Here’s a look at the Broncos’ probable offensive two-deep come the fall, with some by-committee approaches at running back and receiver.

Quarterback

Bo Nix | 10
6-foot-2, 217 pounds, 26 years old, 3rd season, Oregon

The ankle not-initially-heard ’round the world ended what was an inconsistent but promising second season for Nix, who has ended the year better than he’s started in two NFL campaigns. He hit a visible new level as a decision-maker from Week 11 on, with just three interceptions in 262 attempts in that span. Now, can he improve his efficiency under pressure and more consistently stretch the field between the hashes?

Jarrett Stidham | 8
6-foot-3, 215 pounds, 29 years old, 7th season, Auburn

Stiddy’s back for a fourth — and potentially final — season in Denver. His AFC Championship fill-in performance for Nix left little to be desired, but Stidham remains a solid if flawed backup.

Running back

J.K. Dobbins | 27
5-10, 212, 27, 7th season, Ohio State

Dobbins was one of the NFL’s most productive running backs before suffering a season-ending broken foot in Week 10 in 2025. After re-signing in Denver on a two-year deal this offseason, Dobbins will again bring his feisty personality to lead the Broncos’ rushing attack — if he can only stay healthy.

RJ Harvey | 37
5-8, 205, 25, 2nd season, UCF

Harvey had a mixed rookie season, averaging just 3.7 yards per carry but scoring an NFL-rookie-leading 12 touchdowns. Another year in Sean Payton’s system should benefit him as a runner, and Harvey is only continuing to grow as a route-running weapon out of the backfield.

Jonah Coleman | 20
5-8, 220, 22, Rookie, Washington

Coleman checks almost every box Denver could want in an instant-impact mid-round running back: not prone to fumbling, not prone to drops, smart, tough between the tackles, and terrific in pass protection. He could take rotational snaps right away.

Wide Receiver

Courtland Sutton | 14
6-4, 216, 30, 9th season, Southern Methodist

The Broncos’ ol’ reliable racked up a second straight 1,000-yard season as Bo Nix’s favorite target in 2025, and made his second Pro Bowl. Sutton could see slightly less volume with the addition of Waddle, but will still be the go-to guy on late downs.

Pat Bryant | 13
6-2, 204, 23, 2nd season, Illinois

Bryant became an instant fan favorite for his blocking and timely playmaking in the second half of Denver’s season, but his growing role was marred by a string of injuries. He’s a breakout candidate if he can stay healthy.

Wide Receiver

Jaylen Waddle | 17
5-10, 185, 27, 6th season, Alabama

The Broncos’ blue-chip addition of the offseason, Waddle racked up 5,039 receiving yards over the course of five seasons in Miami. His explosiveness in and out of breaks and after-the-catch burst have been on full display in training camp, and he could provide several doses of rocket fuel to Denver’s offense.

Troy Franklin | 11
6-3, 180, 23, 3rd season, Oregon

This spot could well fall to Marvin Mims Jr., too, as Denver really has five receivers. Franklin could find himself as the odd man out in a crowded room, but still enters the 2026 season as the Broncos’ second-leading receiver from last season.

Tight End

Evan Engram | 1
6-3, 240, 31, 10th season, Ole Miss

The “Joker” that was promised never materialized in 2025, as Engram often went invisible for long stretches of games during his first season in Denver. The Broncos chose to keep the veteran tight end rather than cut ties, though, and Engram still was easily the most productive receiving TE on the roster last season.

Adam Trautman | 82
6-5, 253, 29, 7th season, Dayton

Have blocking, will not travel. Trautman is now set to play his sixth out of seven NFL seasons for Payton dating back to New Orleans, and signed a new three-year deal this offseason as a blocking-forward TE.

Left Tackle

Garett Bolles | 72
6-5, 300, 34, 10th season, Utah

The Broncos’ eldest statesman continues to only get better with age, putting together the first Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro season of his career in 2025. Bolles has now played 51 straight regular-season games in Denver.

Frank Crum | 73
6-7, 315, 26, 3rd season, Wyoming

Frank the Tank made a splash with a trick-play touchdown in the Broncos’ AFC wild-card win over Buffalo last season, and continues to earn considerable trust and buzz in the Broncos’ offensive-line developmental pipeline.

Left Guard

Ben Powers | 74
6-4, 310, 29, 8th season, Oklahoma

Get this: Powers missed much of the 2025 season with a torn bicep, returned later in the year, broke his foot, played the entire rest of the season on that broken foot, and then took a pay cut after the year. He’s still an integral part of Denver’s run-blocking efforts.

Kage Casey | 78
6-5, 310, 22, Rookie, Boise State

The Broncos loved Casey’s versatility enough to snag him in the fourth round of April’s NFL Draft, and Casey has worked throughout the summer and training camp at left guard in an obvious succession plan for Powers.

Center

Luke Wattenberg | 60
6-5, 300, 28, 5th season, Washington

Payton has praised Wattenberg’s intelligence on multiple occasions, and the Broncos handed the starting center a four-year, $48 million extension last year.

Alex Forsyth | 54
6-4, 312, 27, 4th season, Oregon

Forsyth has stepped in seamlessly over the past two seasons when Wattenberg has missed time with injury, and continues to play a valuable depth role in the Broncos’ offensive line plans.

Right Guard

Quinn Meinerz | 77
6-3, 320, 27, 6th season, Wisconsin-Whitewater

Meinerz said that during this training camp, he was dealing with personal issues throughout 2025, but the star guard still earned his second straight first-team All-Pro nod. He wasn’t quite as consistent in pass protection as he was in 2024, and he struggled in the Broncos’ AFC Championship Game loss, but Meinerz remains a top-tier offensive-line talent in the NFL.

Right Tackle

Mike McGlinchey | 69
6-8, 315, 31, 9th season, Notre Dame

Like his tackle partner, McGlinchey continues to improve with age. The veteran turned in arguably the most consistent end-to-end season of his career in 2025, and has rounded into a leader on Denver’s front.

Alex Palczewski | 63
6-6, 314, 27, 4th season, Illinois

Palczewski slid all the way across the line last season to fill the injured Powers’ spot admirably for 10 games, and earned himself a nice two-year offseason extension in the process. He could be the first man up both at tackle and at guard in any case of injury.

Kicker

Wil Lutz | 3
5-11, 32, 11th season, Georgia State

Lutz continues to knock on the door of the NFL’s highest kicking tier, putting home 28 of 32 field goals (87.5%) in 2025. He fell back to earth from 40-plus yards last year, though, with a 7-of-11 success rate from that distance.

NFL teams must reduce their rosters from 90 players to 53 by 4 p.m. Sunday, which means as soon as Friday night’s preseason finale ends, the process of finalizing the first version of an active roster kicks into high gear.

So many of Denver’s starters and key role players return from past years and little doubt exists about their roles.

Still, there are several spots up for grabs and, perhaps more pertinently, there are several levers the Broncos can pull to get as many players back into their building as possible.

The job isn’t to pick the best 53 players, necessarily. Head coach Sean Payton always uses the term “the right 53.”

That means some players who are going to be part of Denver’s equation this season could start on the practice squad, be cut and re-signed to the 53-man roster a day later, start the season on injured reserve or any number of other machinations.

Having a deep roster means added risk of losing players between Sunday afternoon and the 11 a.m. claiming deadline, after which teams can begin assembling their practice squads.

“I think that gets weighed in a lot,” Payton said of who’s most at risk of getting claimed. “I’ll turn to the analytics and a lot of it is what kind of tape the opponents seeing. That gets weighed in a lot. Who do we feel like is more likely to get claimed? Certain positions are more likely to get claimed.

“So that����ap always a challenge.”

A challenge, but one we’re taking on one final time. Here’s a last stab at a 53-man roster.

Changes from last week’s projection are italicized.

