Highlight: Inside linebacker Danny Trevathan continues to progress in his recovery from knee surgery in January. During Wednesday’s training camp practice, Trevathan had perhaps his best run yet as he took more first-team repetitions in 11-on-11 drills than he has in recent days.
Trevathan picked off a pass by backup quarterback Zac Dysert and ran it back for a touchdown, drawing a roar of cheers from the fans sitting a few feet away. The play was a highlight of practice, but also a significant and encouraging sign of Trevathan’s recovery.
But don’t expect to see much, if any, of Trevathan in the Broncos’ preseason opener at Seattle on Friday. Coach Gary Kubiak has made it clear he won’t rush players back from injury.
Lowlight: First-round pick and backup pass-rusher Shane Ray is back to full strength after taking time to rest a toe injury he sustained in January. But he was noticeably absent from a number of 11-on-11 reps during Wednesday’s practice.
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Kubiak said afterward that Ray has been “up and down” in camp, citing delayed recovery from the injury and having to play behind two elite edge rushers in Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware.
“That can be a little overwhelming sometimes for a rookie,” Kubiak said. “But he’s fixing to play a lot of football. I think he’ll settle down. The biggest thing with Shane is I don’t want him to get too down when the day’s not good. He’s really hard on himself.”
Position battle: With Trevathan and Brandon Marshall, who is also coming back from surgery, likely to sit for much, if not all of Friday’s game, the fight for their backup jobs could get interesting.
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Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said last week the depth at inside linebacker was as good as he’s seen in the years he’s been coaching. And in practices, reps have been shared among Todd Davis and Steven Johnson, No. 2 inside linebackers on the team’s depth chart released Monday; Corey Nelson, Lamin Barrow, Zaire Anderson and Reggie Walker.
Friday’s game could go a long way toward determining their future on the depth chart.
Quarterback Watch: You’d think after 17 NFL seasons, Peyton Manning no longer could surprise his teammates.
Not the case.
The Broncos’ quarterback, who said he’s slimmed down a bit this season, threw two bullets, first to Demaryius Thomas, on a cross route, then to Cody Latimer during goal-line drills.
After the workout, Emmanuel Sanders said he’s still shocked by Manning’s strength and overall performance in practices.
“I told him, ‘Man, your arm’s a lot stronger, and without the glove,'” Sanders said. “That’s impressive. I can tell he’s been putting in a lot of work in the offseason.”
Camp facts: The Broncos will have a morning walkthrough Thursday before flying to Seattle for their preseason opener against the Seahawks on Friday, but the session will be closed to fans. The team returns to Dove Valley on Monday for it’s usual 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. practice that will be open to the public, free of charge. Seating and parking for the Monday workout are on a first-come, first-serve basis near the fieldhouse.
