never missed a session, took every first-team rep in team drills, and simply proved he was back to 100%.
As for the season ahead, I believe Nix is set for a big year. We have seen growth each and every season, and he really turned it on late in the season last year and in the playoffs vs. Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. He also will have newly promoted offensive coordinator and play caller Davis Webb in his ear, calling plays this season. The two have a great relationship, and it will bring some fresh ideas, aggressive plays, and hopefully a better offense moving forward. Then, you have the addition of star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. He’s a home run threat whenever he touches the ball and will open things up for everyone on offense.
This is the year Nix takes that next step, silences all the naysayers out there, and establishes himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL.
Pat Bryant is ready to emerge
Probably the biggest winner of training camp has to be second-year wide receiver Pat Bryant. He entered camp in a battle for the WR3 spot with Marvin Mims and Troy Franklin and leaves camp as the clear winner.
He was the storyline for just about every practice and became Nix’s most trusted target throughout the two weeks of camp. Veteran Courtland Sutton did not practice every day due to some load management stuff, and Jaylen Waddle and Marvin Mims missed a week plus of practices due to some minor injuries. So, Bryant was constantly out there, performed well, and simply ran away with the job.
Head Coach Sean Payton was asked How the hell are you going to keep him off the field, Payton responded, “We’re not. We’re going to play him”.
We saw this last season when it appeared Bryant took over the WR2 role opposite Courtland Sutton late last season. His role began to grow, and he was making plays on the field. Unfortunately, injuries derailed what looked to be a promising late season/postseason run for Bryant, but he carried that momentum into the offseason and now into training camp and hasn’t looked bad. This has Sean Payton excited for Bryant’s potential moving forward.
“No. I’m excited, I’m happy because you kind of saw the beginning of it last year, but like any young player, maybe you didn’t see it as consistently as you’re seeing now. He’s a confident player with strong hands. That ability to be on the ground and not alter your feet or your foot path, I think really serves him well. Then like anything, you have a good practice, then you have two, and then pretty soon there are a couple stories, and then there’s five stories and then all of a sudden, you’re like, ‘Hey…’ You guys have seen these guys grow right before our eyes, and it’s happened, I’m sure, more than a number of times. It’s good to see.”
Bryant figures to have a big role in the Broncos offense simply because he can do it all. He can play inside/outside; he is known for his blocking, strong, reliable hands, makes plays in the middle of the field and red zone, can run after the catch, and as defensive coordinator Vance Joseph noted, he’s the complete package.
“He’s the guy in that room — he blocks, he catches the ball in traffic, he can track the ball vertically, he’s great in the red zone. He’s the complete package. He’s got great size and he loves to play. He’s the same player every day.”
Bryant’s emergence isn’t a knock on Marvin Mims or Troy Franklin either. Mims was having an equally strong start to camp before he suffered a soft tissue injury and still figures to have a role in this offense. Troy Franklin also made some plays and had a strong finish to camp, so he will figure into the mix as well, but Bryant is still the clear winner from this group.
Jaylen Waddle is going to be a difference-maker
The Broncos’ big offseason addition was making a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins for star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. He gives the team a much-needed explosive playmaker who completely changes the identity of their offense, and so far, he has lived up to those expectations.
Even though Waddle missed a week-plus of training camp practices due to a minor soft tissue injury, his impact on the team and the offense was evident when he was out there. He’s the fastest player on the field, runs great routes, stops and starts quickly, and is able to separate no matter who is covering him, including former Defensive Player of the Year and CB1 in the NFL, Pat Surtain II.
During Wednesday’s final training camp practice, Waddle, who returned to the field this week after his injury, made arguably the play of camp. He beat and burned Surtain, who had him in one-on-one coverage DEEP for a 60-yard touchdown grab. He had a step or two on the All-Pro corner and showed off his elite speed and playmaking ability.
If Waddle can do this to Pat Surtain II, the best cornerback in the NFL with a Hall of Fame-caliber career, he can do it to anyone, at any time.
After practice, Surtain II told reporters that Waddle is very difficult to cover, and that it’s tough, but that it’s fun to compete against a player like Waddle.
“It’s very difficult as a [defensive back]. It makes you think for sure. It makes you think [about] what route he could be running and it doesn’t make him one-dimensional when he’s able to stop and start like that. It’s definitely tough, but it’s fun to compete against that.”