OFFENSE (24)

QUARTERBACKS (3)

Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham, Sam Ehlinger

Final call: Taking three quarterbacks is going to cost Denver a player somewhere else, but in the end, that����ap the call here. Ehlinger didn’t sound earlier this week like a player who planned on packing his bags any time soon, then he authored a terrific preseason finale. Plus, there aren’t any good Payton-experienced quarterbacks out there as practice squad options.

If they take two to start, it����ap most likely because they swung a deal with Ehlinger or found a trade option they liked. Ehlinger is a veteran, so he can sign anywhere if he’s cut. Depending on how much injured reserve activity the Broncos have, they could cut Ehlinger with a promise he’s back on the 53-man roster in a day. Or they could ask him to start the season on the practice squad. The real curveball would be a two-man Nix/Ehlinger room to start.

RUNNING BACK (3)

J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey, Jonah Coleman

Final call: The Broncos will press all the buttons to squeeze extra spots out of the roster. In this projection, that means cutting Adam Prentice with the agreement that he’ll be signed to the practice squad, elevated three times and/or added back to the 53 when a spot becomes available. Prentice has had a good camp and will be in the mix one way or another.

If Jaleel McLaughlin and/or Tyler Badie clear waivers and return to the practice squad, all the better. Historic odds on players claimed suggest at least one will. Cody Schrader could be a practice squad option, too.

TIGHT END (4)

Adam Trautman, Evan Engram, Nate Adkins and Justin Joly

Final call: Joly hasn’t had a big training camp, but he finished with a bang on a wide-open 88-yard touchdown Friday night. Caleb Lohner hasn’t practiced at all and seems like a candidate to begin the season on injured reserve. They could wait a day and thus save a return designation for now to ensure that Lohner actually does recover and get fully healthy. Can’t rule out Dallen Bentley or Lucas Krull nabbing a spot, but they feel like the most likely to get through waivers.

WIDE RECEIVER (5)

Courtland Sutton, Jaylen Waddle, Pat Bryant, Marvin Mims Jr., Troy Franklin

Final call: The same five it����ap been all of camp. The sticking point here: Lil’Jordan Humphrey is almost certainly going to be part of the plan. In this case, he either starts on the practice squad or is a one-day cut until the Broncos place someone else on injured reserve. Denver will feel fortunate if all of its undrafted rookie receivers get through to the practice squad. There are a ton of receivers out there around the league, but Cam Ross and/or Kolbe Katsis could factor on special teams at some point in the not-so-distant future and could draw attention from other teams.

OFFENSIVE LINE (9)

Garett Bolles, Ben Powers, Luke Wattenberg, Quinn Meinerz, Mike McGlinchey, Alex Palczewski, Kage Casey, Alex Forsyth, Tyler Miller 

Final call: Let����ap get a little bit wild. In this projection, Frank Crum is placed on injured reserve Sunday with a designation to return. Then, there’s the Tyler Miller conversation. The Broncos have lost a developmental tackle each of the past two years at the cutdown. They know the value of such players. If they can get Calvin Throckmorton and Matt Peart to agree to start the year on the practice squad, this becomes possible. The end goal here: Keep as many of this group as possible for as long as possible.

DEFENSE (26)

DEFENSIVE LINE (7)

Zach Allen, D.J. Jones, Malcolm Roach, Eyioma Uwazurike, Tyler Onyedim, Jordan Jackson, Sai’Vion Jones

Final call: Maybe the Broncos ultimately feel like they have to choose between Jackson and Sai’Vion Jones, but this coaching staff and front office have prided themselves on building depth in both trenches. If there are ways around cutting somebody up front, they’ll find them. Jackson is too reliable and Jones too young to part ways with just yet, though the latter has had a relatively quiet camp.

“Every year is different and you really never know,” said Jackson, whose made the 53 each of the past two years. “Five weeks to put in the work I’ve put in. We’ll see how it all comes out.”

OUTSIDE LINEBACKER (5)

Nik Bonitto, Jonah Elliss, Que Robinson, Dondrea Tillman, Ron Stone, Jr.

Final call: Time is ticking quickly, but in this version, the projection is that the Broncos will have clarity on Jonathon Cooper’s status — a suspension levied by the NFL or (perhaps more likely at the moment) a placement on the commissioner’s exempt list — by the time the roster cutdown arrives. Stone makes it as a depth piece, at least to start. The tough call here is what to do with Drew Sanders. Is it injured reserve? They have to use one of eight return designations to put him there Sunday but if they carry him for one day, they can stash him and decide later whether to bring him back. Still, Sanders has played four games in the past two seasons. It may be time for a fresh start. If there’s no decision on Cooper at 4 p.m. Sunday, he’ll be on the roster.

INSIDE LINEBACKER (5)

Alex Singleton, Justin Strnad, Red Murdock, Jordan Turner, Karene Reid 

Final call: The Broncos had a curveball thrown this week when Taylor Rapp left after just one practice. Reid, Turner and Murdock are all special teams staples and it����ap easy to see any of them getting time on defense if either Singleton or Strnad miss time. Murdock has been calling the defense in practice, the type of investment that makes it easy to think Denver wants to keep him around for a while. The question: Are Reid and Turner worthy of among the last spots on the roster. Their special teams work last year and preseason playing time so far this summer suggest yes.

CORNERBACK (5)

Pat Surtain II, Riley Moss, Ja’Quan McMillian, Jahdae Barron, Kris Abrams-Draine

Final call: One of the toughest calls to leave off the roster is Reese Taylor. The Broncos are just fortunate to have high-quality depth across the cornerback group, which works against Taylor despite his special teams ability and ability to play in the slot on defense. He’s a player who will likely feel like a little bit of a risk trying to get through waivers. He also sustained a concussion Friday night against the Vikings.

SAFETY (4)

Talanoa Hufanga, Brandon Jones, Devon Key, JL Skinner

Final call: Miles Scott is a nice developmental player, but based on his role and playing time so far in camp, perhaps Denver is hoping they can get that redshirt year done on the practice squad. Tycen Anderson was one of the most conspicuous players not to dress Friday night vs. Minnesota. Those guys are either already on the roster or definitely not making it. The guess here is the latter.

SPECIAL TEAMS (3)

Wil Lutz (PK), Jeremy Crawshaw (P), Mitchell Fraboni (LS)

Final call: Easy. They’ve got Luke Basso’s number if they need a long-snapper at any point during the season.

The NFL’s deadline for trimming rosters from 90 players down to 53 is now just a week away.

By the time Sean Payton’s team finishes its preseason finale against Minnesota on Friday, those decisions will be right in front of the coaching staff and front office.

Denver is widely regarded as having one of the deepest rosters in football. Even though losing players to waiver claims from other teams is relatively rare — there were 29 total waiver claims at the cut down last year and 27 the year before — the Broncos are the kind of team others around the league will be paying extra close attention to.

A year ago, they saw two players claimed — offensive lineman Xavier Truss and cornerback Damari Mathis — and a repeat performance this year would not be surprising.

So, that����ap the cat-and-mouse game for Payton, general manager George Paton and company. It����ap about putting together a high-quality 53-man roster but also about protecting as many players as possible while getting as many as you can through waivers and to the practice squad.

With that, here’s the Denver Post����ap penultimate roster projection. The last will come following Denver’s preseason finale.

OFFENSE (24)

QUARTERBACKS (3)

Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham, Sam Ehlinger

Current picture: Nix has been healthy, and Stidham has taken the lion’s share of the No. 2 reps in practice and in games. He wasn’t sharp in 30 snaps Friday night against the Packers. Can Ehlinger make a last-minute run at the job? And the bigger question for roster purposes is if they keep all three from the outset. The argument against is easy: It����ap a deep roster, and Denver has worthy options at other positions. The argument for, though, is compelling: At the game’s most important position, the Broncos have three players who have started and also been in the system for more than a year. Plus, there is no clear alternative at this point — no young practice squad candidate or somebody who’s been here in the Payton era — meaning if they lose Stidham or Ehlinger and at some point need to play the other, then the backup is someone off the street. Why take that risk with a Super Bowl contender?

