2024 Broncos training camp: Day 7 news and notes (2024)

Day 7 of Denver Broncos camp is in the books and it was the third straight padded practice for the team. We are a week into things so standout players are starting to show themselves and thankfully, the Broncos first-round rookie quarterback is one of them. He had his best day of practice and showed growth from the previous two padded practices. Unfortunately, the Broncos saw reserve offensive lineman Quinn Bailey go down with a major ankle injury that will likely sideline him for the season. We also saw a free agent addition really standout today in the passing game.

Today we have details of Bo Nix’s big day in practice with the 1st team offense, veteran wide receiver Josh Reynolds has a standout day, Sean Payton is encouraged by tight end Greg Dulcich, news and notes, injury updates including more on Quinn Bailey, tweets from camp, notable quotes and more!

Bo Nix’s big day

Yesterday was Jarrett Stidham’s day with the first team offense and now today, it was rookie Bo Nix’s day with the first-team offense. Nix had a slow start once pads came but today’s practice was Nix’s best overall practice thus far into camp which is very encouraging.

Nix made multiple plays downfield, looked comfortable in the pocket, and made accurate passes throughout the team drills. This is encouraging to see because based off reports, he was having some issues once the pads came on. He looked uncomfortable in the pocket and was not really throwing the ball down the field. That was not the case which again, is very encouraging.

After practice, Payton was asked about Nix’s practice, and he said he has to look at the tape, but after deflecting the question a bit, he did say that he likes his rookie quarterback’s progress.

“Look I thought overall, I’m sure there are going to be some plays we look at that were… It was mostly third down. A lot of the work was third down. Yes, we’ll see the tape and evaluate it. I thought overall pretty well. There are clips and plays where you’re going to look at and correct, and then there are others where you’re going to say, ‘Hey—’ but I do have to watch the film because I’m looking at so much. He [QB Bo Nix] ran with the [No.] 1’s, and I like his progress.”

Nix putting together days like this with the first team offense are huge. It shows that he can do it, it will build his confidence and we are seeing signs of growth from Nix. If you’re rookie quarterback is now showing improvement and growth after these practices, that’s a concern, and we have seen that before with young quarterbacks here with the Broncos. The fact that Nix is improving and having days like this a week into camp is exciting and I am hopeful we see more of this as we progress throughout camp and into the preseason.

Josh Reynolds stands out

Veteran Josh Reynolds signed with the Broncos as a free agent this offseason and has become the forgotten man a bit in the teams receiving room. Well, today he showed everyone that he can be a playmaker and a key piece to the Broncos offense this season.

He made multiple big plays today, a few big plays down the field and even caught head coach Sean Payton’s attention who told reporters that Reynolds “jumped out” at practice today.

After practice Payton was asked about Bo Nix’s day at practice and he mentioned how he needs to go watch the tape first, but he then singled out wide receiver Josh Reynolds. He told reporters that Reynolds “jumped out” to him today and that “he had three or four catches that were something else”.

Payton was asked if he talked to Lions head coach Dan Campbell about Reynolds before signing him this offseason and he said he didn’t. Broncos pass game coordinator John Morton was with the Lions in 2022 before joining the Broncos last year and he vouched for Reynolds this offseason. He told reporters the feedback was “really good”, mentioned that they have a “clear vision for him” and that they are glad they have him.

“It was good, it was really good. He [WR Josh Reynolds] is a tough player. He has range. You saw today there were a number of 50-50 balls that he ended up with. We had a good, clear vision for him and I’m glad we have him.”

Reynolds will be a starting receiver for the Broncos and could be their number two receiver for them this year. He is a veteran receiver who they can trust to start and if he has practices like they did today, he could be a key part of this offense this year.

Payton encouraged by TE Greg Dulcich

We have made it through a week of practice and tight end Greg Dulcich has practiced each day without issue and has been out there making plays. This is great to see after his lengthy issues with multiple injuries and he has caught the attention of head coach Sean Payton.

After practice, Payton was asked about Dulcich and how he is doing coming back from the injuries he was dealing with. He told reporters that he is watching him make progress and is encourage with how he is doing. He said “When I see him, I’m like, Man, you’re looking good”.

While we have seen Dulcich make plays as a receiver, his ability to block is still a question mark. Sean Payton was asked about this after practice and he had an interesting answer. He told reporters that Dulcich is a little behind as a blocker but there are things they are going to ask him to do as a blocker and other things they will not. He referenced how he used Jimmy Graham with the Saints and what Bill Parcells told him after the Saints drafted.

“I would say he is probably a little behind, and yet there are still some things—when we drafted Jimmy Graham, I remember it very well. Parcells called me and said, ‘Hey, don’t worry if he can’t block power or certain runs.’ So there are certain things Greg, we’re going to ask him to do in the run game, and then there are certain things we’re not going to ask him to do. So certainly, I see him as a space player and a guy that can maybe give us matchup advantages. Then we’ll be smart relative to what types of run schemes, the easy schemes where he’s up on a safety and back side cutoff. So there are certain run schemes that he’ll be utilized more in than others.”

When the Broncos drafted Dulcich, they did not draft him to be a blocker. Payton views him as a space player, which he is, and they will be smart about how they use him as a blocker moving forward. It is encouraging to see that they have this plan for him instead of putting him into key blocking situations when he cannot block and it blows up the run play.

