Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos UNDRAFTED Standouts Impressing at Training Camp

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Denver Broncos have a handful of young undrafted wide receivers who are making plays at training camp, but the depth of the position might keep them off the active roster. We'll talk about that much more here on today's episode, Locked on Broncos. You are Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Broncos, what's happening? Welcome into another episode of Lockedon Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast. Part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day.

Starting point is 00:00:35 you so much to everyone in Broncos country, all the everydayers out there. Thanks for tuning in, making us your first listen, however you choose to do so. And just so you never miss out on all your Broncos news, content coverage analysis and more every single day all year long. Be coming every day. If you're not one already, hit their subscribe to that follow button wherever you get your podcast or on YouTube. I'm Cody Rourke.

Starting point is 00:00:53 Broncos reporter from my high sports. Join is always by Sarah Bedinger, site expert of their predominantly orange.com. And here's what we're going to break down for you on today's episode of the show. A little bit of a little preview before today's morning practice. in Broncos country for training camp. We'll go through the undrafted rookie wide receivers that are making plays so far throughout practice, but Denver's depth of position might keep them off the active roster. We'll go into who's making the greatest case for themselves.

Starting point is 00:01:18 Plus, we'll go through several players who are having quiet training camps. We'll analyze whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. And then we'll highlight what we want to see from the Broncos this week in joint practices with the 49ers and why it's time to dominate San Francisco. We get all that on today's episode of the show. Sarah, let's start off with focusing here on the undrafted rookie free agent wide receivers. The Broncos, they have a handful of guys in a camp this year. And I feel like there's several that are just making consistent plays on a day-to-day basis.

Starting point is 00:01:46 And they all have different skill sets. You talk about size, you talk about speed, you talk about downfield threat ability. Broncos are seeing a little bit of everything, but the depth of the position might be a problem. 100%. When you have a wide receiver group, that is at least six deep. right now, Cody, I think arguably, I mean seven, depending on what your thoughts are on A.T. Perry, because he's played in the NFL and played at a pretty high level. Obviously, hasn't been out there at practice yet, but there's a couple guys that are obviously going to be fighting for practice

Starting point is 00:02:18 squad spots. And it feels like they're only fighting for practice squad spots at this point. But you just never know when training camp and preseason games are going to change the narrative for guys like Jirwan Newton, Courtney Jackson, Joaquin Davis, even. and Kyrice Rowan, who was a tryout player that was signed by the Broncos. So a number of guys there at the receiver position was really the only position, too, in undrafted free agency, other than the offensive line where the Broncos signed actually a handful of players. And this is where you always have a deep group going into training camp.

Starting point is 00:02:52 You always have a bunch of guys out there getting reps. But it's one of those positions where I feel like you've seen guys develop in Denver and under a number of different coaching staff. So for somebody like Sean Payton and for his coaching staff, you feel like these guys have a real opportunity to go in there and grow for a year. It just feels, though, more so like these guys are poised or destined to redshirt after training camp no matter what. And that's the challenging part about it because I've liked what I've seen from Joaquin Davis, Gerwan Newton. I mean, Courtney Jackson's had a couple of big plays here and there. Kairish Rowan, he's so fast.

Starting point is 00:03:28 I mean, I feel like all of these guys, if you really want to get them onto your. practice squad. I feel like they'd be welcome additions. I feel like they would challenge and make you better on a week-to-week basis when you talk about the scout team here. Just where Denver's at right now with Cortland Sutton, Marvin Mims, Devon, Valey, Troy Franklin, Trent Sherfield, and Pat Bryant. I mean, that's the wide receiver room. That's going to be the guys that go into the regular season on the 53-man roster. A.T. Perry is another name that you mentioned there. But if we're looking at the practice squad, it could be entirely revamped. I think A.T. Perry will stay along here for Denver.

Starting point is 00:04:01 I know he's working his way back from an injury. But you and I were talking about it in yesterday's episode of the show where we were kind of recapping Saturday's scrimmage. And we're talking about Gerwan Newton. And Sarah, I feel like with Newton, the one thing that I see with him, you know, Michael Bandi's been on the practice squad for the last handful of years. Had a really good gig behind the scenes for Denver. This could be the type of player, I think, that could upend him in terms of getting a practice squad spot. Because look, you don't want to have every single spot. Well, you get 16 of them.