Bubble player of interest: The rest of the field at roster cutdown time. Maybe there’s a young player out there the Broncos are hoping gets cut.

RUNNING BACK (3)

J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey, Jonah Coleman

Current picture: The top three are locked in and have the makings of the best Broncos backfield in a while. In this iteration, the Broncos approach veteran Adam Prentice and ask him to start the season on the practice squad. He then gets added to the 53-man roster after three elevations, if not before based on the team’s injury picture. Prentice, though, has been really good since he arrived at the end of camp last year. It’d be a real surprise if he wasn’t squarely involved from the outset. This is just a creative way of making it happen.

Bubble players of interest: Badie and McLaughlin. If Denver can get one or both through to the practice squad, they’ve got themselves nice depth. If not, there will be a ton of backs out there to sort through on the waiver wire.

TIGHT END (4)

Adam Trautman, Evan Engram, Nate Adkins and Justin Joly

Current picture: Fairly wide open after the top two. You can put together several iterations, squint and see it being the way the 53-man shakes out to start the year. This quartet gives Denver a little bit of everything: The top two that are sure to make the roster, a player in Adkins who can play F and also fullback in a pinch and the fifth-round pick in Joly. It����ap contingent on Adkins getting healthy. He’s been in and out this summer. Dallen Bentley isn’t flashy, but he does the dirty work in-line. It may come down to who’s the player Denver feels best about sneaking through the waiver wire between Adkins, Joly and Bentley. Lucas Krull just keeps hanging around the picture, too.

Bubble player of interest: Caleb Lohner. The second-year man is in a bit of a tricky spot now. Maybe Payton’s spring praise was real enough that he gets back soon and makes the roster from the outset. Otherwise, from a roster perspective, could he be an IR candidate to start the year with a return designation? You only get so many, so they’d have to be counting on him playing at some point.

WIDE RECEIVER (5)

Courtland Sutton, Jaylen Waddle, Pat Bryant, Marvin Mims Jr., Troy Franklin

Current picture: Pretty much set… unless. Outside of a Devaughn Vele-esque trade from depth, this looks like a darn good quintet for the Broncos. We’ve all become accustomed to Lil’Jordan Humphrey starting the year on the practice squad and then playing a lot, but he legitimately deserves a roster spot the way he’s played this summer. Will it be there for him? Regardless, the role will be. As is, there’s a world in which Humphrey’s elevated from the practice squad early in the year and Franklin is a gameday inactive if everyone is healthy. Enviable depth in this room.

Bubble player of interest: Cam Ross. He got to run with the top group in the first preseason game. Then Friday night vs. Green Bay it was fellow undrafted rookie Dane Key. Kolbe Katsis has come on strong, too. Denver’s got options for the practice squad. There are a ton of receivers out there, but the Broncos could lose one of these guys at the roster cutdown.

OFFENSIVE LINE (9)

Garett Bolles, Ben Powers, Luke Wattenberg, Quinn Meinerz, Mike McGlinchey, Alex Palczewski, Frank Crum, Kage Casey, Calvin Throckmorton

Current picture: What has looked like a rock-solid nine for the active roster has its first major question: Is Alex Forsyth going to get enough healthy time to make the roster and, even if he does, has Throckmorton just flat-out outplayed him for the No. 2 center job in camp? For now, we’re leaning yes to the second question regardless of the first. Forsyth has capital built up in the building, though. Payton calls him one of the smartest centers he’s been around. Throckmorton, though, can also play both guard spots, and that flex is valuable. Could be one of the tougher calls on the roster next week.

Bubble player of interest: Tyler Miller. They aren’t exactly household names, but each of the past two years the Broncos have lost a developmental tackle on the waiver wire at the roster cutdown. Last year it was Truss. In 2024, they lost Demontrey Jacobs but had to try to get him to the practice squad because they knew Frank Crum wouldn’t make it through if they waived him. Players are scarce at the position, and Denver knows how to develop them. The bet here is they’ll be quite happy to keep Miller if he makes it through.

DEFENSE (26)

DEFENSIVE LINE (7)

Zach Allen, D.J. Jones, Malcolm Roach, Eyioma Uwazurike, Tyler Onyedim, Jordan Jackson, Sai’Vion Jones

Current picture: Denver looks well-situated to replace John Franklin-Myers and keep on rolling with Eyioma Uwazurike and Malcolm Roach. Those two plus D.J. Jones make for a top-flight run-defending group, and if Uwazurike rushes the passer as he has so far in the preseason, this group is going to be really dangerous. The question is if they take seven again like last year. And who would they leave off? If you’re looking for trade candidates in the next week, Jackson would have the chance to draw something real — like, a Day 3 pick rather than just a pick swap, perhaps — from a team that doesn’t have Denver’s depth. He’s made the roster cleanly the past two years and is having another good camp.

Bubble player of interest: Sai’Vion Jones. If you were going to leave somebody from the above group off the roster, Jackson and Sai’Vion Jones are the only two real options. Jackson’s proven he can handle a rotational role, so he’s got that going for him on a championship-minded team. Jones is bigger and stronger than a year ago. It����ap not yet clear he’s fully ready, but Denver also traded up into the third round to draft him just a year ago. It’d be a surprise to cut bait now, especially when there’s no indication they think he’s a lost cause.

OUTSIDE LINEBACKER (5)

Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Jonah Elliss, Que Robinson, Dondrea Tillman

Current picture: Straightforward. This group has top-flight production and depth. There’s really no two ways about it. The major question is if Cooper will actually be on the roster Week 1. We’re keeping him on as a placeholder for now, but the reality is there’s a good chance he’s not. He could be suspended in the next eight days and, if the league is still reviewing at the roster cutdown. then perhaps the commissioner’s exempt list comes into play for the interim. Interestingly, the roster cutdown is Aug. 30, and Cooper is slated to be arraigned on domestic violence-related charges Aug. 31.

Bubble player of interest: Drew Sanders. A healthy training camp for Sanders would have made him a compelling bubble player. Perhaps he’s got one more run at it in him over the next week. But after a sack against the Falcons, he didn’t practice all week or play against Green Bay. On this roster, it����ap just going to be really hard to keep a guy who’s in and out as much as Sanders has been. He’s a scary one to let walk, though. If he ever stays healthy, he’s going to make plays.

INSIDE LINEBACKER (4)

Alex Singleton, Justin Strnad, Red Murdock, Jordan Turner

Current picture: Still up for grabs behind the starters. Murdock is playing his way into a spot, and the Broncos love his smarts. Don’t overthink it and risk losing him. What����ap interesting is Turner has only been back a week or so off of NFI, but he jumped right into camp work with the top two units, and he was next up next to Reid in the game Friday vs. Green Bay. Denver liked his scout team and special teams work as a rookie last year. He’s going to be tough to leave off the roster. But Reid has been available and consistent all summer.

Bubble player of interest: Reid and Taurean York. Even after losing Levelle Bailey to injury, Denver has a bunch of interesting options. Not all of them can make the roster. Whichever two or three the team thinks can make it through waivers are the ones they’ll let go. But this group in general is worth trying to retain and develop through the season.

CORNERBACK (5)

Pat Surtain II, Riley Moss, Ja’Quan McMillian, Jahdae Barron, Kris Abrams-Draine

Current picture: There may not be a better, deeper group out there. As long as they’re healthy. Riley Moss left the game Friday with an injury to his ribs, though Payton said he was doing “good.” If he missed any time, that might change the calculus here. Otherwise, the top trio is top-flight, and Barron pairs with Abrams-Draine to provide capable backup and sub play across the board.

Bubble player of interest: Reese Taylor. He’s not a talked-about player, but Taylor was going to make this 53-man projection until the Broncos signed veteran safety Taylor Rapp on Thursday. He still could, depending on how numbers shake out at other positions. Taylor was on the active roster down the stretch last year, is playing on the top line of several Denver special teams units currently and knows the systems for both Vance Joseph and Darren Rizzi.

