As Broncos prepare to open training camp, the old and new come together

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos have gotten their hints of what they expect is to come from their biggest offseason acquisition, Jaylen Waddle. He flashed during OTAs, he caught a touchdown pass in Wednesday’s practice, and on Thursday, he went viral with a one-handed catch.

That it came against air — in an individual period with no defenders on the field — will do nothing to dull the building hype around the Broncos’ big-ticket wide receiver. But the play didn’t properly reflect the day; while Evan Engram and Lil’Jordan Humphrey each found the end zone on a day that emphasized red-zone snaps, the defense plastered in its coverage, and open receivers were scarce.

Defensive newcomers got in on the action, too. Rookie Brent Austin ended practice by breaking up a potential Sam Ehlinger touchdown pass; former St. Louis Battlehawks cornerback Sean Fresch Jr. intercepted Ehlinger in the end zone one play earlier.

BUT MUCH OF WHAT WILL HELP THE THE BRONCOS ARE SOMETHING OLD

Or, at least, experienced.

Broncos coach Sean Payton likes to say that the “offensive line permeates the building.” No group on the team has had more roster consistency since he became the team’s head coach. Four of the projected five starters have been together since 2023, Payton’s first season. And the projected first-team quintet — left tackle Garett Bolles, left guard Ben Powers, center Luke Wattenberg, right guard Quinn Meinerz and right tackle Mike McGlinchey — have been together as the starters for three seasons.

Almost any offensive lineman you meet will tell you that cohesion and chemistry are priceless attributes for a group that relies on working as one smooth unit, rather than five individuals. So, it begged the question: What can the Broncos’ continuity create up front that wasn’t there two years ago, or even last year?

“I think, first and foremost, leveling up our consistency,” McGlinchey said.

And doing so for the Broncos’ linemen isn’t simply about technique. It’s togetherness, too.

“Because we’ve played together for such a long time, I think, the relationships that we’ve built together — like, those guys are some of my best friends,” McGlinchey said. “And if somebody steps out of line or somebody goes the wrong way or isn’t doing what they need to do, it makes it easier for us all to kind of get on each other because there’s a standard that we’ve kind of set and, and that we’ve all agreed to uphold to.

“And I think just overall, each guy’s got to do their job better than they did the year before or the day before.”

The real work begins for the line when pads go on, but that doesn’t mean the last two days weren’t productive.

“We’re working for something and we’re getting great work and great reps while in a controlled environment and can be safe about it,” McGlinchey said. “But the tone is just a mindset and how you prepare. It doesn’t always have to be, ‘Hit each other in the mouth.’ The tone can be, ‘Hey, we get good work in, let’s be professionals.'”

HOW SEAN PAYTON COMPARES BO NIX TO DREW BREES

Payton chatted extensively about Brees after practice, since he’ll be introducing the Chargers and Saints legend for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Aug. 8. But from a Broncos perspective, the most interesting thing Payton said in the course of his question-and-answer session was about how the two quarterbacks he knows so well compare.

Two years ago in the pre-draft process, the Nix-Brees parallels abounded from draft pundits. Payton alluded to the work of both quarterbacks in their college days, and came back to “accuracy” as a key parallel.

“The, the immediate, just analytical statistical number would be the accuracy numbers,” Payton said. “From an NFL perspective, [Brees] will go down as the most accurate passer in the history of the league. And collegiately he was at Purdue. And I think historically speaking, Bo was the most accurate college passer, you know, when you look at a lot of numbers.

“So, that would be the first and a tough comparison for anybody in their [third] year. But that would just be the beginning. Their personalities are different, of course, but their accuracy and their positioning of the ball is certainly noticed.”

It’s probably still not fair to make too many Nix-Brees comparisons, given that one is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. But if Nix continues his progress, he could be worthy of citing some parallels … which would make the Broncos quite pleased, indeed.

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