Broncos Training Camp Rewind, Day 6: WR Emmanuel Sanders Debuts in 7-On-7 Drills by Ryan O’Halloran Denver Post July 25, 2019
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Broncos training camp rewind, Day 6: WR Emmanuel Sanders debuts in 7-on-7 drills By Ryan O’Halloran Denver Post July 25, 2019 Player Attendance Did not practice: LB Todd Davis (calf, fifth consecutive missed practice), WR River Cracraft (oblique, fourth consecutive), TE Jake Butt (knee, third consecutive) and WR Juwann Winfree (calf, second consecutive). Coach Vic Fangio said Butt has “hit a little pothole in his recovery (from ACL surgery), but I don’t think it’s anything too, too serious at this point. He could be out here (Thursday) or he could be another day or two.” New injuries WR DaeSean Hamilton (hamstring). He was unable to finish practice after Fangio said he “tweaked” the hamstring. Top play Late in 11-on-11 work, rookie TE Noah Fant outran rookie LB Justin Hollins down the left sideline to catch a pass from QB Joe Flacco. Thumbs up WR Emmanuel Sanders: He took another step in his recovery by participating in 7-on-7. S Justin Simmons: He intercepted QB Joe Flacco during 11-on-11. Thumbs down Dropped/batted passes: In just the final period of 11-on-11, WRs Trinity Benson and Fred Brown dropped passes and DE Adam Gotsis and NT Billy Winn batted down passes. The shade: The cloud cover didn’t arrive until practice was completed. Boo. OLB Jeff Holland: During the first pass rush/protection period, he went 0-3 and jumped offside. Odds and ends The Broncos ran 74 snaps of 11-on-11. WR Emmanuel Sanders (Achilles tendon) participated in 7-on-7 for the first time in training camp. “That was the plan today, to get him anywhere from 4-6 snaps in the 7-on-7 period,” coach Vic Fangio said. “That’s the starting point, and hopefully he’ll start doing more and more.” Sanders made a diving catch from QB Joe Flacco. Sanders said: “When I caught it, I said, ‘I’m back, baby.’ It felt good. I’m looking forward to (Thursday) and getting better.” Sanders had been limited to individual drills during the first five days of practice. “Just talking with the trainers and knowing we have plenty of time and Week 1 (Sept. 9) is the most important thing, there’s no rush,” he said. “I do want to get back out there and do 1-on-1s and talk smack to (CB) Chris Harris and be myself, but at the same time, it’s a process and I have to respect that process.” The Broncos had their first two scuffles of camp. The first was C Connor McGovern vs. DE Derek Wolfe, ending when Wolfe flung McGovern’s helmet after throwing several uppercuts that didn’t appear to land. The second skirmish was among backup players. Fangio wasn’t happy with the postsnap activities. “Yeah, I do (mind it),” he said. “We talked about it. I don’t like it. There’s no need for it. We need to refrain from that.” For his part, McGovern said: “The 2 p.m. practice, 95 degrees — things get a little hairy when it gets that hot. There’s no reason to beat each other up, but it was, ‘Hey, don’t do that,’ and ‘Hey, I’m going to do what I have to do.’” Quarterback snaps (11-on-11): Flacco 26, Kevin Hogan 20, Drew Lock 21 and Brett Rypien seven. Quarterback snaps (7-on-7): Flacco 14, Hogan seven, Lock seven and Rypien 12. Of the Broncos’ practice after a day off, Fangio said: “I thought it was pretty good. There were parts in practice that got a little sluggish on both sides of the ball but leading into that period and after that, I think we dealt with it good.” Signed Tuesday, P Justin Vogel went through his first practice. “We had two kickers for a while so now we’re going to go with two punters,” Fangio said. “It’s always good to have a revolving door there and the competition it will bring.” The Broncos play Atlanta in next Thursday’s Pro Football Hall of Fame Game. The starters traditionally haven’t played in that game. “There could be some starters that get a little playing time, but to be honest, we haven’t discussed it yet,” Fangio said. ILB Alexander Johnson ran alongside ILB Josey Jewell with the first-team defense and it was Josh Watson/Joe Jones on the second team. Highlights from DL vs. OL: Following wins by OLB Von Miller (vs. RT Ja’Wuan James) and Wolfe (vs. Jake Brendel), the offensive line won eight consecutive matchups, including two by RT Elijah Wilkinson vs. OLB Jeff Holland. Rookie DL Dre’Mont Jones showed quick hands in beating Brendel. Odd during the second 11-on-11 period: One snap apiece for Flacco, Hogan, Flacco again and Rypien. Wolfe had a bat-down and S Dymonte Thomas/CB De’Vante Bausby pass break-ups. The Broncos had a special