What to watch for at Broncos training camp, starting with the battle at quarterback

In their history, the Broncos have started a rookie quarterback in the opener just once. Bo Nix is looking to become the second.

The only one to get the call in Denver's first 64 seasons was John Elway in 1983, and it didn’t go well. He completed just 1 of 8 passes for 14 yards with an interception and was sacked four times before being yanked in favor of Steve DeBerg, who led the Broncos to a 14-10 win at Pittsburgh. Of course, Elway did bounce back to become a Hall of Famer.

There was much fanfare after Nix was taken by Denver with the No. 12 pick in the April NFL draft, but he has plenty of work to do to end up being the starter for the Sept. 8 opener at Seattle. He is battling Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson for the job.

Nix reported to training camp at Broncos Park last Wednesday along with other rookies, and veterans will report Tuesday. The first workout before fans will be on Friday.

Here are 10 things to look at as the Broncos prepare to take the field for camp in the much anticipated second season for head coach Sean Payton:

1. Quarterbacks take center stage

During spring drills, Stidham, entering his sixth season, looked to be the best of the three quarterbacks. He had the advantage of spending last season with Denver, which included starting the final two games when Russell Wilson was benched before being released in March.

Nix and Wilson, entering his fourth season after being acquired April 23 from the New York Jets, have been honing up on the playbook since the June 12 conclusion of a mandatory minicamp. So, it will be interesting to see how they look after having had to learn things on the fly during spring drills.

Payton split first-team reps among all three quarterbacks in the spring. But he might need to soon have just two getting most of the first-team work.

2. A crowd at running back

The Broncos return all three of their running backs from last season in starter Javonte Williams, Samaje Perine and Jaleel McLaughlin. It remains to be seen how many will end up being back in 2024.

Williams had a team-high 774 yards rushing in 2023 but averaged just 3.6 yards per carry and didn’t look all the way back from a season-ending injury suffered in October 2022. He and Perine, who have no guaranteed money on the books in the final year of their contracts, are hardly locks to stick around. McLaughlin, who made the team in 2023 as an undrafted rookie, is a good bet to be back.

Putting pressure on the veterans will be rookies Audric Estime and Blake Watson. Estime, a fifth-round pick, rushed for 1,341 yards last season at Notre Dame and the undrafted Watson gained 1,152 at Memphis.

3. Who will touch the ball first on offense?

The Broncos at center must replace Lloyd Cushenberry, who bolted to Tennessee as a free agent. The job is wide open.

Third-year pro Luke Wattenberg might be the favorite after having a strong spring. But free-agent signee Sam Mustipher, who has started 42 NFL games with Chicago and Baltimore, has by far the most experience. And one can’t count out second-year man Alex Forsyth, who snapped the ball to Nix at Oregon in 2022.

4. Sorting out the wide receivers

The Broncos have plenty of wide receivers vying for playing time. The leading candidate to be the No. 1 guy is Courtland Sutton, although he has been displeased with his contract, so it remains to be seen how that will shake out.

After Sutton, vying for snaps will be free-agent signee Josh Reynolds and second-year man Marvin Mims Jr., whom Payton vows to play more at receiver. Then there are holdovers Brandon Johnson and Lil’ Jordan Humphrey and rookies Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele as well as some others. Franklin has the advantage of being Nix’s top receiver at Oregon the past two seasons.

5. Filling leadership voids on defense

The Broncos lost two key defensive leaders in safety Justin Simmons, who was released, and inside linebacker Josey Jewell, who signed as a free agent with Carolina. Both must be replaced.

At safety, Brandon Jones was signed to replace Simmons, and he could develop into a solid leader. So could P.J. Locke, likely to be the other starting safety.

Inside linebacker Alex Singleton will likely become more of a leader with Jewell’s departure. As for his replacement in the starting lineup, the job is wide open, with the leading candidates being free-agent signee Cody Barton and Jonas Griffith, who missed last season due to a torn ACL.

6. Seeking another starter at cornerback

The Broncos have star Pat Surtain II as one starter at cornerback. They’re looking for another.

Free-agent signee Levi Wallace could be the top candidate to replace Fabian Moreau, who wasn’t re-signed after being the primary starter last season. But also, in the mix are third-year man Damarri Mathis, who was a starter as a rookie in 2022 and started the first six games last season, and second-year pro Riley Moss.

7. Will the defensive line really be much better?

The Broncos are excited about their retooled defensive line. But how much better might it be?

The top addition was defensive end John Franklin-Myers, acquired from the Jets. He is expected to start on a line that also includes holdovers Zach Allen at the other end and D.J. Jones at tackle. The depth was helped with the signing of free agent Malcolm Roach, who can play multiple positions and could be the top reserve.

8. What about those new kickoff rules?

Mims had the NFL’s top kickoff return average of 26.5 yards last season, although he didn’t have enough attempts to qualify for the league lead. With the new kickoff rules expected to result in more and perhaps longer returns, the Broncos are excited about having Mims.

Still, there will be plenty of strategy involved in trying to turn Mims loose. And the Broncos also will need to stop opposing returners. Like other teams, Denver is expected to spend plenty of time during training camp working on the new rules.

9. This time, the battle is at punter.

The Broncos last year had a much-publicized battle at kicker after they released Brandon McManus. The spot was eventually claimed after they traded for Wil Lutz just before the start of the season.

Lutz is back at kicker, and now there is a battle at punter. The incumbent is Riley Dixon, but he will face a strong challenge from Trenton Gill, Chicago’s punter the past two seasons.

10. Payton’s comfort level

How much of a difference will it make having a more comfortable Payton in his second season?

The coach looks to be more relaxed after a tense first season that included having an up-and-down relationship with Wilson. Payton now has more players that he brought in and better fit his system. Of the 91 players on the roster, 60 were acquired after Payton took over in February 2023.