The Broncos were thin on participants as Week 2 of organized activities opened Monday. But they did have a key player back in a helmet.
Shane Ray, the Broncos’ first-round draft pick he sustained in January, went through blocking-sled and footwork drills Monday, his first on-field activity of the offseason.
Coach Gary Kubiak said the plan was to slowly reintegrate Ray into the team’s workouts so he had time to fully rehabilitate his injured toe, something he wasn’t able to do with pre-draft workouts.
“I hate watching,” Ray said. “Being out there to actually get some work in, it feels great. I just want to continue to get better and do whatever rehab I have to do to make sure my foot continues to heal and I don’t take any steps back.”
Shortly after stepping off the field, Ray signed his rookie contract, worth about $9 million over four years with an approximate $4.8 million signing bonus. (Ray’s signing leaves third-rounder Jeff Heuerman, who underwent knee surgery last week, as the only Broncos pick who has yet to sign.)
While Ray participated, a number of veterans, including , were given the day off, a plan Kubiak promised he would carry out throughout the offseason, and possibly even in training camp.
Veterans Aqib Talib, Chris Harris, T.J. Ward, Von Miller, Owen Daniels, DeMarcus Ware, Louis Vasquez, and Emmanuel Sanders joined Manning on the sidelines and helped to coach many of the younger players as they went through drills.
Although Manning missed a couple practices last season after injuring his quad, he hasn’t had regular days off since the 2013 season under coach John Fox.
It took some convincing on Manning’s part — “He’s not a big fan of it,” Kubiak said — but the 17-year quarterback sees the value in getting the younger guys up to speed.
“I want to practice at least one day with those other guys sitting,” Kubiak said. “I just think it’s important, and you’re probably going to see it in training camp soon. The NFL season is a long grind, and how you go about keeping guys healthy is a tough assignment and also how you go about getting young guys involved. The only way I know how to do that is to get them practicing.”
Kubiak has rested veterans throughout his coaching career but is doing so more in Denver. As the Ravens’ offensive coordinator last season, he found success by getting his young offensive line more reps to test what they could and could not do in practices. And with the Broncos, who have a young offensive line and a lot of new faces, he finds himself in a similar situation.
Backups Brock Osweiler and Zac Dysert shared reps during a practice last week while Manning sat. Kubiak admitted that Monday’s session went a lot smoother.
Osweiler agreed.
“The ball was off the ground more,” Osweiler said of Monday’s practice. “As quarterbacks, Zac and I had more completions. Things seemed to flow better. Last week there were some linemen getting off on different times and that’s a direct reflection of the quarterback’s candence, and I think we cleaned that up, and today was fairly smooth.”
Rookie tackle Ty Sambrailo and 2014 draft pick Michael Schofield got in needed reps at left tackle, where the Broncos .
Kubiak said Sambrailo, a Colorado State lineman who played four positions on the Rams’ offensive line, has had little trouble with the mental side of the game, but the more time, and the more coaching he receives from veterans, will go a long way toward helping him in the Broncos’ system.
“He’s done a good job. He’s smart, so that’s not a problem,” Kubiak said of Sambrailo. “He’s kind of going through a process right now. I sat Von (Miller) and DeMarcus for a day — one day out of the three. So I think he felt pretty good about himself that day. Then, all of a sudden, here they come and it’s like, ‘You know what? This is the real deal.'”
“They’re getting reps that they never knew they were going to get. But the decisions are going to be made because of the work in practice, not just because they’re a draft choice or they’ve been here. It’s going to be made off reps.”
Footnotes: Linebackers Danny Trevathan and Brandon Marshall, both still recovering from injuries, worked out individually with trainers on the sidelines. As did safety Ross Madison (neck) and veteran linebacker Lerentee McCray (quad), who were both hurt in practice last week. Kubiak said he expects McCray to return Tuesday.
Nicki Jhabvala: njhabvala@denverpost.com or
