Day two of Broncos camp is in the books and today was the final acclimation period. Tomorrow, fans will be there, we’ll get live updates, and camp will officially get going.
Day two of Broncos camp is in the books and It was the final day of the acclimation period. It was still offseason rules, so we did not get any live updates until the practice was over, but that all changes tomorrow. Fans will be able to attend practice for the first time and we should be getting live updates throughout the day from various media members.
We’re ready for ya, #BroncosCountry.
See you TOMORROW‼️ pic.twitter.com/xlDMLXLiQn
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) July 25, 2024
Today we have more on Courtland Sutton’s restructured contract, Bo Nix getting the 1st team reps today, Payton praising rookie running back Audric Estime, news and notes, injury updates, tweets from camp, quotes, and more!
Courtland Sutton restructures
This morning, the news broke that the Denver Broncos have restructured wide receiver Courtland Sutton’s contract ending the dispute the two had this offseason. The restructured deal will include a base salary of $13 million, with a potential for $1.5 million more in incentives.
Sean Payton on Courtland Sutton’s added incentives: “it’s good to have him”
Added he’s a great leader for the team and brings excellent size to the receiver room.
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) July 25, 2024
Payton was asked about Sutton’s new contract and he told reporters that Sutton and general manager George Paton have been having discussions all summer but he is not sure of the specifics. He then said it is good to have Sutton back and that he provides leadership and has a skill set that they like.
“They’ve been working. Credit [General Manager] George [Paton] and [WR] Courtland [Sutton]’s agent. They spent a lot of time in the summer just discussing it. I’m not even quite sure what the specifics are. It’s good to have him back out here. He provides leadership as well as a skill set that we like”
Sutton will now be the Broncos number one receiver again this offseason and looking to repeat or improve on his 2023 season where we saw him catch 10 touchdown passes. He was a big play threat for the Broncos, especially in the red zone, and hopefully, we see him do that once again this upcoming season.
This deal was not what Sutton wanted and his 2025 deal still lacks guarantees, but if he has a strong season, maybe he and the team will revisit these talks in the future. For now though, it is good to have the contract situation behind us and both sides can focus on the upcoming season.
Bo Nix gets 1st team reps
Yesterday, Jarrett Stidham had his turn with the 1’s, and today, it was the first-round rookie Bo Nix’s turn to get a turn with the first-team offense. According to reports, Nix looked sharp in the 7-on-7 drills but had some issues in team drills. In the first play of team drills, Nix went deep to target his college teammate Troy Franklin who had a step on Pat Surtain II in coverage, but he ended up overthrowing him. All three quarterbacks looked good in the drills but had their issues in team drills.
Overall, I am not too bothered by this and honestly, it’s not surprising. It’s good to see they all did well in 7-on-7s because that drill is made for the quarterback to succeed. As for the struggles during team drills, it should be expected. Bo Nix is a rookie, Jarrett Stidham is who he is, Zach Wilson is fighting for his career and the defense always has the edge early in camp. If these struggles are happening two weeks from now, we can start to panic, but right now, it’s way too early.
#Broncos‘ Sean Payton on QBs: “Bo took most of the reps today. We’ll keep you filled in on how we do that day-by-day.”
After Stidham and Nix’s days the 1s, will Zach Wilson be up Friday on Day 1 with fans?
Payton: “I said I’ll fill you in tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes.”
— Parker Gabriel (@ParkerJGabriel) July 25, 2024
As for the rotation going forward, reporters assumed that Zach Wilson would get the run with the 1st team tomorrow, but Payton cautioned. He told reporters that they will keep them filled in on how they do that day-to-day and that he would “fill you in tomorrow and we’ll see how it goes”. So, while it could still be Wilson tomorrow, he left the door open for Stidham or Nix to get the 1st team reps tomorrow.
I think it’s clear Wilson is currently behind Stidham and Nix in this quarterback competition. When asked if Wilson’s starting experience is a benefit, Payton took 5-6 seconds to respond and it seemed like he was having a hard time saying anything positive. I would not be surprised if one of those two gets the first team reps tomorrow with fans in attendance.
Payton praises rookie running back Audric Estime
The Broncos spent a fifth-round selection on Notre Dame running back Audric Estime in the 2024 NFL Draft. He is a powerful back who has the potential to rise up the depth chart quickly this summer and his play so far seems to point to that. He looked explosive and everyone is excited to see what the big and powerful rookie can do once the pads come on.
In the draft process, Sean Payton identified Audric Estime as a guy he would “love to have”
Praised so many parts of his game.
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) July 25, 2024
One of the people who is excited to see more of Estime and might be one of his biggest fans is head coach Sean Payton. He praised the rookie running back multiple times when asked about him and told reporters they identified him during the draft process as a player he would “love to have”.
“The vision was pretty clear. This [RB Audric Estime] was a guy when we did all the studies on him, we took 15-yard runs or more—first in his class. Minus runs—sometimes running backs have plays where they don’t—first in his class. Really good vision in the hole. Rarely did you see a player lose yards. He had good feet for someone who is 220 pounds. So I saw runner first and value on where we took him. He was one of those guys that I really… When the draft starts, every once in a while there’s a player you could say, ‘When this thing is all over with, I’d love to have this player.’ Fortunately, we were able to get this player.”
