There have been four days of Denver Broncos training camp so far, and we’ve learned a lot about this team.
I like going to camp every day. It’s a grind, but I look forward to seeing what the team does on a daily basis.
I also like contemplating life and sports when driving around with the top down on my old Jeep Wrangler TJ! The following is a result of those trips during the week.
Buckle up, let’s take a ride through my thoughts.
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Let Me Finish!
Just a week ago in this column, I wrote about Broncos RB Javonte Williams being in danger of losing his roster spot to Samaje Perine. During the offseason, Williams was sluggish and overweight. Head coach Sean Payton talked to him, and Williams lost 11 pounds before the start of training camp.
Just a week later, I’m here to report with this new information that Williams looks like his old self. This is great news because of the way he looked earlier in the offseason. I have the benefit of attending every practice that is open to the media all year long, so to those who haven’t been out there the “Williams is fighting for a spot” reports seemed outlandish. However, he was and still is in a battle to establish a pecking order at the running back position.
Williams seems to be the lead back in this competition. He did not look like it during mandatory minicamp, but we’ve got new information to go on. Williams looks like he has his burst back, and you can really tell he’s lost the bad weight. The pads come on this Monday, and that’s when Williams could really thrive as he’s a power runner who used to thrive on breaking tackles.
https://t.co/SRW7Tanoej pic.twitter.com/KKBLHAVAEo
— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) July 20, 2024
Williams listened to his coach, and he dropped the bad weight. It’s hard to believe that 11 pounds can make that much of a difference, but here we are, and Williams looks like his old self. The battle at running back is far from over, but Williams is in the driver’s seat.
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Second-Year Surge?
There are plenty of Broncos who did not play much as rookies in 2023. That group of players is now in line to do more this season, and some of them are popping each day at camp. The second-year player that is popping the most is edge Thomas Incoom.
The Broncos added Incoom last year as an undrafted free agent out of Central Michigan. He appeared in four games as a rookie, and Incoom only played 20 snaps on the season. I talked to him at the end of the year, and he seemed to be patiently waiting for his time to shine. I didn’t get the sense that Incoom was frustrated with is lack of playing time as a rookie. However, I got the feeling Incoom was chomping at the bit to show what he can do.
Now in training camp, Incoom is getting pressure constantly with the third-team defense. He’s going against the third-team offense, so we need to take that into account, but we should see Incoom get a chance against the second-team offense soon. If he continues to thrive, then Incoom should get some work against the first-team offense later in camp. I fully expect him to do that.
. @CMU_Football EDGE Thomas Incoom wakes up with GMFB to speak on growing up in Ghana, being the kicker in high school, and his goal to sack Patrick Mahomes pic.twitter.com/bwgorC7b8C
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) April 24, 2023
Incoom has been one of the most consistent players in practice over the last four days. While the Broncos look for pass-rushing depth behind starters Baron Browning and Jonathan Cooper, Incoom is doing a great job of showing the staff what he can do.
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Give Him a Week or So
The Broncos are rotating through three quarterbacks to begin camp, but that rotation is soon to change according to Payton. Bo Nix is getting the first-team reps on Monday when the pads come on. The fans should see a great show as the week goes on and we see Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson get reps with the ones as the week goes on. Payton has said that in a week or so the rotation could change.
That means once we get done with Saturday’s practice Wilson could be out of the mix. He’s getting a chance, but Wilson is not showcasing his skill in the way that Stidham and Nix are. Wilson makes a “wow” throw once a day, but he’s not consistent whatsoever in what he does. It’s clear that Wilson has natural talent (he’s got a rocket arm and he can run), but he needs time to rebuild his game after failing to impress as the New York Jets’ starter.
Stidham is being steady, and Nix is being bolder in practice. I like that on Saturday we saw Nix throw the first interception of training camp. Nobody should be surprised that Nix bounced back after that play. I don’t want a quarterback to avoid challenging a defense. Instead, I want a player to go for it and test defenders all over the field. Nix is doing that, and he’s learning when he makes the rare mistake.
Broncos HC Sean Payton, on the team's QB rotation so far: "They're doing well … You know, we don't have a sum total, but the rotation has been pretty consistent. I think that will begin to change a little bit as we get into the next week and a half, two weeks." pic.twitter.com/phFb4TzIx8
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) July 28, 2024
This week of padded practice is going to be huge for several players, and this quarterback competition could be down to just Stidham and Nix in a week or so.
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Love Letter
Anyone who has read this column over the last year knows I was excited for the movie “Deadpool & Wolverine” to hit theaters. Well, I wasn’t alone as the movie is set to hit around $340 million on the opening weekend. The movie opened Thursday, and I’ve seen it two times already. I’m likely going to see it at least a few more times in theaters.
This movie is a love letter to the 20th Century Fox movies that featured mutants like Wolverine and Deadpool. Disney owns the rights to these franchises now, but they let Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman give a huge nod in an epic film to the studio where they came from. It was a great introduction of Deadpool and Wolverine into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The MCU had been struggling, but now they seem to be back on top in a big way with this movie.
I won’t spoil the movie for you, but I strongly urge fans of superhero movies to go see this as soon as possible. Yes, it’s violent – but that’s what you expect from a Deadpool movie. Moreover, this movie is fun! The action is great, the cameos make sense with the story and are not just there to hit the nostalgia button, and this movie has a no holds barred approach when it comes to the comedy therein. I’m not saying it’s the best superhero movie, but this is going to be in the nerd conversation. Needless to say, I absolutely love this movie.
This isn’t just Deadpool saying ‘Oh, Hello’ to the MCU. It’s Deadpool – and Hugh, Shawn and me – saying farewell to a place and an era that literally made us. We are forever grateful to the fun, weird, uneven and risky world of 20th Century Fox. It was our origin story and we… pic.twitter.com/bvrp3cTote
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) July 27, 2024
What did you think of this blockbuster movie? Hit me up on social networking and let me know!
