Training Camp Thread

[PumpFake]

Rookie O-lineman gets a shot​

Hackett has said since the start of training camp that he wants to consistently shuffle offensive linemen during training camp, allowing him and his staff the chance to evaluate different combinations as they not only land on their starting five for the opener but also decide how to best stock the roster outside of those starters.

That approach Saturday led to rookie Luke Wattenberg, a fifth-round pick out of Washington, snapping to Wilson for the first time as he worked with the top offensive unit for a series. Wattenberg returned to Washington for a final season in 2021, in part, to get more snaps at the center position after spending the early part of his college career at guard. He’s played both positions during camp, but Saturday was his first opportunity with the top unit.

“You’re only going to find out how those young guys are if they are thrown in there,” Hackett said. “How does it feel when, all a sudden, Russell Wilson is taking the snap from you? We’ve got to work through that. Those guys have to get on the same page so that if we do need him, he’s ready to rock.”

Wattenberg may have been feeling some nerves as his first snap to Wilson in the team period came in low, leading to an aborted play. Wilson quickly took Wattenberg aside to rep a couple of snaps before leading the rookie back to the huddle. The snap was good enough on the next play for Wilson to collect it cleanly, drop back in a clean pocket and hit Jerry Jeudy up the right sideline for a long touchdown.

The Broncos have some fascinating decisions to make about who to keep on the offensive line as the preseason nears. The starting line at this point looks like Garett Bolles at left tackle, Dalton Risner at left guard, Lloyd Cushenberry III at center, Quinn Meinerz at right guard and Calvin Anderson at right tackle. The battle for interior positions beyond that is fierce with veteran Graham Glasgow, third-year player Netane Muti and Wattenberg among players who have shifted among center and the guard spots. Billy Turner and Tom Compton, two veterans currently injured, will also figure into the mix.

For Wattenberg, getting an early shot to run with the first team, brief though it was, registers as an encouraging sign about his progress.

 

[PumpFake]

• Wilson and the first-team offense put together another strong two-minute drive at the end of Saturday’s practice, marching 51 yards and six plays before finishing the end-of-half series with a 31-yard Brandon McManus field goal. The key play on the series was a 30-yard pass down the right sideline to wide receiver Brandon Johnson on third-and-5. It put a cap on a strong week for Johnson, an undrafted rookie out of Central Florida who is making a play for the roster spot created by Tim Patrick’s ACL injury.

• The Broncos conducted one-on-one drills, receiver versus defensive back, for the first time in this camp. Some highlights: Jeudy got a half-step on cornerback Pat Surtain II on a fly route to the end zone, but Wilson’s throw went just long; Wilson hit wide receiver Jalen Virgil on a similar route for a touchdown over cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian; rookie cornerback Damarri Mathis had a great coverage on Brandon Johnson on a deep ball from Josh Johnson, leaving the quarterback no space to place the ball.

 

[PumpFake]

The biggest question is whether new franchise quarterback Russell Wilsonwill see the field during the preseason. He did not participate in any of Seattle’s exhibition contests in 2021 and there was no preseason in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He played in two preseason games in 2019, throwing a combined 18 passes. Will it be necessary for Wilson to get at least that amount of work ahead of the Sept. 12 regular-season opener as he steps into a new offense? Will Hackett make starting decisions on a case-by-case basis?

“Right now it’s totally open,” Hackett said. “We still haven’t made that decision. It’s still a week away. The way I look at it is we still have two more practices and then we want to have a great practice against Dallas and then we’ll go from there.”

 

[Mingo]

IMO - the PUP status of Randy Gregory and Billy Turner is money in the bank for this Bronco team. It's not that they will be ready for full time duty for week one, but that they will be healthy and ready to go early in the season. In Turner's case - he can fill any of 4 OL positions and in Gregory's case - Browning and Bonito get important reps as functional players during the season. I see them as extremely valuable insurance policies.

Camp surprises:

Russ Wilson's complete dominance of Bronco team culture. I had no idea that Wilson is this determined and that a coach would give him full leeway in establishing his brand with the team and his teammates. It appears to me that Wilson is even a more dominant personality than Peyton Manning was in Denver.

Coach Hackett - everywhere all the time - he is virtually willing this team to have his love for the game and his sense of fun in getting an opportunity to play with his teammates. The energy and enthusiasm for the game just emanates off his players - it is quite remarkable. So remarkable - I wonder how he can sustain it, but I'm glad to see it after being in the dredges since Manning left.

