Justin Simmons waved at a teammate down the stretch line.
A return to practice, even for a light day of work, was well worth a salutation.
Welcome back, indeed.
The Broncos standout safety on Tuesday practiced for the first time since straining his groin early in camp and he was hardly the only one back in action.
Along with Simmons, right tackle Mike McGlinchey, tight end Chris Manhertz, wide receiver Brandon Johnson and running back Tyler Badie each also got back into action after missing time in recent days and weeks.
McGlinchey took all the top-line repetitions in walk-through and team periods, while the others saw varying amounts of work.
“We were excited to see him out there and pick up where we left off last time he was out there,” right guard Quinn Meinerz said.
Each player’s activity level the next two days in joint practices against the Los Angeles Rams will be determined in part by how they got through the light practice Tuesday and also what their ramp-up schedules call for.
“I’m anxious to see how the week goes,” Payton said. “We do have a group of players that were back in a limited fashion. So on a case-by-case basis, how was today, what can we expect from them tomorrow? Some of that is a little fluid. We’ll have a training room report tonight just to get an update, really, on how today went for these guys.”
Even still, their returns bode well for Week 1 against Las Vegas. McGlinchey and Simmons are two of the most important players on the roster, Manhertz is a key figure in the run game (and locker room), and Johnson took extensive work with the top unit after Tim Patrick’s torn Achilles tendon.
“You’re talking about a number of guys that are top-line starters,” Payton said.
Brees in town. Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees was on hand for Denver’s Tuesday practice while in town to see his brother, who lives in Centennial.
“He phoned us yesterday and said he was coming in to see his brother and wanted to know our schedule,” Payton said. “Itap great to see him. He knows a lot of the people here — coaches, players.”
Brees watched Denver’s quarterbacks intently at times and chatted with staffers like former Saints players and coaches Chris Banjo, Dan Dalrymple and Beau Lowery.
“I think for him it was really just about getting around and seeing some familiar faces. He got a chance to meet (ownership group members Greg Penner and Carrie Walton Penner). That was nice.”
Joint practices on tap. The Rams will be in town for practices Wednesday and Thursday and then Saturday’s game at Empower Field.
Payton said he and Los Angeles coach Sean McVay had gone through the practice scripts for the two days and set up what they want to get out of the sessions.
“Are the days exactly the same? No, the two-minute tomorrow will be one situation, and the two-minute Thursday will be a little different,” Payton said. “Thursday we might work more red zone. You’re able to get to more situations within the framework of your team with two practices.”
The Broncos likely will hold most of their starters back from playing Saturday after two intense days of work, though Payton left the door open to playing a series at most.
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