SAFETY (5)

Talanoa Hufanga, Brandon Jones, Devon Key, JL Skinner, Taylor Rapp

Current picture: Maybe it����ap as simple as starters, special teamers and Rapp. It����ap hard to imagine Rapp would have signed when he did without some indication Denver planned to carry him on the roster to start the season. He’s played in 93 games in his career but tried to battle through a knee injury early last year, didn’t play great through six games and then was put on injured reserve. Key and Skinner are high-level special teamers, and the staff says it trusts Key to play defense if needed.

Bubble player of interest: Tycen Anderson. In this situation, it comes down to Anderson vs. Skinner for a special teams-dominant role, and Skinner wins out via training camp performance and also the production in years past here.

SPECIAL TEAMS (3)

Wil Lutz (PK), Jeremy Crawshaw (P), Mitchell Fraboni (LS) 

Current picture: Pretty much set in stone outside of injury.

Bubble player of interest: Luke Basso has been in camp as a long-snapper, but STC Darren Rizzi said part of the reason is just to take reps off Fraboni during camp. Perhaps more interesting: Could Ross or another young player challenge for time as a returner?

Green Bay came to Denver and thumped Sean Payton’s team, 33-10, on Friday night. It marked the Broncos’ first preseason loss since San Francisco prevailed, 21-20, on Aug. 19, 2023.

Denver head coach Sean Payton regularly emphasizes the importance of competing in everything and, therefore, the importance of winning in the preseason.

That, however, is not the primary objective in the grand scheme. First and foremost is using the three preseason games to figure out the 53-man roster puzzle that must be completed by Aug. 30 and also preparing the team for a 17-game regular season.

There were positives, too. Quarterback Bo Nix returned to the field for the first time in seven months, led a touchdown drive and finished 6 of 9 for 76 yards and a touchdown.

With two of the three games now in the books, here are five more takeaways from the first outing of the year at Empower Field.

Payton once said sometimes a coach has to “create a crisis.” This isn’t one, but…

You wouldn’t know it the way Payton talked after the Packers finished drubbing his team.

The Broncos opened with two scores behind Nix and then did very little the rest of the game.

“I can’t think of one area where we played them (even) or out-played them, honestly,” Payton said.

Payton seethed that all three phases had a hand in the lopsided score and he was right.

Denver committed 10 penalties, including several on the offensive line. Jarrett Stidham turned the ball over. The starting defense surrendered an opening touchdown drive and the Packers scored on seven of their nine possessions overall. A week after dominating Atlanta at the line of scrimmage, the Broncos got out-rushed 118-70.

The average length of Denver’s 12 third-down attempts: 9.5 yards.

Good luck telling Payton it����ap just a preseason game.

“You can’t not pay attention to these games, these scrimmages, these important steps toward the beginning of the regular season,” Payton said.

Payton wants to win at everything. He undoubtedly had no fun standing on the sideline as his team got beat by three scores.

When he was asked after the game about whether Nix and other starters would play in Denver’s preseason finale next week against Minnesota, he gave a little bit of a peek into how he felt in the moment.

“I’m not getting into next week. I want to play them all into the third quarter next week,” he said. Of course, leveler heads will probably prevail on that front in the coming days.

“Let����ap figure out the tape tomorrow,” Payton continued, “see where we’re at, and let����ap do what����ap best for us as we prepare for the Chiefs.”

Even as the immediate frustration recedes, though, expect Payton to use Friday night����ap performance for longer than just a day or two.

In fact, it����ap a safe bet this will not be a particularly enjoyable week around the Broncos facility in general.

Payton learned the “create a crisis” play, like many in his quiver, from Bill Parcells.

Early in his tenure here, he explained that “you trust your instincts with each week in our league — where your team is at and what you think they need. I don’t know that there’s a book for that, but experience certainly helps.”

He’s undoubtedly not happy about losing, but the score doesn’t actually matter in the long run. Now, the key is extracting as much as possible out of the day.

A lot of that will be film study, but some, too, will be message-sending to a team that dominated in preseason Week 1, expects itself to be a contender, has had a fairly straightforward training camp so far and also has not been able to generate fast starts to the regular season under Payton.

In fact, for as surly as Payton was after the game, somewhere in there he probably convinced himself that it set him up perfectly to hammer home to his team that they’re not good enough to be anything other than on the screws every week.

Buckle up if you work at Broncos Park this week.

Jahdae Barron looks like the next man up outside and in the slot

It can be dangerous to read too much into preseason personnel rotations. The coaching staff has an idea going into a game in terms of who is going to play how many snaps and when. That goes into account when a player is injured or something unforeseen happens.

Still, it was interesting to note that the Broncos’ 2025 first-round pick was the first man in when starting cornerback Riley Moss injured his ribs on the second play of the night. Barron is playing a jack-of-all-trades role so far in camp and has seen time on the outside, in the slot and as the team’s primary dime back when defensive coordinator Vance Joseph puts six defensive backs on the field.

Barron has no obvious competition for the dime job or as the No. 2 nickel, but he’s competing against Kris Abrams-Draine to be the primary back-up for Moss and Pat Surtain II on the outside. When Surtain missed three games last year, the Broncos used Barron, a sure tackler, on early downs and Abrams-Draine in more obvious passing situations. They could certainly go back to that arrangement this year in the regular season, but perhaps Barron is making a run to claim that job outright.

Jarrett Stidham didn’t make a strong claim on the No. 2 job

The possession count for Denver’s three quarterbacks on Friday night looked like this:

Bo Nix: 2

Jarrett Stidham: 5

Sam Ehlinger: 2

Stidham and the No. 2 offense, however, struggled to find anything resembling a rhythm. The first four trips generated just two first downs and featured an interception on a ball that looked like a miscommunication between Stidham and tight end Lucas Krull.

The veteran’s final line: 9 of 15 for 82 yards, the pick and a passer rating of 47.1.

“Anytime you play, you want to win,” Stidham said. “Tomorrow we’re going to have a great chance to look at the film and see what we can do better individually and as an offense. As a group. It’ll be good to obviously take some things away that we can improve on and, going into next week, the last week of preseason and then, you know, beyond that.”

Ehlinger got one real drive that covered just 9 yards in seven plays. His second possession started with 1:05 remaining and Denver ran the ball twice to kill the clock.

As camp has progressed, Stidham has dominated the No. 2 reps in practice. Ehlinger’s run the No. 2 unit twice all of camp and didn’t this past week.

In the end, perhaps there won’t have been all that much to decide in the race outside of whether to keep all three quarterbacks.

Payton, though, wasn’t near ready to say that yet Friday night.

“We’re still working through it,” he said when asked if next week’s game against the Vikings matters in the decision-making process. “Yeah. It matters. It matters. We’re watching those guys.”

The Broncos offense is going to hear about penalties. A lot.

One area that had Payton particularly peeved postgame: Penalties.

Denver had 10 enforced for 79 yards and a Frank Crum holding penalty declined. Of the 11 flags total, five were on the offense and all were either holding or procedural.

Crum, fellow offensive lineman Alex Palczewski, tight end Lucas Krull and fullback Adam Prentice all got called for holding and left tackle Garett Bolles false started.

During Tuesday’s practice, offensive coordinator Davis Webb yanked Bolles, Mike McGlinchey and Evan Engram from a drill because of false start penalties.

Payton was similarly annoyed on Friday.

“Some of them we keep seeing in practice, we’re seeing the same penalties in the games,” Payton said. “Saw them last year. We’ve got to get that cleaned up.”

Overall, it was an up-and-down night for the offensive line, which is going to be counted on to be among the roster’s strongest suits.

Not on this night, though.

“Wasn’t good. Wasn’t good,” Payton said. “We had too many minus plays, too many penalties offensively. I don’t know how many third and 10-or-mores we had, but quite a bit, right?”

