Kiszla: There’s only one way beautiful bro-mance between Broncos Chris Harris Jr. and Von Miller can continue beyond 2019 By Mark Kiszla Denver Post July 18, 2019 The two most essential pieces for Denver this season? Shaq and Kobe … or Chris and Von, if your heart bleeds orange. Before the Broncos even don the pads, there’s already a controversy at training camp. Von Miller and Chris Harris Jr., the two best players on the team, are bickering like brothers. “We are like Shaq and Kobe,” Harris said Wednesday, comparing the Broncos’ stellar defensive tandem to the legendary Los Angeles Lakers of yore. So being the intrepid reporter, I asked: Which one is Shaquille O’Neal? And who is Kobe Bryant? Harris immediately piped up: “He’s Shaq.” And Miller retorted: “I’m definitely Kobe.” Children, please. Try to behave. We all know the Broncos haven’t been on the same page – or in the NFL playoffs — since Super Bowl 50. So it appears Harris and Miller are already in mid-season form, even before new coach Vic Fangio is forced to toss aside his beloved gray sweats in the sweltering July heat. Yes, Miller and Harris are just messing with each other about the Shaq and Kobe stuff. So let’s get down to serious business: How good should Broncos Country expect their favorite team to be in 2019? “I’ll let you guys set that. We know what our goals are,” said GM John Elway, his trademark swagger stuck in a revolving door of failed quarterbacks during the past three seasons. “The bottom line is I never went into a season saying: ‘We’re going to be 10-6.’ I think we walk into every game with the idea that we can win it.” OK, with Mr. Elway’s permission, I will be happy to say it: For the Broncos to win anywhere near 10 games, it’s going to take a whole lot of broken parts to come together, from Joe Flacco’s ego to Emmanuel Sanders’ Achilles and Phillip Lindsay’s wrist. But the two most essential pieces? Shaq and Kobe … or Chris and Von, if your heart bleeds orange. For all his greatness, isn’t it about time Miller puts together a season that makes him the Associated Press defensive player of the year for the first time in his career? After feeling disrespected by the Broncos in matters of money, will Harris allow one eye to wander toward the exit and his next NFL stop if the losses begin to mount for this team? After a real good run in the NBA, it didn’t end well for those two star-crossed Lakers. Since joining the Broncos together as rookies way back in 2011, this season figures to be the end for Miller and Harris if they can’t lift the team back into the playoffs. In fact, I would be (pleasantly) surprised if this isn’t the final year we see Harris wearing a Broncos uniform, regardless of how many games they win. The negotiated ceasefire in his contract spat with Elway presented us with more questions than answers. Settling for a salary at a shade over $12 million, Harris agreed to a prove-it deal that will make him a free agent at season’s end. My query to Harris: After four hard-earned and well-deserved trips to the Pro Bowl, will having to prove your worth again on the field be a source of motivation, or could the uncertainty be a distraction? “There’s no fear when you’ve put in the type of work I’ve put in,” said Harris, forever and always cocksure in his ability. To my ears, the most interesting football revelation on the eve of camp was Fangio’s admission his staff has yet to determine where Harris fits best in the secondary, whether it’s working on the outside as the shutdown corner Harris claims to be … or back in the slot, where Harris has made a name for himself during eight pro seasons. “I have not decided. We need to see how all that shakes out,” Fangio said. Here’s a little speculation for your consideration: While Fangio respects the talent of Harris, I’m not so certain the new coach wholeheartedly believes his veteran cornerback is the all-world player that Harris thinks he is. “He is going to have to dive in and really learn the ins and outs of what we are doing, because he missed a couple months … He’s got two positions to learn, not just one. The nickel position is totally different than the corner position. There is no carryover, mentally,” said Fangio, suggesting the contract squabble that kept Harris away from spring workouts left him behind in preparation. In prodding Harris, Fangio sounded very