Broncos head coach Sean Payton declares his plan with starters for preseason

The Denver Broncos are getting a change of scenery later this week, something head coach Sean Payton thinks is important.

The NFL used to have three preseason games, and it’ll be down to two here shortly, according to Payton.

Therefore, joint practices during training camp are key, something the Broncos will do with the San Francisco 49ers out West later this week.

The team will travel on Wednesday, practice with the Niners on Thursday, then be off on Friday before playing them in their first preseason game of 2025 on Saturday night.

“We try to pick up some of these joint practices to supplement what we had before. To try to get those reps,” Payton said on Monday. “It falls on us, we have to evaluate them, and I think again, it gets back to practicing with other teams.”

Sean Payton said plans are already in place for how Thursday will look, and he will talk with the 49ers head coach one more time.

“I’ll speak with Kyle (Shanahan) between now and then. We’ve already got the format of the practice laid out. We’ve already got the itinerary laid out until next Tuesday,” Payton said.

And then, Payton declared his plan for the preseason. He’s played a lot of his starters in his first two years leading the Broncos in these exhibition games, and that’s not going to change.

“There’s this feeling that ‘oh if I practice them a bunch then I’m not going to play them in the game.’ We’re playing guys in the game,” Payton said.

So, there you have it. Sean Payton thinks it’s important for the Broncos best players to get game action. We’ll see how much time on the field that ultimately will be, but guys won’t be in street clothes.

Buckle up, the fun begins on Saturday night.

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