The closest brush Courtland Sutton ever had with the NBA came in January 2016, when the 6-foot-4 wideout decided to hop on the SMU men’s basketball team for a few games right after his freshman year of football, because he was young and spry enough to do so. He scored a total of three points in three games, and then put down a basketball for good. Ended up being a decent choice, and .
A decade later, though, the 30-year-old Sutton is now dealing firsthand with a concept the NBA has widely popularized: load management.
“I feel like load management is, like, a basketball term … everybody’s like, ‘load management!’’ Sutton said Thursday, in a mocking tone. “I wouldn’t say that. Like I said, I think itap just being a good teammate, being a good player in terms of player-coach relationship.”
Broncos head coach Sean Payton agrees: he hears “NBA,” as he said, when he hears such a phrase. Back two decades ago, when Payton first took the reins in New Orleans, he might’ve sent a player running wind sprints if they suggested they needed a specific rest plan. But times have changed, and Payton now believes in the science, and it has all led to a rather strange sight in Broncos camp this week.
Sutton, the two-time Pro Bowler and Broncos lifer, has now not practiced for three straight days of training camp. After watching Tuesday and Wednesday’s padded practices with a ballcap on, Sutton took a few walk-through reps Thursday but didn’t participate in any team-period work. He still caught a few passes on the sideline, with his helmet on. Possibly antsy. Probably antsy.
“I try to be a good soldier,” Sutton said Thursday, his fourth time saying the phrase good soldier in the span of two minutes. “Whether it’s something I want to do or not, I just try to be a good soldier. So end of the day, I’m doing whatap best for the team, and putting myself in the best position to be able to have a fresh body going into the long part of the season.”
The veteran receiver is on board with the Broncos’ plan, indeed, whether he truly likes it or not. Sutton said he had “a lot of talks” with Denver’s strength, training and coaching staffs about giving him a lighter workload, as Broncos representatives came to him . And after playing 82 of Denver’s last 85 regular-season games the last five seasons, Sutton said he “kinda got ran into the ground going into the end part of the season in 2026.
Sutton, indeed, saw his workload skyrocket down the stretch, with at least double-digit targets in four straight games in December.
“With us ultimately wanting to get to where we want to get to, playing in February, itap a long season ahead of us,” Sutton said. “And just try to make sure that body stays as fresh as possible, as long as possible.”
Payton first hinted at the continued introduction of load management back at his end-of-season press conference in January, noting that “he can be better” in designing specific rest days for veteran players like Sutton and ex-linebacker Dre Greenlaw. Greenlaw, of course, spent much of his one year in Denver in 2025 working through soft-tissue injuries, before being cut and signing back to the San Francisco 49ers this offseason.
“Sean’s old school,” Greenlaw said after the season. “He’s going to do six days on, one day off. He’s got his way of doing things. You’re going to be practicing three hours on Wednesday, three hours on Friday. (Kyle) Shanahan, he’s the complete opposite. He wants you fresh.”
Payton, though, is quite clearly adjusting his ways in 2026. He told reporters Thursday that Sutton’s continued absences were “our protocol,” and noted that several other veterans will be on similar plans throughout camp. That has appeared to include 31-year-old right tackle Mike McGlinchey, who didn’t partake in many team reps during a higher-intensity Wednesday practice, and right guard Ben Powers, who battled through a bicep tear and Lisfranc injury last season.
Asked if he was healthy Thursday, Sutton responded “indubitably.” He went to the Broncos’ side field, though — typically reserved for rehab work for players recovering from injuries — during individual drills.
In Sutton’s stead — and as new star Jaylen Waddle is dealing with a “strain,” as Payton said Thursday — several others in the Broncos’ WR room have gotten their shine. Veteran Lil’Jordan Humphrey may have the most catches of anyone in team periods thus far in camp. Practice-squad mainstay Michael Bandy has developed ready-made chemistry with Sam Ehlinger, who continues to challenge Jarrett Stidham for the QB2 job. Rookies Kolbe Katsis and Cameron Ross have stood out from a group of undrafted signees.
The real standout, though, has been second-year wideout Pat Bryant, the possession weapon who looks healthier and stronger after an injury-plagued rookie season and has rarely let any ball in his vicinity touch grass.
“Really pleased with how he’s doing,” Payton said Wednesday. “He’s just one of those congested ball-catchers. His feet stay on the ground — so, when receivers catch the ball with their feet on the ground, they’re usually pretty good, run-after-the-catch. You don’t see him skipping in the air, or jumping. That means he has a lot of confidence in catching this thing the right way.”
Soon enough, the 6-foot-3 Bryant could become a less-expensive replacement for the 6-foot-4 Sutton. For now, though, Denver appears focused on preserving Bo Nix’s favorite target for a full-strength playoff run.
“If they come to me and say thatap what they need from me – you guys have been around me for a long time … I love to work,” Sutton said Thursday. “And whenever i get an opportunity to, I do. And if they come to me and say, ‘Hey, look, based on what we’ve seen in terms of the numbers you put out on Catapult, we need you to do this,’ I’ll say, ‘Alright, letap do that.’”
