Training Camp Observations: A sloppy return to practice for the Broncos

Things are counting down for the Broncos with only a few days left of training camp. Coming off a dominant win against the Vikings over the weekend, I thought perhaps Broncos Country would be more fired up than they were earlier this month with minimal fan attendance.

That wasn’t the case as perhaps the lowest attendance I’ve seen all summer got to watch the worst practice I’ve seen during training camp. It was not a good day for the Broncos or the fans who sat in the hot sun to watch.

Here are my five biggest observations from day nine of training camp:

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Not Teddy, Not Drew

The theme of this year’s training camp is “Teddy vs. Drew” and every day we at The Fan are grading who came out on top. I’m not sure we can pick a winner on Tuesday.

Drew Lock did not have a good day. His passes were generally off the mark, and he once again held onto the ball too long. There was even one moment in practice when offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur seemed upset and seemed to pull Lock from the 7-on-7 drill. It was rare to see that happen when a player gets replaced in a drill, and that’s not a good sign for the way Lock’s day went.

With Lock struggling, Bridgewater did not seize the day. Bridgewater’s passes were all over the place, something we don’t usually see from the veteran quarterback – especially on short-to-medium routes. It was one of those days where you thought one of the guys would take control, especially after the way the game went against the Vikings.

In the preseason opener, both quarterbacks played well but neither one followed that up with a good day of practice on Tuesday.

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Drops Abound

The receivers and tight ends didn’t do either one of the quarterbacks any favors on Tuesday, as drops were the theme of practice. Name a player and he likely dropped a pass for Lock and/or Bridgewater.

By my count, there were at least five drops by receivers and tight ends in practice. The energy just seemed off by the receiving group, and after practice Broncos head coach Vic Fangio did admit that their energy might have been a little off.

Noah Fant had a couple of those drops. One was on a play down the sideline where I thought the pass from Bridgewater was a little behind but still hit Fant in both hands. The other play was over the middle and the pass from Lock was too far behind him to make a play, but it did hit his hands. This was a bad day for Fant, and normally not what we see from him. Fant has star potential and has been one of the most consistent players every day. For him, I’ll just chalk this up as a bad day.

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Risner’s Return

In the game on Saturday, starting left guard Dalton Risner did not play, although he likely was chomping at the bit to do so. He was banged up with a minor knee problem during the week of practice with the Vikings and the team kept him on the shelf.

On Tuesday, Rinser returned to the field. He was out there and moving well for most of practice. Risner did not participate in every drill, but he was out there watching his teammates go through the work. I’ll assume the Broncos continue easing Risner back into the swing of things so there is not any setback.

In Risner’s place, we once again saw Netane Muti at left guard. He started the game against the Vikings at left guard and looked good out there. He followed up a strong game with another strong performance in practice.

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Albert “Oh My”

While many of the receivers and tight ends were dropping too many passes, second-year tight end Albert Okwuegbunam was a consistent performer. A favorite of Lock from their college days together at Missouri, Okwuegbunam bailed out his quarterback on a few throws. However, Okwuegbunam also helped out Bridgewater.

Okwuegbunam is a huge target, and he creates a large catch radius for quarterbacks to throw to. He’s recovering well from the knee injury that cut his rookie season short in 2020. In fact, Okwuegbunam is well ahead of schedule and will be more than ready to rock in Week 1.

Fant is the starter, and I think he has a breakout season in 2021. However, Okwuegbunam can do many of the things Fant can. He’s big, fast and physical – plus “Albert O” is making the most of his opportunity with both Lock and Bridgewater.

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Go Play Outside

We saw rookie linebacker Baron Browning get on the field for the first time in training camp on Tuesday. At the start of camp, the Broncos put Browning on the Physically Unable to Perform List due to a lower leg injury.

A third-round pick out of Ohio State in the 2021 NFL draft, Browning was injured back in minicamp. This was the first time he’s been out there this summer, and it was good to see the talented linebacker on the field.

Browning can play inside or outside linebacker, and I had him graded as one of the best inside linebackers in this draft class. Fangio has previously stated that Browning would start learning on the inside and that he could cross train to the outside. Coming off the PUP list on Tuesday, Browning was practicing with the outside linebackers.

Fangio emphasized how far behind Browning is compared to his teammates, and this could stunt his growth and development for some time – perhaps for his rookie season. I like Browning and I feel he’s best served playing inside, but the team wants to see what he can do as a pass-rusher. We’ll see how he develops as time goes on.

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