RJ Harvey should have your attention as a pass-catching threat

The Broncos look poised to roll out a diverse set of offensive options when the regular season begins.

That was apparent early Friday night when Jaylen Waddle was on the field with Courtland Sutton and Pat Bryant at receiver, Evan Engram at tight end and RJ Harvey in the backfield.

Denver should also have J.K. Dobbins, Jonah Coleman, Marvin Mims Jr. and others ready on Sept. 14 against Kansas City, as well.

Don’t forget about Harvey, though.

He scored 12 touchdowns as a rookie and, though he’s not the most refined runner between the tackles yet, he is special in open space and in the passing game.

The second-year man out of Central Florida showed that again Friday, ripping past standout Green Bay linebacker Edgerrin Cooper for a 21-yard touchdown on a wheel route.

“Well, honestly, he was like that last year, so the growth I haven’t seen much because he started so far out in front as a pass-catcher,” Nix said after the game. “I knew when he came in last year, seeing him for the first time at practice, that was going to be his strongest ability.

“The catch he made wasn’t necessarily easy. He’s just done that his career here so far, just over a year and some change. I’m excited to see him continue to develop. He’s a special football player.”

Harvey caught 47 passes on 58 targets for 356 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie. He’s got more competition for playing time this year with the way Coleman has looked in his first professional training camp, but Payton knows exactly how to use players with Harvey’s skill set, Webb knows what he’s got as a pass-catching threat and there should be more opportunity for favorable matchups with Waddle’s addition to the mix.

The rookie running back logged 14 snaps Friday night at Atlanta and drew rave reviews from head coach Sean Payton.

When Denver hit the practice field again on Monday, the praise for Coleman was no less notable from the head coach.

After Coleman’s fourth carry, a 7-yard gain with 47 seconds left in the first quarter and the starting offensive line still in the game, Payton had seen enough.

Broncos boast lower over-under wins total than Chiefs, Chargers. Is that a mistake?

There was a point, I think he had (four carries), and, ‘Alright, I’ve seen enough.’ I’ve seen enough (at practice). It����ap just your instincts relative to the evening and who’s playing.

“I didn’t need to see additional evidence of what I’ve been seeing for three weeks.”

Coleman is trending toward being a real part of Denver’s running back rotation with J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey from the outset of this season. Exactly how heavy a workload the Broncos ask Dobbins to carry out of the gate and also who earns third-down and two-minute work between Harvey and Coleman will go a long way in determining how many snaps Coleman sees early on, but he’s impressed so far.

“Good balance. Real good elusive runner for his size,” Payton said. “I’d say good short-area quickness, good balance and the other night we had a few examples of that.”

There have already been comparisons drawn stature-wise between Coleman and long-time NFL standout Maurice Jones-Drew, though Payton wasn’t willing to go that far just yet.

“I’m not ready to comp a young player that early, but I like his balance,” Payton said. “You don’t feel a young player at practice.”

Good day on the injury front. The Broncos got a pair of key players back to practice Monday in wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and center Alex Forsyth.

Waddle missed all of last week with a muscle strain, but looked like a full participant on Monday.

“We’ve got a lot of time still,” Payton said of working the receiver back into the offensive rhythm. “We’ve got good work this week, this weekend. There’s been a lot of time on task already.

“We’re being smart with it and he’s coming along really good. We’ll see how this week unfolds.”

Others who returned to practice include TE Nate Adkins and guard Alex Palczewski.

Receiver Marvin Mims, Jr. and starting center Luke Wattenberg, meanwhile, were still on the side field but continue to make progress. Mims ran what looked like near full speed during his conditioning work on the side. Also on the side field: OLB Drew Sanders (had a sack in Friday’s game) and WR Michael Bandy.

Too early to tell on Levelle: ILB Levelle Bailey sustained a fracture in his lower leg Friday against Atlanta, sources told The Post over the weekend.

Asked if Payton thought Bailey had a chance to return at some point during the season, the coach said, “Too early to say. I think that’d be tough to answer right now.”

The Broncos’ first-year offensive coordinator and play-caller aced the first of three tests before Denver opens its regular season a month from now at Kansas City.

Caveats abound, but this much is fact: Webb has called two games for the Broncos in his career and the Denver offense has hummed in each. The Broncos racked up 359 yards and picked up 24 first downs in a dominant 27-7 win over the Falcons.

A year ago, Webb put together a 567-yard preseason performance against Arizona that was so good it stuck with head coach Sean Payton as the season wore on, and he began seriously considering handing the play-sheet to his 31-year-old protege.

On this night, the Broncos got the ball first, and Webb went right to work with Jarrett Stidham under center.

The Broncos raced 69 yards in six plays and waltzed into the end zone to open the unofficial portion of the 2026 campaign.

Over the course of the first four possessions, the Broncos offense rolled to three scores, a 17-0 lead on 217 total yards and 14 first downs.

The preseason started in an appropriate fashion, given the way training camp has gone so far: With an easy completion to second-year wide receiver Pat Bryant.

If a player is having a better camp in Denver than Bryant, the list is very short.

“He’s a confident player with strong hands,” Payton said Wednesday before the Broncos traveled south. “That ability to be on the ground and not alter your feet or your foot path (after the catch), I think really serves him well. Then, like anything, you have a good practice, then you have two. Then pretty soon there are a couple stories, and then there’s five stories and then all of a sudden, you’re like, ‘Hey.’

“You guys have seen these guys grow right before our eyes, and it����ap happened, I’m sure, more than a number of times. It����ap good to see.”

Stidham also hit Courtland Sutton on a jump-ball down the field for 40 yards before fullback Adam Prentice punched home a 1-yard touchdown run.

By the end of the first quarter, the Broncos had one touchdown on the board in two drives, but had racked up 167 yards (8.8 per play) on 19 snaps and generated a whopping 11 first downs to Atlanta’s one.

One half of preseason football doesn’t mean the Broncos’ offense will be a top-flight unit through the regular season, of course, but there are few offseason moves more interesting and perhaps more impactful than Payton, long regarded as one of the league’s best play designers and play-callers, turning the duty over to Webb.

Certainly, it is the most important development for the 2026 Broncos that could actually be measured on Friday night. Quarterback Bo Nix, as expected, did not play and nor did star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, the team’s biggest offseason addition. Other key players who did not dress included wide receiver Marvin Mims, Jr., running back J.K. Dobbins, the team’s top two centers in Luke Wattenberg and Alex Forsyth, key reserve Alex Palczewski and several other backups.

Payton announced Wednesday that Nix would not play and instead would make his preseason debut next week at home against Green Bay after having a pair of right ankle operations earlier in the offseason.

Nix has been a full participant through training camp, but Denver wanted to give him another week before real, live football, especially since Atlanta plays on turf.

Nix made the trip with the Broncos as Payton said earlier he would. He was out on the field for a brief workout and throwing session about three hours before kickoff. Then he watched Stidham and Ehlinger go through their normal early warm-up routine and throw to Broncos receivers, chatted with new Falcons president of football operations Matt Ryan, and eventually gave Webb a hug and donned a ballcap and headset to listen to his offensive coordinator call the game.

He watched his Broncos team dominate.

Not only did the offense score three times in the first half, but the starting defense — and a few key reserves — allowed just one first down in the first quarter.

The Falcons moved the ball more once Denver’s reserves had completely taken over late in the first half, but even a trip to the red zone didn’t result in points.

Instead, inside linebacker Karene Reid broke on a ball over the middle and tipped it into the air to cornerback Jahdae Barron, who raced 95 yards for a touchdown and a 24-0 halftime advantage.

Barron, the Broncos’ 2025 first-round pick, hasn’t found consistent playing time yet, but he made a series of sure tackles and followed his pick-six up with an athletic break-up on Atlanta’s next possession.

It was the kind of half that leaves even the most demanding of head coaches feeling good in the house of an old division rival.