Starting point is 00:04:29 You don't want every spot dedicated to a wide receiver. You need to balance it out with offensive linemen, maybe some guys in the secondary, definitely some linebacker depth there. To me, this could be something to monitor here if he has a strong preseason, Newton potentially upending Michael Bandy. But then again, Michael Bandy could go out there and have a fantastic preseason, which could also change that narrative. But Newton has the upside, in my opinion right now,

Starting point is 00:04:53 to be a potential player down the line, maybe two to three years if his path goes according to plan. And then Joaquin Davis, I felt like has made several impressive contested catches throughout training camp that has stood out to me as not only do you get a guy who's got a big body, good hands, high athletic catch point, but you have a guy who can also box out smaller defenders there and make plays in tight windows. So the Broncos, I think, have a luxury of options right now, just being able to say, hey, we can sit back here in the preseason. We can watch these guys play. We're going to use the body of work in training camp. But we're also going to look at how they play in the games. and it's going to allow us to maybe look ahead to the future a little bit at the depth of the position,

Starting point is 00:05:31 because if there's ever an injury, can one of these guys play and offer you value in the regular season? Hard to say right now, but upside-wise, definitely might have the opportunity over a guy like Michael Bandy. And these guys are all deep sleepers too, right? When you talk about investments being made and undrafted free agent players, like nobody at this wide receiver position who's been making plays during camp got more than 50,000 in guaranteed money. And the guy who got 50,000 was Courtney Jackson. Beneath him, Wachene Davis at 15,000. And then below him even was Gerwan Newton at 10,000.

Starting point is 00:06:06 Kairos Rowan obviously was a tryout player. So interestingly enough, we always talk about with undrafted free agents, how much money talks in terms of where the Broncos, hey, they want to get this guy to the practice squad. They gave him 100K guaranteed or 150K or 200. I mean, that's how high some of the numbers are getting for their coveted undrafted players. these guys are the deepest of sleepers, right? You've got 50,000 and below,

Starting point is 00:06:30 and you've got a tryout player out there. I feel like ultimately the Broncos undrafted free agent streak is probably in serious jeopardy this year. But number two, you almost feel like because of the roster situation, if one of these guys works out and practice as well against the 49ers or plays really well in the preseason games, whatever the case may be, it does feel like they have a pretty decent shot of getting poached away, right? And the Broncos kind of missing out on all of these guys and having

Starting point is 00:06:59 a chance to say, hey, you know, this was a year where we felt really good about our receiver position. We brought in a number of guys to take some shots as undrafted free agents. And they ended up practicing, well, we just didn't have a spot for them. And they ended up succeeding elsewhere. Well, I know San Francisco is banged up with some injuries of wide receiver right now. I know Ricky Pierce is on that list. I still think Brandon Ayuk is working his way back on, you know, from certain elements. So it's very much an opportunity. And look, the Broncos capitalized years back in a joint practice with San Francisco by recognizing Tim Patrick and was able to say, hey, you know what, Tim Patrick is the guy who stood out a little bit, ended up with the Denver Broncos during

Starting point is 00:07:38 that standpoint there and obviously became a key player for them. And also as well, to that scenario that you mentioned about maybe getting poached away a little bit, remember the preseason game just a few years ago, 2023, the Broncos were on the road playing at San Francisco and who was the key standout to where Sean Payton himself has recently acknowledged there was no way after that that we were going to sneak this guy out of the practice squad. Jalilil, right? That's the game that Jalililil McLaughlin. Yeah, absolutely.

