The club saw a 47% increase in attendance from 2026, which is in part attributable to an approximately 25% bump in capacity — and also drew a lot of new fans through the gates.

According to data provided by the team, 32% of training camp attendees were first-timers. Certainly winning 14 games and advancing to the AFC Championship Game helps on that front. Having shaded bleachers, which drew rave reviews from fans in the club’s survey work, probably didn’t hurt either.

The bleachers were consistently full from the opening weekend to when the public was allowed in for the final time and the club averaged 1,100 attendees per practice, according to team data.

Bo Nix is wowing the Broncos as NFL regular season approaches: ‘He’s playing out of his mind’

Denver held 12 of its originally planned 14 open practices, closing one before the team’s preseason opener against Atlanta and another when severe weather and wind caused the bleachers to be deemed unsafe for a day before they could be inspected.

“The support from ����apountry throughout training camp was incredible, and we’re grateful to everyone who came out to experience the first year of the new Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit,” team president Damani Leech said. “The improvements across every area of feedback are a credit to so many departments who worked together to provide an elevated experience for our fans.”

When tickets became available to claim in July, every practice filled up in

The Broncos revamped their training camp setup for 2026, moving the bleachers to the north end of the field rather than the south, where they were perched last year. Because of the team’s new training facility, the club had more room for fan areas and activities around the bleachers, too.

Of course, next year will bring a different -- and more permanent — setup again. The old headquarters building east of the practice field will be demolished soon. In its place, the Broncos plan to build a new viewing area.

“We’re going to wait until the end of training camp and then start to demolish the building and then rebuild some sort of similar berm for fans to sit on, players to run up on for exercise purposes,” Leech said earlier this month. “All of that will happen after camp during the course of this season.”

Penner, speaking with reporters during a Broncos training camp practice, said he agreed with an analogy made in a Denver Post story this summer that the myriad processes, tentacles and complexities of trying to build a stadium and surrounding mixed-use district at the now-defunct former rail yard are akin to building a Rube Goldberg machine.

“I think that����ap a good analogy and I think everybody involved in the process has the intent to do the right thing and is trying to do the right thing,” Penner said. “But it����ap a lot of moving pieces and it����ap complex. Our focus is squarely on the 2031 opening and trying to get that done, but it����ap not going to be easy.”

The Broncos have cleared one hurdle this week, closing a deal with SRM Concrete for nearly 10 acres worth of parcels on the northern portion of the proposed district. The club paid $55 million for the parcels, according to real estate records obtained by The Post, meaning it paid more for the wedge of land than it cost to buy the 57-acre rail yard itself ($45.8 million). Penner essentially echoed what team president Damani Leech said earlier this month: If the club has control over a process — such as stadium and district design — it is advancing efficiently. But in areas that require negotiation and collaboration with community groups and government entities, the going is much slower.

Penner, though, said the club expected this when it began zeroing in on Burnham Yard as its preferred site.

“I don’t know that it����ap been more frustrating than I thought,” Penner said Tuesday. “We went into this knowing that, if you’re going to do a project of this scale — and we knew when we started focusing on this site specifically that it was going to be more challenging. But we also really want to stay in Denver if we can and deliver a stadium in this market that is a vital part of the downtown.

“But if you’re doing a project in an area like that, it����ap just harder. So I think we went in with our eyes wide open about the challenges and we’ll keep working through it.”

The club has said in community meetings and planning documents that its target start date for construction is in the spring of 2027. That will require many steps and processes to be completed in the next approximately six to eight months. The team needs a completed community benefits agreement with the Burnham Yard Community Association, an approved small-area plan, a district master plan, environmental remediation at the yard itself, a determination from the Denver Urban Renewal Authority on whether the site qualifies for tax increment financing and more.

“It����ap still a preferred site, but it����ap not finalized we’re going to be in that location,” Penner said. “Obviously that����ap where we really want to be.”

The Broncos have said that construction of a stadium and the first phase of the district are projected to take 3.5 to 4 years. Hence Penner’s continued use of the word “aggressive” when it comes to having shovels in the ground next year to put a stadium on track to comfortably open for the 2031 season.

