Quinn Meinerz and the lessons in leadership from his first year as a Broncos captain

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Last year, a massive contract extension wasn’t the only massive change that landed in Quinn Meinerz’s lap. A team captaincy did, as well.

But early in the season, he struggled. In the Broncos’ Week 1 defeat at Seattle last September, he yielded three quarterback hits and conceded that he didn’t play like “my normal self.”

But he quickly put that behind him and returned to form. By the season’s end, he was an All-Pro for the first time, and the first Broncos guard to earn that distinction in 11 years.

The day after the Broncos’ campaign ended with the playoff loss at Buffalo, he acknowledged the “self-imposed pressure” of the contract and becoming a captain, the twin accomplishments that changed his life — football and otherwise — within weeks.

But six months later, he noted the lesson he learned from the experience of his first year in Broncos leadership, and it was a simple one:

Just be yourself.

“I think I put too much pressure on myself to fit into a role versus just being myself and being who I am,” he said.

And as he realized, he earned the Broncos’ captaincy in the first place simply by being who he is.

“That’s why I was picked to do that: because of who I am,” he said. “I feel a lot less pressure about any of that this year.

“Who I am is more than good enough and that was something I struggled with last year. I’m excited to have that mentality moving forward and not having to battle through that.”

It’s a different mentality to go along with a different haircut; his familiar dreadlocks are gone.

“It was just time to let them go,” he said. “Too much maintenance and too much of a distraction kind of thing. I’m just moving on to the next thing and the next journey.”

A new look. The next step.

But he’s still the same Quinn Meinerz, now trusting his authenticity more than ever.

BRONCOS CAMP NOTES

• The ball finally hit the ground in seven-on-seven, as a Bo Nix pass bounced off Jaleel McLaughlin’s helmet during that period of practice.
• The Broncos worked on field goals and kickoffs during the special-teams segment of practice.
• Third-year linebacker Drew Sanders forced Nix out of the pocket during the first team period, rushing up the middle and flushing the quarterback outside. Sanders had 9.5 sacks during his final college season at Arkansas.
• Nik Bonitto and Zach Allen came together with pressure on Nix during the second team period, with Allen arriving first for a play that would have at least been a hurried incompletion — if not a sack — in game conditions.
• Edge rushers Dondrea Tillman and Que Robinson both had pressures in a three-play span during the first team period of practice, with Robinson getting in the face of backup quarterback Sam Ehlinger to force an incompletion.
• Tillman later had to hold himself up to avoid plowing into Stidham for a sack.
• Undrafted rookie Jerjuan Newton flashed with a pair of receptions.
• Courtland Sutton caught a pass from Nix early in the seven-on-seven period.

PLAY OF THE DAY

Rookie wide receiver Joaquin Davis grabbed a pass from Stidham across the middle to move the chains on a second-and-4 play despite the best efforts of safety Devon Key, who was draped all over the undrafted rookie receiver.

The play saw Stidham do well to climb the pocket and avoid a Levelle Bailey rush, setting Davis up for the grab.

WHAT’S NEXT

Training Camp Day 1 on Friday morning. Practice begins at 10 a.m. MDT. If any tickets are returned, they will be available via TicketMaster.

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