much like an old-school ball coach, the polar opposite from predecessor Vance Joseph, who seemed to harbor a need for players to like him. The Broncos will go as far in 2019 as Miller and Harris can take them. And what if they can’t carry Denver back to the playoffs? This beautiful bro-mance will be over. Harris will be gone, leaving Miller to play the roles of both Shaq and Kobe. Broncos, quarterback Drew Lock agree to terms, source says By Ryan O’Halloran and Kyle Fredrickson Denver Post July 18, 2019 The Broncos avoided a major distraction Wednesday when quarterback Drew Lock signed his rookie deal less than 24 hours before the deadline to participate in training camp, a league source confirmed. Lock, a 2019 second-round (No. 42) draft choice, was the last unsigned player from Denver’s rookie class and missed the players’ Wednesday morning report date. Had the team and Lock’s representation at Creative Artists Agency been unable to reach a contract agreement by Thursday morning, Lock would have not been allowed to participate in Denver’s first practice, which begins at 9:15 a.m. General manager John Elway told reporters he wouldn’t predict whether Lock’s camp would come to terms with Denver before the deadline, “but we’re hoping he’s going to be here,” he said. Several hours later, a deal was done. The Broncos drafted Lock — a 6-foot-4, 228-pound quarterback who compiled 12,193 yards passing over four years at Missouri — to compete for the backup role behind Joe Flacco and eventually replace him as the starter. Lock was available in the second round because he was passed over by Kyler Murray (Cardinals; No. 1), Daniel Jones (Giants; No. 6) and Dwayne Haskins (Redskins; No. 15). The Broncos traded up 10 draft slots to select Lock immediately after taking offensive lineman Dalton Risner at No. 41. Lock’s deal is expected to be worth $6,994,472 with a signing bonus of $3,106,889. The Broncos did not budge in their contract negotiations, a league source told The Denver Post. Health updates. Emmanuel Sanders and Phillip Lindsay, the Broncos’ leading wide receiver and running back last season, each begin training camp near the end of recovery from surgery. In December, Sanders tore his Achilles and Lindsay fractured his wrist. Tight end Jake Butt, a 2017 fifth-round pick, also tore his ACL in September. Broncos coach Vic Fangio addressed the status of all three players on Wednesday with reporters. “Lindsay is ready to go. Obviously, we’ll ease him in. He didn’t have the offseason work,” Fangio said. “All of those guys will be on different protocols as to how much we practice them to where they go just as much as anybody else; Butt, Emmanuel (and) Lindsay. So we’ll ease them in, but we’ll get them in quickly.” Extra practice. Denver’s selection to the Hall of Fame game against Atlanta on Aug. 1 secured the team extra preparation for the 2019 season with five additional practices and a fifth preseason contest. “It’s good and I’m glad we have them,” Fangio said. “It’s a great opportunity to have five extra practices. We need it. We’re a new staff, a new team and a lot of new things are going on. It gives us an extra game to play young players in a game to help our evaluations. I see no negatives to it myself. “Maybe down the road if I think we’re a little tired or something because we’ve had the extra practices, maybe we’ll have an extra day off here or there.” Season extension? NFL owners have proposed an expansion of the regular season to 18 games with a 16- game limit for all players, as first reported by the Wall Street Journal, meaning that each player (including starters) must sit out two games during the year in compliance. Cornerback Chris Harris is one of the Broncos’ NFLPA union representatives and was asked Wednesday for reaction to the owners’ proposal. “It’s going to be hard telling me not to play 18 games if I can’t play,” Harris said. “I think that’s definitely going to be an issue right there. Guys that are very competitive want to play every game, so I don’t think that will happen.” Roster move. The Broncos announced Wednesday they have waived wide receiver Aaron Burbridge, a fourth-year wide receiver who joined Denver as a free agent in late January. Burbridge, a 2016 49ers’ sixth-round draft choice, had seven career receptions for 88 yards over 16 games as a rookie in San Francisco.