So, while he may not be counted as a blocker, he is still out there making plays as a receiver a looking healthy. Dulcich met with the media after practice and he was asked how he feels being back out on the field for the Broncos. He told reporters that “I’m feeling good right now”, that he is stacking days right now and said that he is “Just happy to be back”.

If Dulcich can remain healthy and continue being a weapon in the passing game, he is going to be a huge benefit to this offense. A tight end is the quarterback’s best friend and if the Broncos do go with rookie quarterback Bo Nix, expect Dulcich to be one of his favorite targets this season.

News and Notes

• Broncos are in pads for the third straight practice.
• There will be no pads for tomorrow’s practice, but the pads will be back on Friday, and Saturday’s practice is TBD right now according to Sean Payton.
• Sean Payton told reporters that starters will play in the preseason as expected.
• Sean Payton told reporters that TE Greg Dulcich is “a little behind” as a blocker but there are certain things they will ask him to do and some things they will not do. He referenced how they used Jimmy Graham in New Orleans.
• Cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian had a big tackle for a loss during today’s practice.

Injury Report

• Linebacker Drew Sanders (Achilles) and safety Delarrin Turner-Yell (ACL) remained on the PUP list.
• Undrafted rookie running back Blake Watson (Knee) remained on the NFI list.
• Safety Brandon Jones remained sidelined with a hamstring injury that was set to sideline him for 1 to 2 weeks.
• Edge rusher Nik Bonitto (back) returned to practice after sitting out yesterday’s practice.
• Defensive linemen John Franklin-Myers missed practice due to a personal matter according to head coach Sean Payton.
• Guard/Tackle Quinn Bailey suffered a pretty gruesome ankle fracture during practice. Trainers immediately put his ankle in an air cast and he was loaded into an ambulance. He will undergo surgery on his ankle and likely be done for the year. After practice, head coach Sean Payton told reporters that Bailey was profiling as the Broncos sixth offensive linemen so this is a pretty significant loss to the Broncos offensive line depth.

Tweets from Camp

Notable Quotes

Head Coach Sean Payton on the offensive line talking together after T Quinn Bailey’s injury

“It’s one of their teammates that they’re working with. He’s a tremendous teammate and a guy that all he does is work his tail off. The progress he made a year ago, and then all of a sudden—we were just discussing the roster the other day and he was easily for us lineman [No.] 6 and someone who was going to be involved in the game plan in jumbo. It’s tough to see that from one of their peers.”

Head Coach Sean Payton how much weight he puts on preseason games compared to practice

“I think the preseason is important. I don’t want to say I’m old school, but two years ago, we were last in the league with players injured and lost for the season. I think 130-some players missed games two years ago. Last year, we finished first in the NFL with 34. So we’re going to play our starters in the preseason. I think it’s important to build a callus. Obviously, you weigh the reps. When I say we’re going to play them, in Week 1 it will be a certain number of snaps, Week 2 the same and then we’ll see where we’re at in Week 3. I think it’s important, so our guys know that, and we played them last year.”

Head Coach Sean Payton on if the offensive and defensive line can build toughness during practice

“I think you can, and I think just as important is the mental toughness as well as the physical toughness. This game is certainly played in the trenches, but there’s a mental element that’s important relative to—there’s so many [momentum] swings in a game and swings in a season that you have to establish that grit. We look for players that have those traits in the very beginning of the process because every team—I don’t care who they are—they’re going to have their swings during the course of the year. It’s not how they’re reacting when they’re winning. Often times, [it is] how they’re doing coming off a tough loss or two losses. Back to the initial question though, relative to inside the trenches, that’s important. I think that both sides of the ball are kind of committed to that: winning the line of scrimmage. Generally speaking, when we look at a tape afterwards, that’s kind of where—barring turnovers—a lot of times the games are won and lost.”

Head Coach Sean Payton on OLB Jonah Elliss’ performance in training camp so far

“Like all these young guys, he [OLB Jonah Elliss] is getting the reps with the [No.] twos and the threes. It’s going to be hard until we get into some—we’re finally getting some 1-on-1 pass rush and the pads are on this week, so the evaluation has just begun. We saw a lot of things we liked on his college tape, and I think that once we get into the preseason here—I think in a week I’ll probably have a little bit cleaner of an answer for you. We’re encouraged to work with him, and we feel like he can be a contributor, especially when you draft someone that high. He has good football make-up, and a really good I.Q. I drafted his brother [Falcons ILB] Kaden [Elliss] in New Orleans. He’s now in Atlanta. I would say the feeling right now is really positive.”

Head Coach Sean Payton what WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey has been able to do during this training camp

“Yes, he’s smart and steady. He came on last year really and played well for us. He’s a big target. He’s another big target with a great catch radius, a real big catch radius. I like him inside-out. So different than [WR] Josh [Reynolds], most of his snaps last year—if you took out your breakdown—they would have come in the slot or in the inside receiver flex position. He’s comfortable inside working in noise, and he has to be. He’s a guy who’s big, so his separation comes with his length. The other thing is he can kind of go in and play all three positions. He picks things up really quickly.”

NT D.J. Jones on if he does things differently in Year 8 to prepare himself for the season

“Oh yeah. If anyone tells you, ‘No,’ they’re lying…or they’re a kicker (Laughs). You have to hone into the details as far as your body goes and if you’ve had any surgeries or anything. You have to take care of things before you come out here.”

NT D.J. Jones on being more aggressive on the defensive line

“I feel like it’s the new norm. If you’re not attacking, your [defensive] line is waiting, and your linebackers have 180 tackles. Attacking is the way.”