Starting point is 00:08:06 And Sean references that often because you get a guy that plays that well in the preseason, put it on tape against another defense. It doesn't matter if it's preseason or if it's backup players or what have you. If you put that stuff on tape, other NFL teams are going to be like, hmm, that guy might be able to fit what we're doing or we might try to give him a recruiting pitch to get him out of there because you can't protect these guys if you put them on waivers i mean that's the reality so for the denver broncos it's an interesting scenario to where you don't want to force the undrafted streak to continue i know it's not a it's not like a you know 25 year streak and there's been a couple of years here and there

Starting point is 00:08:44 where they didn't have somebody but you know that's it's a pretty longstanding thing for both them and sean payton isn't it to have an undrafted guy make the roster it just doesn't doesn't feel like it's trending toward that this year. Well, and it's not necessarily a bad thing when you consider where Denver's roster is at, the depth, you know, building through the draft, signing key guys in free and see other guys getting second contracts. I think that the Broncos are in a spot right now where, hey, you don't have to rely necessarily on undrafted guys.

Starting point is 00:09:10 Now, it's always cool when you have a guy who's, you know, got a story where he's coming from a small school or, you know, there was something to happen. He's got to, you know, just odds are against him. Undrafted guy comes in and you have the next Chris Harris Jr. I mean, that stuff, I live for that. You and I love that stuff. I know Broncos fans love that as well, but this year might be the year.

Starting point is 00:09:27 It actually is in jeopardy. It's going to be hard with all the depth that the Broncos currently have right now here. But Broncos Country, our conversation is going to continue here on today's episode of the show. There's some players who are being talked about daily at Trenton Camp. There's also some players you're not hearing a lot about.

Starting point is 00:09:42 There's some quietness to some players. And that might not necessarily be a bad thing. We'll tell you about that much more on today's episode of the show. Today's lockdown Broncos podcast. is brought to our friends over there at five-hour energy transfusion. It's time to fuel up and turn it up. And five-hour energy transfusion brings the bold, grape, ginger, and lime flavor of your favorite golf drink minus the alcohol into a quick and energizing shots. Whether you're sinking birdies or just making memories with your friends, this one's a whole and one for your energy game.

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Starting point is 00:11:12 Unfortunately, that is the reality for a number of Denver Broncos players, but it's still early on in the process. Broncos country. There's plenty of time for these guys to turn things around. start gaining some hype, generating attention out there at practice. And in the preseason games, of course, we'll tell you all about some players who kind of need to step up their game a little bit here as we get into the second full week of Denver Broncos training camp.

Starting point is 00:11:35 But Broncos Country, we appreciate you so much for tuning in, rocking with us every day. Hit subscribe if you haven't already done so wherever you listen to podcasts as well on YouTube and join the discussion there because a lot of great conversation happening on YouTube as well. Cody, let's talk about the players who, need to step up. Players struggling to stand out, right? That's the thing at training camp nowadays. It is hard to get eyes on 90 guys, but ultimately you've got to make plays. You got to be the one to stand out. You got to start stacking days. Who do you feel like right now is maybe struggling

Starting point is 00:12:07 to stand out in your opinion? And then why would you say it's not necessarily the worst thing in the world? Well, I mean, it's always tough because when you have a 90 man roster and you have various position battles or you have competition for back end spots for depth. I mean, you're looking for people to make plays almost every day in practice. I would kind of say there are some players who are struggling, struggling, and we'll highlight that. But I think that there are players who have in quiet training camps. And I think sometimes, and I've had a lot of fans ask me questions on social media about

Starting point is 00:12:38 this, you know, they'll ask me about RJ Harvey or Jada Baron. I've had a ton of questions about Jada Baron and whether or not, you know, what's going on with him. We're not hearing his name talked about as much. I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing, right? I think sometimes quiet is good because it means that this player is going through the process and learning. Now, let's mention, you know, a couple of guys here. I think we can bring up both Barron and Jayquan Macmillan as those guys are getting reps inside the nickel here for the Broncos. We're not hearing a lot about Jay Mack. We're not hearing necessarily a lot of Barron's name being called here. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. That doesn't mean they're having bad training

Starting point is 00:13:13 camps. I think that these guys are kind of just locked into this battle right now for reps and for opportunities there. But primarily with the way that the Broncos offense has been testing this position group specifically, they've been kind of going to the outside a little bit. They go into the middle of the field where they're trying to test the linebackers and the safeties. Like you're seeing good battles back and forth. I still think that Jay Mack and Barron are having solid camps, right? And really, I think right now we're not going to hear or see any progression from these guys unless they make a big play. I think it's one of those positions you play in training camp

Starting point is 00:13:46 where you don't really hear the nickel position or production at the nickel being highlighted as much. I know especially with Jay Mack in the last handful of years, we haven't heard that except when he was an undrafted guy playing on the outside. So nothing really concerning to look at there. I think we'll see them probably get more opportunities to shine in the preseason. But the fact that their names aren't being called isn't necessarily a bad thing. And even RJ Harvey.

