Attendance
Did not practice: WR Courtland Sutton (rest day), C Luke Wattenberg, TE Caleb Lohner, OL Nick Gargiulo (Physically Unable to Perform list), LB Jordan Turner (non-football injury list), CB Jaden Robinson
Injured during practice: OLB Nik Bonitto
Denver saw a nightmare scenario on the club’s second day in pads, as star pass-rusher Bonitto exited during a 9-on-7 drill and limped off with trainers Tuesday. Head coach Sean Payton said post-practice that Bonitto “will be fine,” but the All-Pro talent was seen in a considerable deal of pain Tuesday. Bonitto leaned on trainers while walking off the field before limping on his own power entering the locker room.
Sutton was given a veteran rest day Tuesday, as Payton has spoken previously of being mindful of the 30-year-old WR1’s reps. Wattenberg, the Broncos’ starting center, didn’t practice Tuesday but was back watching from the sideline.
Riley Moss, camp winner
The Broncos have a white man who can, in fact, jump.
On Wednesday, as a member of his defensive front jumped offsides, Moss sprinted downfield to track a deep ball and attach to WR1 Sutton’s hip. Both leapt, a roughly 6-foot cornerback grappling with 6-foot-4 receiver known for his jump-ball ability. When they tumbled to the grass, Moss — somehow — had reached into Sutton’s arms and wrestled the ball away for a would-be interception.
“He’s a very athletic human being,” safety Talanoa Hufanga said later Monday, on Moss. “Like, a lot of people kinda discredit it because itap the, ‘white corner.’ I’m not gonna say that, but thatap just what everybody else does. But he’s probably, actually, one of the most athletic corners I’ve ever been around. Quick-twitch. And now itap really just, what can we do to get his technique to where itap at?”
Entering his fourth season in the NFL, Moss’s technique now appears to be creeping towards the level of his athleticism. After a strong three days of camp, Tuesday was his best yet, as Moss saw several targets through team periods and didn’t allow a single completion. He leapt to knock away a Bo Nix deep ball for Troy Franklin. He forced another deep incompletion by blanketing Marvin Mims Jr. He knocked a deep ball away from Pat Bryant in a one-on-one period. No receiver — not even Jaylen Waddle — has been able to consistently beat Denver’s No. 2 corner in camp thus far, and that’s a scary proposition for the Broncos’ back-end.
Now, can Moss put himself in better regular-season positions to reduce his hand-grappling? A late-season experiment to wear boxing gloves in team periods during practice actually paid off, as Moss was dinged for just one penalty across his final eight games of 2025. If he can continue to put dynamic reps on tape in camp while avoiding grabbing a few opposing jerseys, there will be no hint of a CB2 competition between Moss and second-year prospect Jahdae Barron.
“I think learning to play with his feet, really working on reducing some of those fouls,” Payton said on Moss Monday. “Man, he competes his tail off. Like, I love that about him. He’s got those traits where itap a short mindset, short memory, and he’s moving around really well right now.”
Top play
How about a top moment? It was an inexplosive day of camp, as the Broncos’ defensive front swallowed up a variety of run looks in team periods and Denver’s first-team offense often fell flat. Nix was off-target on a couple throws. The offensive line let linebacker Alex Singleton come unblocked on one rep. All the while came the first introduction of “competition periods,” or higher-intensity simulated 11-on-11 situations.
It all boiled over on a late route from Evan Engram over the middle, as Nix rolled right with nowhere to throw. The quarterback fired a grounder at Engram’s feet, clearly waving a white flag. Engram, though, appeared to feel some contact from a shadowing Ja’Quan McMillian.
Engram turned and had words for McMillian. Shoving ensued. Bodies quickly surrounded the two, and were broken up within a couple minutes.
It was a flash of frustration from Engram, who has rarely seen any touches in recent practices after a breakout day of camp. And a flash of frustration from Denver’s offense, as running back J.K. Dobbins walked across the sideline barking at Denver’s defense in the minutes to come. Payton, though, shrugged it all off post-practice.
“All I saw was just, a lot of bodies,” Payton said, of the dust-up. “Whoever’s in the skirmish, I just don’t want to see the third person. The bystander who decides he’s going to be tough.”
No bystanders Tuesday.
Thumbs Up
Ehlinger still challenging. The best quarterback on Denver’s roster Tuesday was its third-string captain, as Sam Ehlinger continued a strong camp amid a clear challenge to backup Jarrett Stidham for the No. 2 job behind Nix. On a disjointed day for most of Denver’s offensive units, Ehlinger moved the ball well and lofted a beauty to running back Jaleel McLaughlin for a touchdown at the end of team work Monday.
There’s an argument to be made, too, that Ehlinger has been the most consistent quarterback on Denver’s roster through four days of camp. Nix has flashed brilliance and increased poise, but has yanked a few throws. Stidham has been fairly boom-or-bust.
Thumbs Down
Butler out of service? When asked last week about early camp darling Hakeem Butler, Payton didn’t even reference the 30-year-old UFL product by name. The 6-foot-5 Butler is immediately noticeable when lining up at receiver, but has plenty of work to do to make his name stick. And he took a step back Tuesday after a strong start to camp, with two low-effort reps on a missed ball over the middle from Stidham and a one-on-one deep incompletion forced by 5-foot-11 rookie cornerback Brent Austin.
Butler’s physical tools and professional-level production are tantalizing, and he’s getting plenty of work in Denver’s second- and third-team units. But he needs to put more on tape.
Odds and Ends
*There’s a clear difference, at the moment, between Moss and Barron’s competitive reps. Barron was beaten twice by Franklin in a one-on-one period Tuesday, first on an out route and then on a deep ball. The second-year cornerback hasn’t looked out of position in camp, but also hasn’t been in any positions to make plays on the ball. The sky is not falling, but this is a point to watch.
*Does Denver have a clear next ILB up if either Alex Singleton or Justin Strnad misses any time? Not yet. But Payton shrugged off any concern on that position’s depth Tuesday, saying he was “excited” to see who steps up from a defensive and special-teams perspective.
That means the Broncos, clearly, haven’t identified their ILB3, which Strnad knows plenty well has been a vital depth need for Denver’s defense the past two seasons. Turner was a candidate, but still hasn’t tugged on pads yet in camp with a non-football injury. Rookies Red Murdock and Taurean York are an intriguing pair, but haven’t captured attention. Levelle Bailey and Karene Reid — the latter of whom made the Broncos’ 53-man roster as a rookie — could be the two best candidates.
*Speaking of Austin — keep an eye on him. The Cal product went undrafted in April, but has good physical tools and has flashed well in coverage in camp thus far. Denver loves quality cornerbacks, and Austin could end up sticking if he shows special-teams value.
*The Broncos’ defensive-line carousel continues to spin. Eyioma Uwazurike, Jordan Jackson, Tyler Onyedim, Sai’vion Jones and Matt Henningsen have all gotten first-team reps in units where the departed John Franklin-Myers used to play. Uwazurike, though, looks the current favorite to absorb much of Franklin-Myers’ old work.