guest at camp on Wednesday: Super Bowl winning QB Peyton Manning showed up and played catch with his son Marshall. Thursday’s practice 9:15-noon (open to fans). “I don’t see myself as a role player.” How Broncos’ Tim Patrick aims to build on breakout season. By Kyle Fredrickson Denver Post July 25, 2019 The play gets lost in a sea of Broncos highlights last season. You can bet wide receiver Tim Patrick remembers. Denver’s offense faced first-and-long, trailing 17-0 in Oakland on Christmas Eve, when now-former quarterback Case Keenum received a third-down shotgun snap, faked a handoff and launched a deep fade down the near sideline. Patrick sprinted underneath the pass, leveraged his 6-foot-4 frame in tight coverage from Raiders’ cornerback Nick Nelson and pinned the football against his facemask with one outstretched right hand for a 26-yard gain. A nondescript Week 16 play that actually resonates when you consider the trend. “Playing those last couple games and having success,” Patrick said, “my confidence is through the roof right now.” Patrick has earned consistent first-team practice repetitions into the second week of Broncos training camp thanks to a 2018 body of work defined by big plays — like nine receptions of 15-plus yards — that warrant legitimate optimism he’ll blossom into a greater role this season. Those sort of expectations didn’t seem logical to begin last training camp. Patrick, undrafted from Utah in 2017, jumped from practice squads in Baltimore, San Francisco and Denver entering his second year in the league. Odds seemed stacked against him making the Broncos’ 2018 active roster after the team returned Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas, and then drafted Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton. But Patrick beat out six players — Bryce Bobo, Mark Chapman, River Cracraft, John Diarse, Isaiah McKenzie and Jordan Leslie — to earn the team’s fifth and final wide receiver slot on 53-man roster cut day. Trading Thomas to Houston midseason helped vault Patrick to 23 catches for 315 yards and one touchdown on the year. “It was more about being consistent,” Patrick said. “The whole coaching staff knew I could make plays, but they wanted to see if I could make them in this type of setting. There’s always a different test you’ve got to pass. “My goals this year have changed. I still have to make the team, but my whole thought process is completely different from last year.” Meticulous self-study of Patrick’s game often revealed early tells in routes that allowed defensive backs to predict his movement. Patrick described his style as “play-maker and not really technical.” The offseason remedy was refining the smallest details to eliminate those errors. “Tim is doing really well,” wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders said. “Coach (Zach Azzanni) was spotlighting him today during meetings and breaking down the film from two days ago. He was talking about his releases off the line and how well he’s playing; using him as an example for the young guys to show them exactly how it’s supposed to be done.” The Broncos’ sixth-round draft selection of rookie wide receiver Juwann Winfree increases pressure on Patrick to perform. He hasn’t missed a beat so far while Winfree, an early star of training camp, has missed consecutive practices with a calf injury. Yet Patrick isn’t concerned about his competition for snaps. His sole focus is making the most of his own opportunities. “I don’t see myself as a role player,” Patrick said. “I want to show them I can be a No. 1 receiver. That’s my thought process going into this camp.” Broncos LB Bradley Chubb voted No. 82 among NFL’s top 100 players By Joe Nguyen Denver Post July 25, 2019 After a stellar rookie season, Broncos linebacker Bradley Chubb was voted in at No. 82 on the NFL Top 100 list. Chubb, who was selected with the fifth overall pick by Denver in the 2018 NFL draft, tallied 12 sacks and 60 tackles in his first year in the league. “He had a lot of hype coming of the draft and he’s putting that hype to reality, I guess you could say,” 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens said in the NFL Network’s announcement video. Chubb recorded two sacks on Mullens when Denver played San Francisco last season. The ninth annual ranking is determined by votes from NFL players. Highlands Ranch grad Mike Purcell’s football journey leads him back home to Broncos By Parth Upadhyaya Denver Post July 25, 2019 Shortly after Mike Purcell was released in October 2017 by the Chicago Bears, his third NFL team in five months, he received life-changing news — again.