Bye: Hard to say OTAs are important when Broncos stars aren’t there

After watching Week 3 of OTAs kick off at UCHealth Training Center, “Stokley and Zach” co-host Zach Bye said it wasn’t a “great day across the board” for the Denver Broncos.

“It wasn’t as sharp,” Bye said. “The energy level was not the same as a week ago …”

At this point of the offseason, there should still be a sense of urgency, especially for a team coming off a 5-11 season, Bye said.

But, there wasn’t much, he said, and why should there be if a handful of the team’s top stars didn’t even show up.

On Monday, veteran linebacker Von Miller and wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders were not present for workouts, a right “The Drive” co-host Alfred Williams said the three have because they’ll put in the work daily come the fall.

“When they go to work, they’re at work. They’re there six days, sometimes seven days, a week, and they won’t miss a day then,” Williams said. “So, if they take a day here, I don’t look at it like that.”

And head coach Vance Joseph shrugged off the absences as not a big deal.

“Is it a vet rest day? No, those guys have been here all year,” Joseph said. “(They’re) not here today. It’s not mandatory so no big deal.”

But, Williams said it is an issue when “three of your top five stars on your team” aren’t there.

And Bye agreed.

“It’s hard to say, hey, this is an important thing, this is an important time of year, yet Von’s not here. Yet, Demaryius isn’t here. Yet, Emmanuel Sanders isn’t here,” Bye said. “Those are, in the most literal sense, your three most established guys on the football team.

“So, why should everyone be flying around with this great sense of 5-11 urgency if your three most established players aren’t there?”

Joseph said Thomas and Sanders had personal matters to attend to, Mike Klis of 9News reports. He also reports Miller said his absence “was nothing,” and he’d be back on the field Tuesday.

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @johnnyhart7.