So far, the Broncos say they don’t have a firm deadline for when they absolutely must have a go/no-go, though to open in 2031 they’d almost have to have a high degree of confidence by early 2027.

“Obviously at some point you hit a deadline, but we haven’t set a specific date that we have to have it all lined up,” Penner said. “At some point there will be a judgment call, I’m sure, where not everything is done. But we’re not at that point yet. You don’t want to start these massive projects without most, if not all, of your ducks lined up because you’re going to end up spending a lot more money.

“So we’re going to do it right, and when we start, we’re going to do it expeditiously.”

Bo Nix is eager for some preseason action, but neither he nor Broncos coach Sean Payton was ready to say if his first live reps since breaking his right ankle late in a January playoff win against the Buffalo Bills will come Friday in the team’s exhibition opener against the Atlanta Falcons.

Payton confirmed that some of the starters will play in Atlanta, but declined to say if his third-year quarterback would be among them.

“Yeah, I’m excited,” Nix said Monday at Broncos training camp. “I think preseason is always a great time to get back out there and get your feet wet a little bit and see defenses be in a live situation before the first game.”

Beyond further testing his surgically repaired ankle, Nix also has a new play-caller this season. First-year offensive coordinator Davis Webb has assumed the responsibilities from Payton, who has called plays during his 18 seasons as an NFL head coach.

The game Friday will not be Webb’s first time calling plays in a Broncos exhibition contest. He was at the controls during a 27-7 win against the Arizona Cardinals last season, but Nix did not play in that game.

“I’m really excited,” Nix said. “(Webb) is going to do a great job. He does a great job of preparing. He’s going to work harder than anybody else in the building at his craft. He’s going to do his job to the best of his ability. I think that����ap comforting when I go there and play and hear that voice inside my helmet.

“I also think it will be fun to grow and to learn as he goes. It����ap definitely not going to be easy for him to do it for the first time, but that����ap why he’s got the 11 on the field and Coach (Payton) to help support him.”

Nix has led the Broncos to a 24-10 record in his two seasons since being the No. 12 pick of the 2024 NFL draft, including a 14-3 mark a year ago. His 54 touchdown passes are third-most in league history after two seasons, but the addition of Jaylen Waddle and continuity everywhere else could have Nix primed for a breakout season in year three.

How his relationship with Webb develops could play a significant role. One question about how the logistics would work was answered pretty emphatically Monday.

Webb said Friday that he’d prefer to be on the sidelines during games instead of up in the coaches’ box. Payton and Nix both confirmed they’re on board with that idea three days later.

“It����ap not like we’re splitting the atom. That����ap probably where he’ll be with (his) communication with the QBs,” Payton said. “It����ap an area where I felt comfortable. I have that same vision.”

Payton said he and Webb haven’t had the meeting that will ultimately decide that, but both are already simpatico about it. Nix is also a big fan of having the guy in his ear down on the sideline instead of up in the booth.

“I’ve always loved from a quarterback to a play-caller when they’re on the sideline with me,” Nix said. “I feel like they get to feel the game a little bit differently. It����ap seeing the game from a different vantage point.

“I like when the play callers are with me and I can come off (the field) and have the eye-to-eye conversation. We can sit down and look at the pictures and go through them together and really get to hear from him and not have to call up to the office or get on a headset. I think the eye-to-eye communication is really important so I’m excited that he’s going to be down there with us.”

Whether the first chance for Nix and Webb to work together against another team comes Friday in Atlanta or at home against Green Bay the following week, they have already begun working on pre-snap communication between them in practice.

There have been “call it” periods during camp, including one Monday, where Webb uses the headset to communicate with Nix just like he would in a game. Those periods have allowed Webb to make calls based on different situations.

“He’s looking at the script to figure out the down and distance and shoot his shot,” Nix said. “We’ve got really good plays, so really it����ap just him giving us options and letting us go out there and play.”

Physically Unable to Perform list — OL Nick Gargiulo. Non-football injury list — ILB Jordan Turner. Did not practice — OLB Drew Sanders, TE Caleb Lohner and WR Joseph Manjack IV.

Lohner drew strong praise from head coach Sean Payton after the team’s rookie minicamp, but the second-year man then missed all of OTAs and mandatory minicamp with an unknown injury. He has not yet been seen on the side field.