Starting point is 00:14:09 I've had fans ask me, I don't know what it's like for you on social. media you can tell me but have you had fans asking you about whether you know what's going on with rj harvey you know we're not hearing his name talked about almost every day like we're not hearing that he's him those are things that i'm hearing yeah you know i think that there is some of that i i see a lot more stuff from fantasy people who are taking the best clips from rj harvey and are kind of over like analyzing that and being like oh my gosh this guy's the next alvin cameron you know so i've seen the other extreme of that from people who are non-broncos people which is very interesting.

Starting point is 00:14:42 I think so many people want R.J. Harvey to be this guy right away. And that's a little unfair to heap on him at this point, especially with the depth in the backfield right now. But I do think that when you look at the secondary as well, Cody, like J.L. Skinner to me hasn't stood out. I feel like he's been one of those guys that you want to hear about guys making plays, or at least if you're not hearing about them making plays out there, you want to hear about them getting strong opportunities or rotating in with the top unit because if nothing else,

Starting point is 00:15:15 if they're rotating in with the top unit, it likely means that the coaches like them, you know, or that the front office likes them. But unfortunately, like, we're not hearing stuff about J.L. Skinner at all running with the first team off defense, excuse me. And I know that the Broncos have their safety duo set. I'm not saying he should be starting out there. But I know I've seen PJ Locke, you know, he's rotated him with the top defense. and as he should be, he was a starter the last two years, but a guy like Jail Skinner,

Starting point is 00:15:42 I mean, with Sam Franklin coming in, Devin Key playing last year, I mean, now I start to wonder, is he kind of on the roster bubble? Yeah, I don't know if he's on the bubble or not. It's hard to say, I don't think he is just because he is one of their best special teams players. He's their core four returner from last year.

Starting point is 00:15:59 You know, he'll have a spot on the roster because of special teams, unless there's something drastic that changes. But primarily, I agree with you. in the first week of just practice with pads and just the full physical intensity. I haven't seen a lot of JL working with the second team defense. I've seen him getting kind of those back in reps there with the third team defense. And I'm not sure if that's like an indictment or if that's just, hey, you know, the way the reps are playing out.

Starting point is 00:16:24 But it has been primarily the first team defense, Brandon Jones, Talano, Hufanga. And really, it's PJ Locke and Devin Key getting those next primary reps there. And Sam Franklin, I think, has been rotating him with Key alongside with. PJ Locke with that second team defense, probably more so. Is it much to read into right now? I don't know. I think it's too early for us to do that, but it is certainly interesting. Considering this offseason, there was a lot of noise and there was a lot of conversation

Starting point is 00:16:49 about the Broncos wanting to see J.L. take the next step. Is this by design or are they just waiting to unleash him a little bit in the preseason? I think really that we're going to find out. I think after the first two preseason games, really how the safety room is kind of shaping out. but I think JL is a fair name to kind of throw into that. You know, we talked about players who are struggling, Sarah. I think the one guy who I, and I hate to sound like I'm piling on this guy,

Starting point is 00:17:14 Joe Machowski, the third team center for the Broncos, has had a rough, rough training camp. I mean, there's times where Sam Ellinger has consistently had to adjust to the right, to the left, low, and even there was a pass during Saturday's training camp scrimmage, the pass went over his head. It was rough. And it's like, you're not giving Sam a really good office. opportunity to mix and match and work.

Starting point is 00:17:36 So that's going to be something to monitor this week as well. When we talk about guys who are struggling, I mean, realistically speaking, I don't think there's anybody who's really struggling in your primary first team offense, first team defense. You're seeing some ups and downs from the second team unit, but I think you are seeing guys with that third team unit. You are seeing some struggles there. Yeah, which is to be expected to a degree, isn't it?

