Following the Broncos’ second practice against Minnesota last Thursday, coach Vic Fangio pulled rookie safety Caden Sterns aside for a quick and to-the-point conversation: Sterns’ work wasn’t good enough.
“I thought he took a little bit of a hair step-back,” Fangio said after Saturday’s 33-6 preseason win over Minnesota. “(In the game), he got back to what we had been seeing. Hopefully that will be a good lesson for him.”
Sterns wasn’t scheduled to start alongside P.J. Locke, but ran onto the field when Trey Marshall sustained a sprained ankle covering the opening kickoff. Sterns had six tackles (tied with Locke for the team lead) and an end-zone pass break-up while playing 54 of 66 snaps.
“I thought he played well,” Fangio said. “It looked to me like he was active and in control of himself out there.”
Sterns was an early-camp standout because of his plays on the football, so what happened in the Minnesota practices?
“More mental than physical,” he said. “When (Fangio) told me I had taken a step back, I said, ‘Yes, sir,’ and thought, ‘Letap get back to what I was doing.’”
Sterns said his eye discipline — or lack thereof — got him out of position.
“I felt I was missing key moments in the defense that we had already went over and was making some rookie mistakes that I know I shouldn’t be (making) — I was like, ‘Come on, I knew that.’”
Once arriving in the locker room, Sterns said he meditated to calm his nerves. Things sped up when Marshall got hurt.
“Do my role, stay calm, play football and have fun,” Sterns said of his objectives.
Sterns played so many snaps that he was held out of Monday’s practice with a hip irritation.
Injury report. The Broncos practiced Monday afternoon in shells.
Not practicing were Sterns, Marshall, cornerback Ronald Darby (non-COVID-19 illness), defensive lineman Deyon Sizer (hamstring), outside linebackers Von Miller (personal) and Andre Mintze (concussion protocol), receivers Tim Patrick (groin) and DeVontres Dukes (lower body) and running backs LeVante Bellamy (ankle) and Mike Boone (quad).
Running back Melvin Gordon (groin) didn’t appear to take any team work.
Fangio said Marshall could be out at least two weeks and “probably more” for Bellamy, who was injured in the Minnesota game.
Browning debuts. Rookie linebacker Baron Browning (leg) passed his physical and was removed from the physically unable to perform list.
“We’ll see how he proceeds,” Fangio said. “I’m anxious to watch the video of the few plays we gave him and itap something we’ll evaluate each and every day.”
Browning has not practiced since the Broncos’ rookie mini-camp in early May.
“He just needs to get out there and play in our defense and execute,” Fangio said. “This is a guy who had two practices in the rookie mini-camp, when we were doing 22 plays each practice. That kind of illustrates how far behind he is.”
Footnotes. The Broncos must cut five players by 2 p.m. Tuesday; practice is scheduled from 9:15 a.m.-noon. Fangio said the practices on Tuesday and Wednesday will be “training camp-like,” before the teams wears shells on Thursday. … Fangio reiterated he was pleased with the play of quarterbacks Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater. “When you talk about last week, you think about the whole week in its totality,” Fangio said. “The two practices against Minnesota were important because it was our 1s against their 1s for the most part and then the game. I thought both guys did well.”