On the way into the halftime locker room, Payton couldn’t help but take a jab at Falcons fans to 9News sideline reporter Cynthia Freelund, saying, “a lot of people dressed up as empty seats.”

Sean Payton’s fourth Denver team starts out on its 2026 journey with a preseason opener that kicks off at 5 p.m. in Atlanta.

Last time the Broncos were on the field, they came up four points shy of a trip to the Super Bowl with a 10-7 AFC Championship Game loss to New England at Empower Field in late January.

Jarrett Stidham started for injured Bo Nix, Vance Joseph’s defense dominated and a second-half snowstorm turned a slugfest into a stalemate.

Nix won’t be back on the field Friday for Denver’s preseason debut — he’s healthy enough to play, Payton says, and he’s been a full participant in training camp, but he won’t play until next week. So, Stidham and Sam Ehlinger will run the Broncos’ offense while offensive coordinator Davis Webb calls plays.

Payton said he expects most of his healthy starters to play around 15 snaps against the Falcons, but there are several starters who aren’t entirely healthy, especially on offense. It will be a surprise if receivers Jaylen Waddle and Marvin Mims play. Same with center Luke Wattenberg and key offensive line reserves Alex Forsyth and Alex Palczewski. Will J.K. Dobbins, whom Payton said had a soft tissue issue pop up earlier this week, or receiver Courtland Sutton — recipient of several rest days so far in camp — be out there? Stalwarts like corner Pat Surtain II? If so, their appearances will be fairly brief.

Here are six other storylines to watch.

Can Jarrett Stidham or Sam Ehlinger make a move in the QB2 race?

Payton has downplayed the race to be Nix’s primary backup, but it����ap been shaping up to be a good one. Outside of a completely outlier performance (to the good or to the bad), it seems unlikely that one half each for Stidham and Ehlinger on Friday will decide the race. Still, this is an important waypoint. Ehlinger looks more comfortable in his second season with the Broncos. Stidham’s been up and down in camp, but he’s got equity built up with Nix and with the coaching staff and front office.

“They’ve been great,” Webb said recently. ‘Stiddy,’ he’s in Year 4 (in Denver). He’s spot played for us very well. Sam has grown tremendously from last year to this year. We’re really fortunate to have three really good quarterbacks. Not every organization can say that. We can. And we trust all three if they had to play.

“I’m really looking forward to those guys in the preseason.”

The first question: Who’s No. 2? After that, the conversation turns to whether Denver decides to keep all three on the 53-man roster at the end of the month.

How do Jonah Coleman and the rookies look?

For Denver’s rookie draft picks and several undrafted free agents, this will be their first time on a game field in an NFL uniform.

As it happens, several of the Broncos’ rookies play positions that are among the toughest to evaluate in training camp.

Fourth-round running back Jonah Coleman has looked comfortable and flashed decisiveness and vision in practice. Still, the Broncos don’t tackle to the ground in camp. That makes Friday the best look yet at what Denver may have in the former University of Washington back. There is similar intrigue for third-round defensive lineman Tyler Onyedim, fourth-round offensive lineman Kage Casey, Denver’s pair of Day 3 tight end selections and also a pair of undrafted offensive linemen in tackle Tyler Miller and Gavin Ortega. Given the Broncos’ run of injuries at center, expect Ortega in particular to get a ton of work. Among Denver’s rookie receivers, Cam Ross and Kolbe Katsis have produced most consistently in camp.

Will the camp standouts carry their momentum over to games?

There are a handful of players who have been obvious standouts in training camp so far and they’re at various points of their careers and the depth chart. The short list: Receiver Pat Bryant, cornerback Riley Moss and defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike.

Moss counts squarely among the starters who, assuming he plays, likely will be in just for a couple of series.

Bryant and Uwazurike could get more run than that. Both played roles as key reserves last year and each look primed to take big steps forward this fall. They don’t need eye-popping stat lines against the Falcons, but watching each will be interesting nonetheless.

How loud of a preseason can Jahdae Barron have?

Expect Barron to see time in different spots during Denver’s three preseason games. The 2025 first-round pick played outside, in the slot and as the starting defense’s dime back so far through training camp. Barring some kind of major injury or change, it appears Barron is tracking toward being a primary reserve to Ja’Quan McMillian and on the perimeter, too. Will his workload be tilted one way or the other in preseason games? And can he build a little momentum heading into the regular season despite not knowing exactly how much he’ll be on the field?

Does Denver have enough depth at inside linebacker and safety?

The Broncos appear to be at least wondering the same question because they worked out veteran safety Taylor Rapp on Wednesday. The seeming front-runner as the next man in at safety behind Brandon Jones and Talanoa Hufanga is Devon Key. The third inside linebacker is wide open, with Levelle Bailey, Red Murdock, Karene Reid, Taurean York and just-back-from-injury Jordan Turner in the mix. Turner could move up fast if he stays healthy from here, but the rookie Murdock has been playing well in camp lately, too.

What… exactly is the plan at tight end?

Nix talked recently about the team using Evan Engram in a little bit more of an all-around manner during camp rather than the more exclusively big slot-type role he held last year. Barring a surprise release, Engram and Adam Trautman are the starting point for the room.

After that, it gets difficult to tell. Nate Adkins was putting together a solid camp but has missed the past couple days. Lucas Krull has been quietly solid and has made more plays recently. Rookies Justin Joly and Dallen Bentley have been quiet so far but will get a bunch of preseason run. Caleb Lohner drew real praise from Payton this spring but has been out all of camp and was seen recently watching practice with a walking boot on his left foot. Time’s running short for him to get back and make himself a real factor early in the season.

Bottom line: There’s a lot to sort out and five players for two spots or three at the max behind Engram and Trautman.

The Broncos put out their first unofficial depth chart of the preseason — a requirement because they play a game this week — which always makes for interesting reading.

Payton, though, does not like depth chart day.

For one, not everything on the depth chart is how it will actually play out come Sept. 14 when the Broncos kick off their season against Kansas City. He intentionally puts rookies at the back of the line in the preseason depth chart, even if they might contribute.

Keeler: Has Broncos coach Sean Payton gone soft in his old age?

A couple of interesting notes: Marvin Mims, Jr. gets the first nod on the starting line at wide receiver along with Courtland Sutton and Jaylen Waddle. The second line features camp standout Pat Bryant and Troy Franklin.

On the defensive line, veteran Malcolm Roach is listed as the starter next to Zach Allen and D.J. Jones, while Eyioma Uwazurike is listed with the No. 2s. And at outside linebacker, Jonah Elliss and Dondrea Tillman are the No. 2s with Que Robinson listed behind them.

Jarrett Stidham is listed as the No. 2 quarterback ahead of Sam Ehlinger, though that looks like a good battle brewing as Denver's preseason opener at Atlanta at 5 p.m. Friday draws closer.

Again, all of this is unofficial, meant to not give much real information and isn’t really reflective of what the lineups and rotations will look like in full a month from now.

That won’t stop this train.

Offense

QB: Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham, Sam Ehlinger

RB: J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey, Tyler Badie, Jaleel McLaughlin, Cody Schrader, Jonah Coleman

FB: Adam Prentice

WR: Marvin Mims, Jr., Troy Franklin, Michael Bandy

WR: Jaylen Waddle, Lil’Jordan Humphrey

WR: Courtland Sutton, Pat Bryant, Hakeem Butler, Dane Key

TE: Evan Engram, Adam Trautman, Nate Adkins, Lucas Krull, Caleb Lohner

LT: Garett Bolles, Matt Peart, Frank Crum

LG: Ben Powers, Calvin Throckmorton

C: Luke Wattenberg, Alex Forsyth, Michael Deiter

RG: Quinn Meinerz, Kage Casey Gavin Ortega

RT: Mike McGlinchey, Alex Palczewski, Reid Holskey

Defense

DE: Zach Allen, Jordan Jackson, Sai’Vion Jones

DT: D.J. Jones, Jordan Miller, Kristian Williams

DE: Malcolm Roach, Eyioma Uwazurike, Tyler Onyedim

WLB: Nik Bonitto, Jonah Elliss, Que Robinson

SLB: Jonathon Cooper, Dondrea Tillman, Drew Sanders

ILB: Alex Singleton, Karene Reid, Jordan Turner

ILB: Justin Strnad, Levelle Bailey, Red Murdock, Taurean York

CB: Pat Surtain II, Kris Abrams Draine, Sean Fresch Jr.