Starting point is 00:17:59 You know, with young guys or guys who are just getting acclimated to the NFL, undrafted players, bottom of the roster guys. It's a stark difference when you're talking about guys who have made pro bowls or guys who are aspiring to make pro bowls and guys who are just trying to make a roster. So we understand that aspect of it. But that kind of surprises me too about, I know we're not necessarily focusing on the third team O line in this episode, Cody, but like a guy like Clay Webb, I mean, I haven't heard anything about him at all.

Starting point is 00:18:27 And we thought he was, I mean, he's one of the highest price undrafted players. Sean Payton spoke about him in the office. program like i'm a little surprised he's not taking reps at center i know he was a left guard at jacksonville state things like that so maybe we'll see him cross train there but he's another guy that hasn't stood out to me and then i think at the running back position too like tyler bidet is what's he doing out there because sean dropped his name a couple of days ago and i just i haven't heard anything about him i haven't heard that he's hey he's running with the starters or hey he had a really nice run here or you know i haven't heard anything about tyler bidet i've heard

Starting point is 00:19:03 almost every other running back has been mentioned so far. Yeah, and I don't know if that's just because he's getting work with that third team offense, that third team offensive line that we were talking about. And, you know, they're trying to find, just figure out who the depth is. But I think, you know, guys like Blake Watson have made plays J.K. Dobbins, R.J. Harvey, Jell-McLaughlin. I mean, Bade, I feel like kind of has a little bit of an uphill climb, even though I, he's, he's one of the more explosive guys that they have on the roster, Sarah.

Starting point is 00:19:30 And look, last year, we were pounding the table for Thailand. other but they, but right now with the changes that they've made with bringing in Dobbins with obviously drafting Harvey and still having Jalil heavily in the mix, Blake Watson seems like a guy who's, you know, can step up and maybe be, you know, a guy who play on special teams. And then you have Audrake Estime, obviously still fighting and stacking some days. I don't know how this running back room is going to shape out behind, obviously, JK and RJ. I have my feeling it would be Jalil, but Audrake has had a, I'd say an impressive training camp so far, which is big, and that's what you want to see.

Starting point is 00:20:03 So who knows? We're fixing to find out. You got joint practice this week with the 49ers. You got a preseason game. Next week, you have a joint practice at home with Arizona before the Cardinals play in week two. We're going to learn a lot about this Broncos team in the next two weeks, Sarah. And I'm excited to break down here with everyone in Broncos country here. But Broncos country, it is practice week.

Starting point is 00:20:23 It is game week. We're excited about that. And that means that it's time to dominate the 49ers. What do the Broncos have to do this week before they get to that joint? practice and leading up to that first game. We'll share our thoughts on that and more on today's episode of the show. Brockos Country, today's episode of the show is brought to my friends over there at Game Time.

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Starting point is 00:22:10 We're going to get all here on today's show. Just want to say thanks once again to everyone in Broncos country. Thank you for tuning in making us your first listen. Sarah, I mean, obviously, I think after the first week of pads, I think that's the most important. You have that first initial period of training camp that starts where it's helmets, jerseys, shorts, and you're trying to acclimate, you're trying to build up to that. I don't really evaluate too much of the non-padded practices here. I don't think there's really a lot you can tell from that.

Starting point is 00:22:35 The pads is when everything, the evaluation becomes a little more clear thing for the coaching staff. I think through the first week of practice, the one issue I think that we have seen, penalties so far have been a little bit of an issue. And I think some of that is all related to the new neutral zone rules. And that's something that Sean Payton has spent some time highlighting. But an issue of the Bronco struggled with last year was penalties. and something they've got to get out of the way, is this the year that they finally become a less penalized team? Got to be disciplined.

Starting point is 00:23:06 Got to have the preparation to avoid that during the regular season because obviously last year, that was a huge reason why this team was near the top of the league in three and outs. It's a huge reason why this team was, you know, they ranked 10th in scoring, but they could have easily been ranked a lot higher because a lot of drives were killed by really untimely penalties as if there's a good time for a penalty.