 

[PumpFake]

Jonas Griffith continues to impress at linebacker​

During a two-minute drill period Tuesday, Jonas Griffith had a chance to win the session for a defense. He read Wilson’s eyes perfectly as the quarterback threw for Okwuegbunam up the seam. But as the ball hit Griffith’s hands, the inside linebacker couldn’t haul it in, and he threw his head into the sky in disbelief. A few plays later, Wilson made the defense pay when he hit Trey Quinn for a touchdown.

Part of the reason the play stood out is that it has been rare to see Griffith make a mistake since he began taking the bulk of the first-team reps at linebacker during OTAs. The player who arrived in Denver from San Francisco at the end of training camp last year to provide depth on special teams is barreling toward a key starting role in new coordinator Ejiro Evero’s defense, a development that would have been hard to foresee at this time last year.

“I’m really, really happy with what Jonas has done so far,” Evero said last week. “We’re feeling really good about where he’s progressing to.”

Griffith, who impressed during a four-game cameo as a starter at the end of last season, said he focused intently this offseason on how to more quickly diagnose offensive formations to help him know “what they’re going to do before it happens.” He has credited veteran Josey Jewell with expanding his growth in the nuances of play recognition.

“Just today, we were talking about a play on the sideline and we read it perfectly off of each other’s mind,” Griffith said after Saturday’s practice, referring to a play where the two made a run stop in the backfield. “It’s, ‘OK, I’m here and you’ll be here.’ Having that live rep with each other gives us that confidence that we can develop that trust in each other.”

Griffith has recently taken the snaps with the first team in Denver’s sub-package looks that feature just one linebacker, another sign that he is being trusted with more responsibility in the middle of Denver’s defense. It’s a far cry from one year ago, when he was told after the Broncos traded for him that he was in Denver specifically to play special teams. Consistent injuries to the linebacker spot in 2021 finally gave Griffith the opportunity to see the field on defense. Now, he is starting to look like a key piece of that unit.

“I always had faith in myself to get to this position,” said Griffith, a 25-year-old who went undrafted out of Indiana State in 2020 and was cut three times before getting making his debut with the Broncos last season. “I didn’t think it was going to happen this quick, but I was always ready for it to happen. I just stayed prepared and ready to, once my number was called, make a play and show the coaches I was capable.”

 

[cdumler7]

I thought these were a couple interesting comments from today’s DPO:

Besides cornerback Pat Surtain II (the Broncos’ best player), the common question is about who has looked good in camp?

Defense: Outside linebacker Nik Bonitto is getting second-team reps and his athleticism is off the charts when he bends to get around the edge. … DL DeShawn Williams deserves to start in Week 1 — he has flashed dominance in wedging his way between the guard and center to create pressure. … Rookie cornerback Damarri Mathis has been around the football while in man coverage.

Offense: I like the way the Broncos are using tight end Albert Okwuegbunam, who is catching passes on all kinds of routes. … Running backs Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon will continue to be an effective 1-2 punch. … Fullback/tight end Andrew Beck has been involved during 11-on-11 work.

7. Hackett talked all spring about competition at the offensive line position. “We’re going to put the best five out there,” was a common comment. But the Broncos’ coaches have made the smart move to prioritize having the same group of five playing together. Left tackle Garett Bolles, left guard Dalton Risner, center Lloyd Cushenberry, right guard Quinn Meinerz and right tackle Calvin Anderson have been the first-team unit save for Netane Muti (right and left guard) and Luke Wattenberg (center) getting a few snaps.

I'm interested to see what they do with Bonitto this year. He reminds me a bit of Muti when he got his first opportunities in the league. It was either going to be a highlight pancake or flat out miss. Bonitto has made some incredible plays at camp from what I've heard, but he also has a lot of them where he gets completely washed out and is a huge liability. Hoping they mostly use him as a 3rd down specialist this year.

 

[PumpFake]

World according to Mase.

Ask Mase: How Nathaniel Hackett showed he's a coach for the entire team

Here's how Nathaniel Hackett showed that the new boss is different from the old boss. Also, Mase dives into some position battles and potential roster crunches.

denverfan.com

 

[CEH]

I'm interested to see what they do with Bonitto this year. He reminds me a bit of Muti when he got his first opportunities in the league. It was either going to be a highlight pancake or flat out miss. Bonitto has made some incredible plays at camp from what I've heard, but he also has a lot of them where he gets completely washed out and is a huge liability. Hoping they mostly use him as a 3rd down specialist this year.

the radioheads are saying Denver wants him at 250 so they won’t happen this year.

this year he’ll probably play only in obvious passing downs

 

[cdumler7]

the radioheads are saying Denver wants him at 250 so they won’t happen this year.

this year he’ll probably play only in obvious passing downs

Yeah I would hope so. If he has to start this defense could be in some trouble. He will have the splash plays for sure, but he definitely needs to spend a great deal of time working on setting the edge and holding his position.

