Tight end Owen Daniels said he and Peyton Manning have chemistry on the field. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)
A couple weeks after signing a three-year contract with the Broncos, tight end got to work to start to build a rapport with his new quarterback.
Daniels attended Manning’s annual Duke workouts in April, getting in his first reps with Manning and some of his newest teammates.
In the months that followed, Daniels and Manning put in extra work to develop the chemistry they’ll need to be successful on the field.
“Whether itap on the field or just being around each other, lifting or conditioning — he throws little tidbits my way even when we’re not on the field,” Daniels said after Monday’s practice. “I think itap been good. Itap kind of hard not to create chemistry right away with that guy. The ball is always in the right spot, and if I do something wrong he’s a great coach about giving good tips and how to improve on that. I love it so far. I’m looking forward to more.”
Daniels has followed coach Gary Kubiak on his last three coaching stops, playing for him first in Houston and then in Baltimore before signing with Denver in March. He’s, perhaps, the player most familiar with the offense, and he often serves as a tight end/tutor to his teammates who are still learning the playbook.
But Daniels, too, is having to deal with some changes, as the offense blends aspects of the one he is used to with the one Manning feels most comfortable.
“Coach Kubiak’s offense likes to stay balanced,” Daniels said. “Running the ball has always been a strong play of our offense and being physical and running play-action pass off those runs. We’ll try to continue to do that. Itap always been a big, big part of our offense. We’ve gotten big plays off of it and have been very successful, so I think itap going to be a really good mash-up of what we’ve done and being able to change tempo with what Peyton has done in the past.”