Starting point is 00:23:28 Maybe when you're up by two touchdowns, that's a great time for a penalty there, you know, late in a game when you're up by two scores. But I think, you know, honestly, there's not a good time for a penalty, but there's also times that it's like torturous to everybody watching the game to think, oh, my gosh, that just wiped off a huge play off the board or it starts you, you already are struggling to get things going on early downs. And now it's first and 15 instead of first and 10, right? So it's just a tough, tough deal that you have to be so careful when you get into the regular

Starting point is 00:23:58 season not to get into a slump with it because it kind of seemed like when it rained, it poured for the Denver Broncos. And ultimately, it's got to be fixed and it's got to be cleaned up. And I mean, having the offensive line back together for a second straight season, I would feel like that should help tremendously. Yeah, and I don't think the penalty issues have really been on Denver's first team. They've had a couple, right? But it hasn't been to the extent of which we've seen from the second team offense,

Starting point is 00:24:24 the third team offense. There's a lot of pre-snap penalties that have been. happening with those units specifically. And I think where Sean Payton's frustration comes in is that when you talk about a pre-snap penalty, that has more so to do like with thinking. That's fixable. Like pre-snap penalties are entirely preventable. So a lot of it has to be communication based.

Starting point is 00:24:44 Is the quarterback getting the cadence right in the huddle, right? Do they understand what the snap count is? Is it on one? Is it on two? Those things matter here. But if a player or if a unit continuously has these issues where you're having a false start or an illegal shift, that's something that can happen. That's just a focus thing.

Starting point is 00:25:02 And that's something that Sean Payton and his staff really wants to kind of get out of the way. I think when you face a different look, which the Broncos are going to face that different look, you know, this upcoming week, of course, Robert Salah back in San Francisco, you're going to face Bosa. That's going to be a good challenge for this first team offense. And then, you know, you got that 49ers offense that's got Brock Purdy, but you got Christian McCaffrey fully healthy, ready to go. You've got Kittle at tight end, Joanne Jennings.

Starting point is 00:25:26 really at the Broncos defense has a good advantage this week I feel like but you cannot be penalized because that carries over into the games I even remember in the preseason as well since Sean Payton has taken over I feel like penalties even have been amplified a lot more in these first three years here for Sean hopefully going into year three hopefully that's not the case here in this preseason because that did carry into the regular season last year it did and you don't want that to be the case because a lot of times in the preseason, it's kind of easy to write it off and say, well, they're just trying to call it, you know, really harshly at this time of year because they're trying to make a point, you know, Bob, but I don't think that's really the case.

Starting point is 00:26:04 I think ultimately they're going to call out, remember in week one last year, I think it was the Baltimore Ravens, we're getting called for a penalty every other snap for their alignment on the offensive line, which was a huge, huge point of discussion. So the NFL is not just going to call stuff in the preseason to kind of make an emphasis. They are obviously going to continue calling it in the regular season. So that's where the Broncos need to do well, especially against a different team, showing that discipline, making them make the unforced errors, right? And that's where I feel like you want to dominate these practices against the 49ers.

Starting point is 00:26:37 Cody, you want to go out there, you want to make them look bad. You want to have Kyle Shanahan have some angry comments after practice about his team. Like, that's what we want to hear. We want to hear grumpy Kyle Shanahan. And we want to hear the 49ers having to talk about, why is this happening against the Broncos? What, you know, all those sorts of things. You don't want it to be the opposite, right? You don't want the other side of that coin where you're the one having the grumpy press conference.

Starting point is 00:27:00 You're the one having the issue with defending this guy or getting open against these guys. Like they have a young defense. They have a lot of players injured. Go out there and dominate these practices. Well, and so much of this week, too, you're not really scouting San Francisco. You're not really going through the week. practice saying, hey, we're going to pull up 49ers film from last year. This is where we're going to prepare.

Starting point is 00:27:22 A lot of it with these training camp practices is you're going into it raw and you're saying, hey, we're running our stuff. They're going to come out in that. If we stick to our foundational principles and we communicate, it doesn't matter what they come out in. We will adjust. Obviously, as practice goes on, but we're not scouting these looks necessarily. We're not really scouting for a preseason game.