I do worry that he is going to struggle to put on the good weight needed. His frame looks somewhat maxed out to me. It is why I was not the biggest fan of the pick is I just don't see the upside. I hope I am wrong. I honestly loved the getting of Christopher Allen more as an undrafted guy.

 

[PumpFake]

 

[CEH]

could Denver be interested in Preston Willams

a big body WR who has flashed

 

[Wamu]

Don't feel like reading back through comments.

Has anyone in here gone to any TC action? If so what's the deal with not being able to bring chairs in? Thought that was odd when the local news mentioned it.

 

[cdumler7]

Don't feel like reading back through comments.

Has anyone in here gone to any TC action? If so what's the deal with not being able to bring chairs in? Thought that was odd when the local news mentioned it.

I've been this year. I think the whole deal with chairs is two-fold. 1) The hill is so slanted where people sit it would be impossible to get a chair to stay and be comfortable. 2) Let's say half the group brought chairs and the other half didn't then you would have some people blocked from being able to see. So just seems easier to have people sit on the ground. The reality is though it is not the most comfortable. I've found standing up top where the grass meets the cement is probably the best place to be for both view and comfort. That means standing on your feet for a couple of hours though.

 

[cdumler7]

could Denver be interested in Preston Willams

a big body WR who has flashed

Seems like the Broncos are comfortable moving forward with who they have or waiting until cut down time to see if someone hits the market they like. If the Cleveland injury lasts longer than they think then I could see them making this kind of move.

 

[Wamu]

I've been this year. I think the whole deal with chairs is two-fold. 1) The hill is so slanted where people sit it would be impossible to get a chair to stay and be comfortable. 2) Let's say half the group brought chairs and the other half didn't then you would have some people blocked from being able to see. So just seems easier to have people sit on the ground. The reality is though it is not the most comfortable. I've found standing up top where the grass meets the cement is probably the best place to be for both view and comfort. That means standing on your feet for a couple of hours though.

Didn't realize the hill was slanted like that. Makes sense. And good call about people without chairs. Thanks for the answer.

My wife's already trying to figure out which game or possibly games we're going to this season. My bro & sis law are season ticket holders. Same with my in-laws.

 

[SpringStein]

Next thing you know they won’t let you bring beer or vodka in either!

 

[SpringStein]

Didn't realize the hill was slanted like that. Makes sense. And good call about people without chairs. Thanks for the answer.

My wife's already trying to figure out which game or possibly games we're going to this season. My bro & sis law are season ticket holders. Same with my in-laws.

Some people I know on this site are going to the Jets game. But I’m not sure you want to meet up with them!

 

[cdumler7]

Didn't realize the hill was slanted like that. Makes sense. And good call about people without chairs. Thanks for the answer.

My wife's already trying to figure out which game or possibly games we're going to this season. My bro & sis law are season ticket holders. Same with my in-laws.

Very nice. You definitely have the obvious ones in the division that would be fun to see. A couple that I think are underrated will be the San Fran game in Denver and the Indy game. Throw in they are early enough in the season the weather might not be so bad making the game a bit miserable. I love snow games, but sometimes sitting in them is not always the best time.

 

[Wamu]

Very nice. You definitely have the obvious ones in the division that would be fun to see. A couple that I think are underrated will be the San Fran game in Denver and the Indy game. Throw in they are early enough in the season the weather might not be so bad making the game a bit miserable. I love snow games, but sometimes sitting in them is not always the best time.

I'd like to see the Chiefs. But that's asking too much. Haven't been to any games since '18. Started going the '10 season. Always a good time. I like going to Jackson's for wings anytime I go down to Denver.

 

[cdumler7]

I'd like to see the Chiefs. But that's asking too much. Haven't been to any games since '18. Started going the '10 season. Always a good time. I like going to Jackson's for wings anytime I go down to Denver.

My last game in Denver was the Patriots a few years ago. It was not a great experience as the team was bad and of course my seat was next to a bunch of Patriot fans. Broncos lost big time. I think the final score was like 41-16. Closest I have come to punching another fan. They loved getting 2 inches from my ear and yelling every time the Patriots scored.