The first day of Broncos-Rams joint practice will be defined by what happens on the second

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — First things first: We’ve seen the Broncos get dominated in a joint practice. Go back to the first session of the 2019 sessions with the 49ers, for example. Or the second practice against the Minnesota Vikings in 2021, when Minnesota’s defense shredded Denver’s No. 1 offense in the red zone.

What transpired Wednesday at Centura Health Training Center wasn’t that.

But the Rams definitely had control of the day. Los Angeles’ first-team offense drove to a two-minute drill touchdown against Denver’s No. 1 defense. The Broncos offense stalled out on the fringe of field-goal range on its drive — facing a scenario in which it trailed by three points.

Mental mistakes happened, as well. False-start infractions, for one thing. Back-to-back offsides calls against the defense, for another. On the first play, Nik Bonitto and Jonathan Harris jumped. One snap later, Bonitto traipsed too soon into the neutral zone. Some offensive-holding penalties weren’t necessarily called, but appeared glaring when viewed from atop the west berm at Centura Health Training Center.

“I thought on the offensive field where I was, we had too many false starts,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said.

He also noted the conditioning.

“I thought we tired pretty quickly,” Payton added. “They were [playing] a lot of plays, relative to maybe what they’re used to, and even more than what a real game would present. I think it’s good from a conditioning standpoint.”

And then there were the dropped passes — including two from fourth-year wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, one of which was set up to be a touchdown from Wilson, but ended sadly when the ball skipped off Jeudy’s fingertips.

That said, the day was not all frustration.

Wrapping up joint practice day No. 1:

* Gradishar one step closer
* Rams the better team today
* Drops a concern
* Trautman, Albert O flash brilliance
* Bonitto gets a sack, but also was offsides twice

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— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) August 23, 2023

Russell Wilson had a pass knocked down at one point. But shortly thereafter, he had a gorgeous pass to an open Kendall Hinton that would have gained at least 20 yards in game conditions.

Zach Allen generated pressure on Rams QB Matthew Stafford for what would likely have been a sack in a game. And both the No. 1 offense and No. 2 defense improved after a shaky start during a seven-on-seven period.

So, while the Rams appeared more consistent, this wasn’t a day that resembled some of the more frustrating joint sessions endured by the Broncos in recent years.

Further, arguably the crispest joint practice from Denver in the last decade was the team’s effort against Dallas a year ago. The Cowboys ascended into the playoffs and advanced to the divisional round. Denver collapsed in a 5-12 heap, matching a franchise single-season record for losses.

So, take Wednesday for what it was.

And take it for the direction in which it could lead Thursday. Because if the Broncos find the consistency that seemed to elude them Wednesday, the lingering sentiment from these practices could be entirely different.

“It’s not what I’m hoping to see on film today, it’s what I’m hoping to see tomorrow with the corrections,” Payton said.

“… Those challenges came up a little bit. We’ll watch those on tape. The key is making the corrections, and hopefully not having to see the same mistake from the same player again.”

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— Denver Sports (@DenverSportsCom) August 24, 2023

EYE-CATCHING PLAYER

It was a brilliant day for Albert Okweugbunam.

He didn’t look like a No. 5 tight end — as listed on the depth chart. Okwuegbunam hauled in three touchdown passes, and had a fourth explosive play late in practice. He found gaps in Rams coverage — which left him as an open target. It allowed him to build off of a multi-day sequence that saw his best blocking work to date.

“He had one of his better weeks,” Payton said, “so, hopefully we can continue that trend.”

NOTES:

• A scuffle broke out early in practice between Los Angeles WR Van Jefferson and Broncos CB Damarri Mathis. Denver ILB Josey Jewell quickly joined in. Among the peacemakers? Edge rusher Randy Gregory, who was at the epicenter of multiple fracases in last year’s joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys.
• Adam Trautman had a pair of solid receptions from Wilson, underscoring his status as the team’s first-string tight end.
• The Rams emphasized first- and second-unit work. As a result, former Broncos QB Brett Rypien — who started two games last year — watched from the Rams sideline as Matthew Stafford and Stetson Bennett handled the workload.

PARTICIPATION REPORT:

• • Safety P.J. Locke remained sidelined.
  • DL D.J. Jones did not practice. He did play last Saturday after passing the league-mandated post-concussion protocol.
  • RT Mike McGlinchey practiced for a second consecutive day, but the Broncos continue to ease him back into work. Alex Palczewski spelled him.
  • WR Brandon Johnson continues to ramp back up to speed after missing two weeks with an ankle injury. He saw a heavier workload than he had Tuesday.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“A lot of shifts, a lot of pre-snap motions, and us as a defense, we’ve really got to focus in on and hone in on communicating with our eyes, leverage, little things like that against an offense that does those things. So, that’s the main thing we’ve gotta work on: pre-snap communication, eyes and leverage.” — CB Pat Surtain II, on how facing the Rams helped the Broncos defense

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