Sanders has played in only four games over the past two seasons due to foot and Achilles injuries, but Payton indicated he didn’t have a high level of concern about either Sanders or Lohner. He declined to give a return timeline for either.

news and notes from Friday:

– An Evan Engram-heavy day in front of the fans

– It takes very little time to see Jaylen Waddle’s influence

– All three QBs did good things. Battle brewing for the backup job?

— Parker Gabriel (@ParkerJGabriel)

Jaylen Waddle makes an early impression

This might be picking the low-hanging fruit on the first official day of training camp, but there’s no denying the impact Jaylen Waddle should have on Denver’s offense even from this early date on the calendar.

Broncos cornerbacks generally and Riley Moss specifically are going to be thrilled when camp ends and Waddle lines up against somebody else. Waddle has game-tilting speed and the ability to take the top off a defense, but his impact should go well beyond that. He consistently creates space for himself in the middle of the field and on underneath routes. Just as important, he creates space for other players.

On Friday, he worked in the middle of the field and drew the attention of safeties and linebackers enough to create space for other pass-catchers working in behind or in another part of the field. Waddle is the kind of player who can raise the ceiling of an entire unit.

Top Plays

Each of Denver’s three quarterbacks made big plays with the ball on Friday, but top billing goes to Nix. He threw a perfect, deep rainbow down the left sideline to Marvin Mims, Jr. for a touchdown over Moss.

“He’s got that top-end speed,” Payton said, “but his strength is locating the ball when it����ap down the field 40 yards or 50 yards. He does that really well.”

Jarrett Stidham threw a beauty of a deep ball down the middle of the field to tight end Evan Engram for what might well have been a touchdown. Sam Ehlinger threw a couple of balls into tight windows, too.

It wasn’t all offensive firepower Friday, though. Moss at one point logged back-to-back break-ups in 11-on-11 against Nix.

Thumbs Up

Is that a Joker? It may no longer be the Year of the Joker, but Evan Engram’s second Broncos training camp is off to a strong start. The veteran tight end ultimately put up decent numbers last year, but the overall impact he made felt underwhelming. Engram made a series of big plays and was heavily involved across the board Friday.

One day in July doesn’t mean a massive season is imminent, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. Engram, of course, began his career with the New York Giants and had now-Denver OC Davis Webb as a teammate. He credits Webb as one of the foremost reasons he came to Denver over the Los Angeles Chargers last spring. Whether a Webb-called offense can find better spots and play more to Engram’s strengths is one of the interesting questions of the summer.

“(Webb) is trying to find different ways where you might have a matchup and that����ap a good thing,” Payton said. “Now I think it����ap executing and ball security, catching, landmarks and some of the nuances. He’s one other piece where you’re trying to spread the ball around.”

Thumbs Down

Stickier fingers needed. A couple of big plays that were not to be offensively. Thumbs up, to be sure, if you’re a defender. Two-time UFL offensive player of the year Hakeem Butler had a perfect back-shoulder throw on his hands from Stidham, but he wasn’t able to finish the catch because corner Kris Abrams-Draine ripped his hands through and knocked the ball away. Then Michael Bandy made a catch in the flat but fumbled when linebacker Karene Reid knocked the ball away. Reid, the second-year man competing for a spot in the inside linebacker room, tracked the ball down and may have run it back for a touchdown in a live setting.

Odds and Ends

* One more sign that quarterback Bo Nix is feeling good as training camp gets rolling: He’s not been at all hesitant about getting outside the pocket. He flushed out multiple times Friday and made a couple of plays, though he also forced a throw back across his body for Pat Bryant that was nearly intercepted by Moss. That����ap an area, though, where Nix is dangerous and he’s wasted little time getting back to feeling out extended plays after a pair of offseason ankle operations.

* Left guard Ben Powers took a substantial pay cut recently in exchange for guaranteed money. Powers had a base salary of $12.49 million, but it was not guaranteed, meaning the Broncos could have traded or cut him during camp without paying any of it. Now Powers is set to make $6 million this year, according to NFLPA data and multiple sources. That comes in the form of a $4.65 million base salary, a $500,000 signing bonus and up to $850,000 in per-game roster bonuses. He can earn up to $2 million more in incentives, which sources told The Post are based on the number of games Powers plays.

