The Broncos pop-up practices at a local park are a positive sign

According to reports, several key members of the Broncos offense have been gathering at a local park in recent days in an attempt to begin preparing for the upcoming season. Unable to get into the team’s facility due to the COVID-19 shutdowns, and only able to communicate with Denver’s coaching staff via Zoom calls during the virtual offseason, the players have taken it upon themselves to try to fill the void left by cancelled minicamps, OTAs and other activities.

Drew Lock has been a regular, as the quarterback prepares for his first full season as Denver’s starter. He’s been joined by several of his main targets, as Courtland Sutton and Noah Fant have been in attendance, as has Phillip Lindsay. Even rookies Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler have made an appearance.

Given that the group is supposedly running through the full offense, trying to familiarize themselves with the playbook of new offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, it has been important that non-skill-position players have also been at the workouts. Dalton Risner and Ja’Wuan James were names mentioned as attendees.

While these unofficial workouts won’t replace what would’ve normally been done during the offseason, they certainly are a positive sign on a lot of fronts. And mostly, it has nothing to do with X’s and O’s.

For starters, it’s great to see Lock emerging as a team leader. Since Peyton Manning retired after Super Bowl 50, there’s been a void in that department, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

Almost always, that role has to be filled by the quarterback; they’re the most-important player on the field, so they naturally emerge as the leader. That’s something that simply didn’t happen with Trevor Siemian, Case Keenum or even Joe Flacco. They didn’t have the talent or personality to rally their teammates. Clearly, Lock possesses those traits.

The fact that he’s trying to find ways to get work done, rather than sitting back and taking it easy during the quarantine, is a sign of wisdom beyond his years. He knows that he’s stepping into a big job, so he’s doing everything he can to be ready on day one.

It’s also great to see Sutton and Lindsay, two of the veterans on a very young offense, establishing a new “Broncos way” of doing things. Despite only having two seasons under their belts, both have had success in the league; they’ve each eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark at their respective position and been selected to a Pro Bowl.

But they’re not resting on their laurels. Each has been challenged in the offseason, with Sutton seeing the Broncos draft wide receivers in the first two rounds and Lindsay watching as Denver signed running back Melvin Gordon to a big-dollar, free-agent contract. They aren’t sulking, however; instead, they’re answering the bell by working hard and showing the newcomers how things are done in the Mile High City.

Fant and Risner being at the workouts is a sign that the soon-to-be second-year players understand what’s at stake. They get it, for lack of a better phrase. Despite very promising rookie seasons, in which both players were starters from day one, they’re still grinding to get better. Much like Lock, they aren’t skipping out on working out; instead, they’re looking to improve upon their promising starts.

Perhaps the most-surprising name to surface in connection with the workouts was James. Last season, after signing a four-year, $51-million free-agent contract with the Broncos, the right tackle spent most of the season on the sidelines. He injured his knee just 10 plays into the opener and only appeared in parts of two other games after that night.

That caused a lot of people to question his toughness, as well as his commitment to the game. There was a perception that James got the big money and then checked out. The fact that he’s working out with his teammates, doing something that he isn’t required to do, is a sign that those accusations might have been grossly unfair. It’s also an indication that he’s healthy, which is huge news, as the Broncos need him on the field in 2020.

Of course, not everything that came out of the reports about the workouts was positive. The names that were conspicuously absent from the list of participants could be a cause for concern.

Gordon and right guard Graham Glasgow both signed as free agents in March. It’d be nice to see them getting acclimated to the city, familiarizing themselves with their new teammates and trying to live up to the big money. That said, the pandemic very well could’ve put a major dent in their relocation plans. As a result, they deserve a bit of a free pass.

Lloyd Cushenberry is projected to be the Broncos starting center, as the third-round pick out of LSU is expected to follow in Risner’s footsteps and be with the first team from day one. It would’ve been beneficial for him to be in attendance. Not having an offseason is going to make it tough on rookies, which is why any kind of work within the new system would be great.

Those absences pale in comparison, however, to the most-glaring omission. During training camp and the preseason, one of the most-scrutinized position battles will be at left tackle, where incumbent Garett Bolles is going to be challenged by Elijah Wilkinson. That being the case, it seems like one of them would’ve wanted to get a leg up in the competition by working with his teammates.

Maybe they’ve been there and it didn’t get reported. Perhaps there are other factors keeping them away, as has been the case in all sorts of industries during the COVID-19 crisis. But based on what is currently known, it’s disappointing that they aren’t taking part.

Bolles is one of the most-maligned athletes in Colorado sports history. He could’ve earned a little bit of goodwill by taking part in the workouts.

Wilkinson is trying to earn a starting left tackle job in the NFL, which would be a major accomplishment for an undrafted free agent. He could’ve made the competition even more interesting by being on the field with his teammates.

That said, the positives clearly outweigh negatives. The Broncos players-only workouts are a good sign.

Denver is trying to end a four-year playoff drought. They’re also one of the most-hyped teams during the offseason. What transpired at a local park in recent days is a sign that maybe, just maybe, they can live up to the expectations and reverse their recent losing ways.

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