CB: Riley Moss, Jahdae Barron, Brent Austin

Nickel: Ja’Quan McMillian, Jahdae Barron, Reese Taylor

S: Talanoa Hufanga, JL Skinner, Tycen Anderson

S: Brandon Jones, Devon Key, Miles Scott

Special teams

P: Jeremy Crawshaw

PK: Wil Lutz

LS: Mitch Fraboni, Luke Basso

KR: Marvin Mims, Tyler Badie, RJ Harvey

PR: Marvin Mims, Michael Bandy, Cam Ross

Physically Unable to Perform list: OL Nick Gargiulo (knee).

Non-football injury list: ILB Jordan Turner.

Did not practice: WR Jaylen Waddle (muscle strain), WR Marvin Mims Jr., C Luke Wattenberg (shoulder), TE Nate Adkins, TE Caleb Lohner (foot/ankle), DL Matt Henningsen (Achilles), OLB Dasan McCullough, CB Sean Fresch, Jr., K Wil Lutz (at Hall of Fame).

Load management: CB Pat Surtain II, DT Zach Allen, RT Mike McGlinchey, TE Evan Engram.

Left practice: DL Eyioma Uwazurike.

Uwazurike’s injury happened right near the end of practice in a two-minute situation. He walked to the team’s facility without issue, though he was shaking out and flexing his hand, while a member of the medical staff followed him. It����ap worth monitoring in particular because Uwazurike has been one of the stories of camp. The 2022 fourth-round pick has been outstanding in both run support and rushing the passer and looks primed for a breakout season after blossoming into a trusted rotation piece last year.

Mims and Adkins watched practice Saturday, one day after each left with injuries. Mims appears to have avoided serious injury when he pulled up on a deep route Friday.

Waddle moved up to some jogging, progress from previous days after he sustained a muscle strain earlier in the week.

Henningsen (Achilles) was placed on injured reserve Saturday, which officially ends his season.

Bryant, in the midst of a monster camp, made the play of the day

The Broncos staged the closest they’ll get to a scrimmage during camp, though it was still parsed into situations and sets of plays, like a normal camp practice. But after stretch and individual periods, nearly everything Denver did on a blistering-hot Saturday morning was 11-on-11.

Perhaps not surprisingly given the way training camp has gone so far, second-year wide receiver Pat Bryant made the play of the day.

Operating in the red zone, Bo Nix faced quick pressure in the pocket after the snap and had no play but to throw the ball up. He lofted it almost blind into the back-right corner of the end zone. Bryant, working toward the corner, went up high over both Ja’Quan McMillan and Jahdae Barron, high-pointed the ball and toe-tapped near the back pylon for a touchdown.

It was a terrific play, maybe the best of camp so far, and a continuation of an impressive training camp for the 2025 third-round pick out of Illinois.

“Man, ‘Patty Ice’ has had some really, really good practices,” offensive coordinator Davis Webb said Saturday. … “Pat is very, very savvy. Smart. When he catches the ball his feet are on the ground. Those are the things we were attracted to when he was coming out of Illinois. It����ap really, really cool to see him take another jump this early into Year 2.”

Davis Webb’s nickname for Pat Bryant: “Patty Ice.”

— Parker Gabriel (@ParkerJGabriel)

Consider defensive coordinator Vance Joseph sold. Entirely sold.

“He made two (plays) today that were unbelievable, but that����ap been all camp,” Joseph said. “That����ap what he can be. He’s the guy in that room, in my opinion — he blocks, he catches the ball in traffic, he can track the ball vertically, he’s great in the red zone. He’s the complete package. He’s got great size, and he loves to play. He’s the same player every day.”

Thumbs up

A bounce-back play. This has not been a glorious training camp for former UFL receiver Hakeem Butler. He’s failed to secure contested catches — not great considering he’s 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds — and in general hasn’t made many plays. He made a terrific one on Saturday, though, jumping high over veteran corner Sam Webb down the sideline to haul in a jump ball from Sam Ehlinger.

Safety valve. The Broncos were rotating through a ton of different players at safety on Saturday with Talanoa Hufanga on a veteran rest day, Brandon Jones not taking a full load of reps and Devon Key working early in practice on the side field. Undrafted rookie Parker Robertson made the most of it in a team period with the No. 3 unit when he closed on a ball thrown behind the receiver over the middle of the field and came down with an interception. Denver quarterbacks haven’t thrown many in team settings during camp so far, but Robertson capitalized.

Thumbs down

Rookie moments. Few positions are more difficult to make an impact at than tight end. Justin Joly is learning about the steep climb. He hasn’t made many splash plays in camp — though coaches say they’re encouraged by the work he’s done overall — and on Saturday the fifth-round pick flat-out dropped a ball on his hands in the middle of the field. It looked as though Joly perhaps lost concentration as outside linebacker Jonah Elliss closed in for what, in a game, would have been a crunching hit.

Odds and ends

* One day after Nix led a surgical two-minute drive for a touchdown, the Broncos defense prevailed twice in nearly identical situations. This time around, Nix and the top offense had 1:22 left, trailing by 4 and 62 yards to go. Nix and Co. pushed the ball into the red zone thanks in part to a 24-yard completion to Troy Franklin, but stalled out there. Nix had to spike the ball after that play to stop the clock, then Courtland Sutton may have been held on second-and-goal, but the ball to him in the end zone fell incomplete. Then Sutton couldn’t haul in what looked like a catchable ball along the sideline on third down. Nix tried Franklin again in the back of the end zone on a do-or-die fourth-and-goal, but he was double covered from the start and reserve safety JL Skinner knocked the pass down easily to notch a win for the defense. Sam Ehlinger led the second group and took them briskly down to the 8-yard line before three straight incompletions — third down was a broken play from the start — and a fourth-down sack thanks to Que Robinson and Dondrea Tillman.

* Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph ran practice Saturday along with special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi because Sean Payton was in Canton for Drew Brees’ Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement. Joseph, though, laughed off any sense that he had much more responsibility than normal. “Sean left a great plan in place,” Joseph said. “It was more than me. It was the staff, the players. It����ap been scripted for a week and a half. So we all fell in, did our jobs, and now we’re done.”

* No team wants to punt the ball a lot, but when the Broncos do this fall, they appear to be in good care with second-year man Jeremy Crawshaw. He’s been booming the ball more consistently during camp and on Saturday pounded several high spirals with 5-second-plus hang time. Not only that, but he successfully angled several of them toward the sideline, leaving returners with very little or no chance at returning the ball. Last summer, Payton felt the need to rush the punt team on in the middle of offensive periods multiple times to try to give Crawshaw more game-like feeling because he was shanking far too many. A year later, he looks to be on the right track.

* With McGlinchey getting a rest day Saturday, the Broncos split tackle reps between Alex Palczewski and Frank Crum. They’ve both had heavy workloads in camp and, not surprisingly, the Broncos clearly want each to be comfortable playing multiple positions. Crum has played a lot of reps at both left and right tackle, while ‘Palcho’ has seen extensive time at right tackle and left guard. They, in some combination.

* A non-exhaustive list of players who have contributed or been in the picture for the Broncos who appear to be having solid training camps, but haven’t made the kind of eye-popping plays that generate buzz or headlines: TE Lucas Krull, WR Michael Bandy, ILB Levelle Bailey and RB Jaleel McLaughlin.