Starting point is 00:27:42 You'll get their base principles and kind of how they run. And of course, I'm sure it helps the Talano, Hufanga, DJ Jones. as I think played for Robert Sala before. And obviously you got Drey Greenlaw in the mix. Maybe they'll give some good intel this week. My question, like one thing I want to see, obviously we want guys to stay healthy. We don't want to see guys banged up. But one of the questions I have is, will we see Drey Greenlaw come back this week?

Starting point is 00:28:04 He is fine. He'll be fine, as Sean Payton has said, but will we see him practice against his former team? Or is it going to be a situation where we see him not practice this week, but play in Saturday's preseason game? Where do you say, like, what would you perform? for here when it comes to Drey Greenlaw this week. Oh, man, this is such a, this is a rock and a hard place kind of deal because you do, he does have to get out there. I mean, he's ultimately, he's got to be on the field.

Starting point is 00:28:28 And I think if he's able to get on the practice field, Cody, to me, that's a great sign that, okay, this was just a scare. We avoided anything serious and he's going to be fine. But ultimately, you know, I guess I don't know, does going right back out on the field make it worse or are they risking something by having him go out there and play in a game where it's really more so full speed than anything else. And maybe in practice, it's a little bit. You take a little bit off.

Starting point is 00:28:51 I don't know. But to me, I'll be, I guess, kind of walking out eggshells a little bit whenever he takes the field regardless of whether it's in practice or in a preseason game. I feel like everybody in Broncos country is kind of just sitting on pins and needles with the whole Dre Greenlaw situation and feeling like at any point, there could be bad news. Well, I feel like this. And this is where I take comfort. And I think Broncos fans should take comfort in it.

Starting point is 00:29:17 If he's back on the field, that means that he's gone through. He's passed every medical test. I feel like we're at this point now. Like even though you don't want these guys to go through and suffer another injury, I feel like the process that Bo Lowry and Sean Payton have kind of put in place with the training staff on the medical side of things, if they're on the field, you know, they're good to go, right? I don't think the Broncos are going to force a guy out of the field if he's not ready. They've never had this tendency to rush players back.

Starting point is 00:29:43 they're going to be smart. They're going to treat. I think Sean Payton has said it before. We're going to look at the symptoms of where they're at and determine whether or not they can be back out there on the field. But if they're on the field, that means, hey, they got the green light, which I have trust in that. Yeah, I do too. And I think that that's the thing that Sean Payton and his staff, they are not going to just throw guys out there and be reckless with it. They're going to be extremely cautious, got one of the best training staffs, if not the best training staff in the NFL.

Starting point is 00:30:11 and they're not just going to arbitrarily throw guys out there just to get him practice reps. Because really, Dre Greenlaw, does he need those reps? I mean, I mean, yeah, you do need reps.

Starting point is 00:30:21 You want to get chemistry with your guys. I'm not trying to diminish practice and how much it, you know, it is important. But for somebody like Dre Greenlaw, like we talked about before, you want him getting to week one more than anything else. That's the thing.

Starting point is 00:30:34 You want him to be playing games this season. You don't need to hammer the preseason stuff home. And I mean, yeah, get him reps. be cautious as you can, but certainly get him to week one. That's the ultimate goal,

Starting point is 00:30:48 I think, with a guy like Drake Greenlaw because of the impact that he can make in this defense. Everybody on the active roster. Just get them healthy to week one when they take on the Tennessee Titans at home. And then we'll go from there here. But Brockos Country,

Starting point is 00:31:01 that'll wrap up today's episode show. We appreciate you so much for rocking with us here once again. Don't forget, we got you covered every single day with content, news, breakdowns, everything that's going on, plus bonus episodes, And you're going to get a bonus episode here today. You want to know why?

Starting point is 00:31:14 Because the Broncos, they practice here this morning. I'm going to be there. Sarah and I, we're going to react to it and share the story of the day following Monday's Broncos practice. You can expect that and much more here on Locked on Broncos. We appreciate you. We'll see you soon.

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