ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—Following in the time-honored tradition of many Denver Broncos offensive linemen before him, rookie Zane Beadles found a way to avoid the spotlight.
He uttered the phrase, “Got to go get treatment,” on his way off the field Tuesday morning and sauntered into the locker room.
It was a veteran move, for sure.
Then again, Beadles and rookie center J.D. Walton have been playing more like veterans than greenhorns pretty much all of camp. The two made their preseason debuts to positive reviews Sunday night in Cincinnati.
However, Walton wasn’t nearly as fortunate escaping from reporters, a swarm quickly engulfing him.
“I had a lot of fun out there,” said Walton, a third-round pick out of Baylor. “It was a blast. I’m just getting used to the speed and all the competition that’s out there.”
Beadles and Walton played the entire contest against the Bengals, in part because coach Josh McDaniels wanted to test their stamina, make sure they would be ready for the opener in Jacksonville on Sept. 12.
“They really did some good things in the running game. They also learned some lessons we figured they’d learn,” McDaniels said. “They played well, they held up early in the game against some different things (Cincinnati) did.”
Starting quarterback Kyle Orton had no qualms or quibbles with their play, especially since they helped keep him safe and secure as he tossed two TD passes.
“For the most part, the inside of the pocket was cleaned out the whole day,” Orton said. “They did a nice job.”
The Broncos are trying to piece together a cohesive line after their pocket of protection was hit hard by injuries and departures.
In the offseason, center Casey Wiegmann returned to Kansas City, paving the way for Walton to step in.
Beadles, a second-round pick out of Utah, has been holding down the left guard spot all camp.
However, the line will remain in a state of flux until the return of All-Pro left tackle Ryan Clady, who’s currently on the non-football injury list after tearing his left patellar tendon while playing hoops in the offseason.
For now, D’Anthony Batiste is holding down Clady’s spot.
Right guard Chris Kuper (ankle) returned the field Tuesday morning and took part in drills, before sitting out the night practice.
“He did a great job of pushing through his rehab and he’s ready to go,” McDaniels said. “It always brings back some continuity when you can get a guy like that up front. Hopefully, we’ll continue to meld together.”
After the evening practice, in complete darkness, Beadles stopped and chatted about his performance.
“I was happy with it and I wasn’t happy with it,” Beadles conceded. “There’s definitely things that I didn’t do well on and things I need to improve on, which is a good thing. … If I would’ve went out there and played a perfect game, there wouldn’t have been as much that I could work on.”
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WIDEOUTS WORK OUT: On the opposite field, away from the crowd, rookie receivers Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas caught passes and ran routes.
Thomas, a first-round pick out of Georgia Tech, apparently injured his left foot more than a week ago—the same one he broke in predraft workouts.
Decker, who was selected in the third round, suffered an injury to his left leg at the same workout.
There’s no timetable for the return of Thomas or Decker.
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THIN RANKS: The banged-up Broncos gave some players a rest Tuesday. The team practiced without 17 players in the morning session, including Pro Bowl defensive backs Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins.
Receiver Brandon Stokley and tight end Daniel Graham also missed morning practice.
The team was missing 17 players in the night session as well, but had Dawkins and Stokley back on the field. Stokley left early after pulling up on a route.
The team has been besieged by injuries in training camp, especially at tailback. Knowshon Moreno (hamstring), Correll Buckhalter (back) and LenDale White (leg) all missed the morning session.
Asked if he expected any of his tailbacks to return soon, coach Josh McDaniels chuckled and said, “At some point.”
“Hopefully, it’s sooner rather than later,” McDaniels added.
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WILLIAMS’ RETURN: Broncos linebacker D.J. Williams took the field in the morning practice without donning his customary orange no-contact jersey.
Granted, the team wasn’t in full pads, but he still go to mix it up a little more than usual.
“It felt all right,” said Williams, who’s dealing with an undisclosed injury. “I still have some kinks to get out. I’ve probably got to get back into better shape.”
After shifting around to different linebacker spots his entire career, Williams is eager to remain in the same place this season.
“I like it. I like it a lot,” Williams said. “The more you play one position and play with the same guys, you get better chemistry.”
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SOLID PICK: Rookie linebacker Kevin Alexander is immersed in his playbook these days, trying to learn the system. But he’s in tune enough to realize a beneficial situation when he’s told about one.
The Clemson product was delighted to hear that outfielder/quarterback Kyle Parker reached a deal with the Colorado Rockies on Monday night that will allow him to run the Tigers offense this fall before handing off to baseball in the spring.
“Kyle’s just an athlete,” Alexander said of his former Clemson teammate. “It helps them tremendously, to have that experience back at quarterback.”
Parker displayed his two-sport versatility last season, becoming the first Division I athlete to throw 20 touchdowns and hit 20 homers in the same academic year.
As for any insight on how Clemson might do this season, Alexander couldn’t offer up any. He’s been so busy in camp that he hasn’t had time to call back to South Carolina for a scouting report.
“But if they’re working hard in camp and come out strong, I think they can go pretty far this year,” said Alexander, who joined the Broncos as a college free agent in late April.
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QUICK HITS: In a red-zone drill during the morning session, Orton avoided the rush and found WR Jabar Gaffney in the back of the end zone for a TD. … Orton threw three interceptions in the evening practice, but redeemed himself with a TD pass to Eddie Royal at the end.