* The Broncos are always looking for talent at cornerback, and undrafted rookie Brent Austin has done some good things in camp. He’s not likely to make the 53-man roster, but the former Cal corner looks like a player worth trying to stash and develop.

* The roster churn is on for the Broncos. In addition to placing Henningsen on injured reserve, Denver also released cornerback Sam Webb. Those moves followed the waiver Friday of injured corner Jaden Robinson. The three new players: Receivers Kyree Duplessis and Kyrese Rowan — they each practiced Saturday— and cornerback Ricardo Hallman. Hallman worked out for the Broncos the same day as Webb last week, but Denver at that time opted for Webb. Now they’ll get a look at Hallman next week instead.

* A true VIP was on hand at Broncos practice Saturday: Mikaela Shiffrin. The world’s most decorated downhill skier watched the latter stages of practice from the sideline and was presented with a No. 110 Broncos jersey. The number, of course, is a nod to the Vail native’s record number of World Cup victories.

Welcome to , !

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos)

Next: 10 a.m. Monday. Parking opens at 8 a.m. and gates at 9 a.m.

Physically Unable to Perform list — OL Nick Gargiulo. Non-football injury list — ILB Jordan Turner.

Did not practice — WR Jaylen Waddle (muscle strain), C Luke Wattenberg (shoulder), TE Caleb Lohner (foot/ankle), OLB Dasan McCullough, DL D.J. Jones (rest), DL Malcolm Roach (rest), ILB Alex Singleton (rest), LT Garett Bolles (rest), S Brandon Jones (rest).

Left practice — DL Matt Henningsen, WR Marvin Mims Jr. and TE Nate Adkins.

Two Broncos stars moved in the right direction, but it was a brutal day overall on the injury front for the club. First, the good: WR Courtland Sutton was essentially a full participant after three rest days in a row. OLB Nik Bonitto continued to do more work, too. He had pads on and did individual work, though he’s not yet back to team reps.

The injuries started early in practice, though, when defensive lineman Matt Henningsen had to be carted off after an injury in individual drills. Henningsen, a source confirmed to The Post, tore his Achilles tendon.

Henningsen was visibly emotional after the injury and had his head in his hands as the cart took him into the Broncos’ facility. Making matters even more unfortunate: Friday marked exactly one year since Henningsen ruptured his Achilles in a joint practice against San Francisco. Head coach Sean Payton and others had raved about Henningsen’s recovery and about the offseason he’d had to this point.

Last year, of course, Henningsen’s August Achilles injury cost him the entire season.

Later in practice, Marvin Mims Jr. was running a deep route and pulled up hobbling while grabbing at his upper left leg. He tossed his helmet on the ground, sat on a water cooler and talked with a trainer before walking into the facility. He walked in with tight end Nate Adkins, who also left practice due to an apparent injury during a team period.

Bo Nix delivered a beauty of a two-minute drill

The Denver defense has regularly had the upper hand in recent days and particularly so in situational practice periods, but the offense hit back on Friday.

Quarterback Bo Nix led a clinical two-minute drive for what would have been a game-winning touchdown.

The situation on the scoreboard: Offense trailing by four with 1 minute, 21 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and one timeout remaining. Ball on the offense’s own 39-yard line.

The drive started with cornerback Riley Moss batting away a pass for Sutton, but then Nix caught fire. He completed passes to Pat Bryant and Evan Engram for a first down, then hit Lil’Jordan Humphrey in the middle of the field to get to the 35-yard line. With the clock running and 32 seconds remaining, the offense used its timeout.

Nix then made his best throw of the drive, hitting Sutton again on a deep in-breaker for 27 yards. The drive culminated with an 8-yard lollipop to a wide-open Engram in the back of the end zone. Seven plays, 61 yards and a game-winner with 18 seconds left on a drive that took just 1:03 of game time.

Nix thrives in two-minute and wide-open situations, and that����ap been the case again so far through camp. When the pace is fast, and he’s playing in a free-wheeling manner, good things happen more often than not.

Thumbs Up

In the Kage. Broncos rookie offensive Kage Casey has a lot to learn and likely isn’t going to be counted on to play on offense right away, but he shows flashes of what Denver liked about him in April’s draft. Take a one-on-one period between offensive linemen and defensive front-line players on Friday. He went against fellow rookie and third-round pick Tyler Onyedim three times and stoned him each time. Casey has good hands, gets them in the right place and then has enough power to work from there. Denver coaches and personnel people have thought since the draft that Casey could play any of the five spots over the course of time. So far in camp, he’s been predominantly at guard behind Ben Powers. Casey, if all goes well for Denver, may be in for a developmental year, but he’s already showing signs of being part of the puzzle down the road.

Thumbs Down

Tough day for tackles. On the other end of the spectrum in one-on-ones, Alex Palczewski and Frank Crum each took their lumps at times. Palczewski got roasted by Jonah Elliss around the edge on one rep. On the next, Elliss set him up to the outside, spun back inside and beat him clean. In those instances, it����ap always possible the tackle knows he’s going to have help inside. But Elliss has been a handful overall. Crum had a good rep against Drew Sanders, but he lunged at Dondrea Tillman and fell to the ground as the edge man flew by him on another snap.

Odds and Ends

* Sort of funny with Payton leaving for the airport right after walkthrough, but Friday was Denver’s best day running the football so far in camp. The Broncos got good movement up front — Jones and Roach being off for the day undoubtedly didn’t hurt that effort — and produced high-quality space between the tackles for most of the Broncos’ backs.

* Maybe it’s making a mountain out of a molehill, but Friday’s practice was quiet. Oddly quiet. Not in terms of action but literally. Some of that may be Payton leaving practice early on. Some of it is that Jones and Roach are among the group’s energizer bunnies. Some air seemed to come out of the session after Henningsen’s injury. It’s also the fifth straight day of work. Whatever the reason or reasons, there just wasn’t much juice on Friday.

* Two of the Broncos’ undrafted rookie wide receivers are starting to make plays consistently: Cam Ross and Kolbe Katsis. Each was at it again Friday, with Katsis hauling a deep ball and Ross continuing to pop. It����ap a tough route to the 53-man roster, but they’re good, solid practice squad prospects.

* Broncos inside linebacker Justin Strnad said he put on a few pounds of muscle over the course of the offseason, bumping up from 234 pounds to 238 or so. However, then he got sick last week and lost several pounds just ahead of a six-day work week under the Colorado sun. So, Strnad may not be fully back up to the weight he reported at early last week, but he looks comfortable next to Alex Singleton atop Denver’s inside linebacker depth chart.

* Speaking of that position, rookie Red Murdock is starting to make plays more and more consistently. He forced a fumble in 7-on-7 on Friday, a hallmark of his collegiate career at Buffalo when he set an FBS record with 17 career forced fumbles. Murdock is a bit undersized, but he has a nose for the ball and seems to end up in the right place at the right time. If he strings more weeks together like this one, he’ll push his way toward – or perhaps well into – the two-deep.

* The Broncos on Friday signed wide receiver Kyre Duplessis to their roster, a source confirmed to The Post. Duplessis is a rookie who went undrafted in April and spent time recently on Seattle’s roster. Duplessis played four years at Coastal Carolina before transferring to Delaware for the 2025 season. He caught 60 passes for 824 yards and five touchdowns last fall for the Blue Hens. In a corresponding move, Denver waived cornerback Jaden Robinson with an injury designation, according to the league’s transaction wire. Robinson spent all of 2025 on the Broncos’ practice squad.

* The Broncos announced Friday morning that they are closing their Wednesday, Aug. 12 training camp practice to the public. The session had originally been slated to be open for fans. Instead, there are just two open days next week — Monday and Tuesday — before the team has the closed practice Wednesday and then travels to Atlanta on Thursday for its Friday preseason opener. Denver is now set to hold 13 total open camp practices.

Next: 10 a.m. Saturday, a modified scrimmage-type practice. Parking opens at 8 a.m. and gates at 9 a.m.