When asked about Estime’s potential as a receiver in their offense, Payton said the team saw potential in it but it was not the reason why they drafted him. He then went on to say how Saints running back Alvin Kamara proved to them he is more than a pass-catching back and that Estime has the same opportunity to prove himself as a receiver.
“We saw potential in it, but we couldn’t say that was the reason why we’re drafting him. A little bit with [Saints RB Alvin] Kamara, we had a receiver vision until he ran the ball for 52 yards against Arizona, and then very quickly we had a runner vision too. So I think with [RB] Audric [Estime], we’ll see how that expands. He’s smart, he’s tough and I like his size.”
Payton praised Estime a lot today so it is safe to say he is “one of his guys”. I am excited to see his growth, especially when the pads come on, and I think he’ll be one of the stars of the preseason for the Broncos. Excited to see him out there and what he can bring to the Broncos offense.
News and Notes
- Rookie running back Audric Estime had a good day today and head coach Sean Payton admitted that during the draft process, he was a guy “he would love to have”.
- Payton praised the Broncos young secondary today and according to reports, JL Skinner had a solid day in coverage.
- Running back Javonte Williams told reporters he dropped 11 pounds this offseason.
- Sean Payton said that pads will come on for the first time on Monday.
- EDGE Durell Nchami had a sack for a second straight game.
Injury Report
- Drew Sanders, Delarrin Turner Yell, and Caden Sterns remained on the PUP list as expected.
- Head Coach Sean Payton said Caden Sterns has “a road ahead of him, relative to getting healthy”.
- Rookie running back Blake Watson remained on the NFI list but Payton told reporters that he should be back sooner rather than later.
- EDGE Nik Bonitto worked on the side field for a portion of practice according to reports.
- Rookie guard Nick Gargiulo did not practice today according to reports after leaving practice early yesterday.
Tweets from Camp
Bo Nix COMPLETE to Courtland Sutton ✅ pic.twitter.com/ypgz9dPtq8
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) July 25, 2024
Bo Nix ➡️ Marvin Mims. pic.twitter.com/0TSUDpLJQy
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) July 25, 2024
Bo Nix to Tim Patrick.
Good adjustment by Tim pic.twitter.com/yTHjuw6sFH
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) July 25, 2024
Zach Wilson with a DEEP ball to Devaughn Vele. pic.twitter.com/U3AQBc9vvb
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) July 25, 2024
Lighter, quicker Javonte. #9sports pic.twitter.com/ukJXcx9fOQ
— MikeKlis9NEWS (@mikeklis9news) July 25, 2024
Day 2 of #Broncos training camp has wrapped. Bo Nix worked with the ones and had kind of mixed day…looked really sharp during 7s but had difficulty finding completions during team…just missed a deep TD to Franklin who had a step on Surtain, though.
Audric Estime looks like a…
— Ryan Edwards (@redwardsradio) July 25, 2024
I asked Sean Payton about the ways in which Zach Wilson’s starting experience in the NFL manifests here in Denver compared with the Broncos’ other two QBs (combined 4 starts).
“Um,” Payton said, followed by a 5.6-second pause before he shared his reply. pic.twitter.com/Ml8wBMHoR0
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) July 25, 2024
Notable Quotes
Head coach Sean Payton on if any players stood out to him today
“I try to avoid the day-to-day reports on who stood out because I like to watch the film. Defensively, I thought we made some good plays on the ball in the passing game. I thought the tight ends had a handful of catches, the group of them. I thought the runners did some good things, but let’s take a look at the tape and kind of see.”
Head coach Sean Payton if he talks to the young quarterbacks about avoiding mistakes but not being afraid to take chances
“There’s that happy medium. I think that you can see some of that in college, relative to how they play. These guys are doing a good job of that. They did throughout the spring. There is a calming element when you watch them. I think all three of them know this system now, know it well enough. Obviously, they’re getting more and more reps. If they didn’t get a rep on a certain play in the spring, they might have had two reps of it already here. [QB] Bo [Nix] took most of the work with the [No.] 1’s today. We’ll keep you filled in on how we do that day-by-day.”
Defensive lineman Zach Allen on how to get better at consistently defending the run
“I think we already have gotten better at it, and I think was more kind of the style of play. I’ve kind of talked about that already. We’ve made the necessary changes and I think [ILB] Alex [Singleton] talked about it a little bit yesterday. You guys can see it next week live in action. It’s been going really well, and kind of like who you said, having guys like ‘JFM’ [DE John Franklin-Myers] and [DE Malcom] Roach come in—obviously we have a lot more depth. Every single slant, we have guys that are playing it the right way.”
Running back Javonte Williams on his initial reaction when Head Coach Sean Payton asked him to lose weight
“The type of coach [Head] Coach [Sean] Payton is, he’s seen a lot of great running backs come through [the league]. Anything that he says, I’m going to listen to it. Just for him to even care and just to tell me, ‘This is what I want you to be when you come back to have the best chance to do what you have to do’. That by itself just showed me that he cared, and if he put that much effort into it, I will too.
Running back Javonte Williams on what he was thinking this time last year in camp about his ability to get back
“The offseason played a big part, and last year’s offseason was pretty much just rehabbing and trying to regain strength. Even trying to learn how to run again and things like that. This offseason just being able to get away and focus strictly on football, drills, and moving and things like that, I feel like it was a huge benefit.”