Waddle’s impact on this offense should be immense. Not only for what he can do as a player, but also for how he should open up things around him. Waddle is an explosive playmaker who can take a simple slant 70 yards to the house if he is able to get free or just run past you on a go route and make a big play down the field. That type of playmaking ability is going to keep defenses honest and open things up for Courtland Sutton, Pat Bryant, Evan Engram, and the rest of the Broncos’ playmakers.
Sutton is typically getting a team’s best corner, but now he can use his size, strength, and elite go-up-and-get-it ability to make plays against a team’s second or third-best corner. Same goes for Bryant, who should have opportunities open up outside or inside and get plenty of one-on-one looks. The middle of the field and the flats should open up for the backs and tight ends due to the safeties having to play deep. Add all that in with the talent, play calling, run game, and quarterback play, and this Denver Broncos offense could be a fun watch this upcoming season.
Jonah Coleman is going to have an impact in his rookie year
Training Camp is not where running backs typically excel because they’re not getting tackled to the ground and you need live action to truly evaluate a runner, but rookie Jonah Coleman did everything he needed to do to impress the Broncos coaching staff.
The rookie fourth-rounder turned heads all of camp and continued that into the preseason, where, after four carries, the team pulled him because they had seen enough.
Coleman earned praise all summer, but after his showing in the preseason, the hype really picked up. He only had four carries, but showed excellent vision, short-area burst, power, and contact balance, and truly looked like a future starting running back.
“Yes, he had good balance, a real good elusive runner for his size. I would say good short-area quickness and good balance, and the other night we had a few good examples of that.”
I said this before, but I believe Coleman will have a role on offense in Week 1. He’s too good and likely has earned himself some split time with starter JK Dobbins. Second-year back RJ Harvey will settle in as your change of pace/third down/pass catching specialist while Dobbins and Coleman split time as runners or simply go with the hot-hand approach.
Regardless, Coleman will factor into the run game from the start. The talent is there, and the way they are talking about him, he’s going to get carries. The question is, how are they going to feed all three backs and make the three-headed monster rotation work?
Defense remains strong
This shouldn’t be a surprise, but the Broncos defense remains strong. They are bringing back the vast majority of their starters, but do have to replace John Franklin-Myers, who left during free agency and signed with the Titans. However, it seems like they are not going to miss a beat and, frankly, could be an even deeper unit than they were a season ago.
I say this because we have seen growth from Malcolm Roach, Eyioma Uwazurike, and will continue to see development from Tyler Onyedim and Sai’vion Jones. Roach has been a consistent disruptor all of camp and brings some fire and intensity to the defensive line. Eyni Uwazurike appears to have taken a real step up, improved his body, and simply has been unblockable throughout camp. Getting a 6-6, 320-pound monster in the middle of your defense is a great thing to have. Then you have the rookie Onyedim and second-year player Sai’vion Jones, who will continue to grow and develop. The Broncos are deep in the interior, and we haven’t even mentioned All-Pro Zach Allen or veteran nose tackle DJ Jones.
Then on the edge, Nik Bonitto remains one of the top speed rushers off the edge. Jonathon Cooper has some legal issues to deal with, but he looked damn good in the preseason opener, and Jonah Elliss is having a breakout camp. Oh, and they have Que Robinson, who continues to flash, and Dondrea Tillman, who has made big plays for the team in back-to-back seasons. This might be the best and deepest edge rushing unit in the NFL.
Now, we look at the secondary, and it continues to be strong. Surtain II had smothering coverage throughout camp; Riley Moss may have had the best camp out of anyone not named Pat Bryant, and McMillian has been consistently very good. On top of that, 2025 first-round pick Jahdae Barron showed real promise in the preseason opener, had a pick-six touchdown, and nearly had a second INT, while Kris Abrams-Draine might be the best CB5 in football.
If you want to talk about some areas of weakness, we can maybe look at the linebacker depth, but rookie Red Murdock looked pretty damn good in the preseason opener. Karene Reid had a nice diving PBU that led to the Barron pick-6, and UDFA Taurean York was all over the field making plays. It might be an inexperienced group, but it appears they have some real talent at linebacker behind starters Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad.
As for the safety depth, it hasn’t been outstanding, and they did work out veteran safety Taylor Rapp, but they remain strong at the top. Talanoa Hufanga is a defensive leader who plays with his hair on fire and is an All-Pro-caliber player, while Brandon Jones is healthy and maybe the most underrated player on the Broncos’ defense.
On paper, this defense is strong, deep, and has multiple young players stepping up, making it even better than before.