“He’s doing fantastic and we certainly see him as a starter,” Payton said.

* The first time through 7-on-7, all three quarterbacks were sharp. Only one pass in 12 total reps hit the ground. The one incompletion was perhaps not a surprise. It came when All-Pro Pat Surtain II calmly batted a ball down on a pass from Nix to Mims.

* Payton said Thursday that he’s restructured the order of Denver’s installations some. During the team’s two ramp-up practices Wednesday and Thursday, the Broncos spent a ton of time installing red zone concepts. Friday featured a heavy emphasis on two-minute and third down.

* Payton had typically high praise for left tackle Garett Bolles on Friday but also got a little jab in at the nature of the veteran’s offseason.

“He’s playing well, he’s been consistent,” Payton said. “He got the ‘I’m Available’ award for his offseason with the media. It����ap a little gold microphone. I had it after the (USA Today) interview two or three years ago and I presented it to Garret. I think he did a piece with pretty much everyone.”

* After Friday’s practice, nearly every Broncos player went to the temporary bleachers on the north end of the practice fields and signed autographs. That, a source said, was an instruction from Payton in his end-of-practice address. Nobody skips.

* The head coach noted that Saturday would likely mark the first day that some veteran players would see some reduction in the amount of practice work they get.

Next up: 10 a.m. Open training camp practice. Parking lots open at 8 a.m. and doors open at 9 a.m.

Wait. Or did Lawson win?

We’re confused. Then again, we’ve been confused a lot lately. Full disclosure: It’s been something of a perplexing, slow week up in the Grading The Week offices.

Summer went by in a blink, didn’t it? And, just as we’ve finally wiped the sweat from our eyes, it’s coming to a screeching halt. We’re getting antsy for the start of Broncos training camp, truth to be told. And based on the last six or seven days, the Front Range news cycle seems to be feeling the same. The top stories that didn’t involve LeBron James or Hunter Goodman around here this past week? Cripes, were they weird. We’ve got a Nuggets nugget and a Rockies nugget, but we’ll start with the hoops one. Buckle up

Ty Lawson’s Castle Rock tale — Incomplete

Lawson, the Nuggets point guard from 2009-2015, found himself back in the news this past Thursday. Only not for, um, basketball reasons.

The 38-year-old former North Carolina Tar Heel was reportedly arrested on July 16 for allegedly stealing a bottle of vodka in Castle Rock,

The arrest affidavit, per the report, went on to say that Lawson allegedly took a bottle of Tito’s vodka from a store. The shop owner told police that the man was seen drinking from the bottle in front of the store, then took it with him to a nearby restaurant. Further reports said that during his arrest, Lawson referred to the arresting officer in Not Safe For Work language and kicked at the glass wall of his cell before apologizing for his behavior.

Once the arrest was reported, Lawson fired off a series of rebuttals via his X.com account, and they’re also very NSFW.

Spying on the Rockies? — F

It’s hard admitting to being a Rockies fan. It’s like rooting for You know your guys are going to hit a wall. It’s only a matter of when, and the speed of the impact. You’re here for a good time, not a long one.

But at least you’re not Angels fans. Mercy.

The Halos have replaced their second-team-in-a-big-town cousins, the White Sox, as the most dysfunctional franchise in the American League. How dysfunctional?

Let’s put it this way: They were just caught spying on the Rox. Your Rox. The 100-losses-for-three-straight-seasons Rox.

Per The Athletic, was apparently filming Rockies coaches with his phone in advance of a Rox-Angels series June 1-3.

Filming by scouts is allowed, but gathering material outside of what’s available and shown during MLB broadcasts is a no-no. Prinstein, per the same report, was also allegedly caught filming Padres coaches this past April.

The Rockies went on to win two of three games against the Halos in that series, by the way, and outscored the Angels 21-14.

Again: weird, weird, weird week.

LeBron’s Philly cheese — D

It was always going to be an Eastern Conference team for King James, wasn’t it? On paper, it’s the easiest playoff path to a ring. Plus, it gives LeBron an Eastern seaboard stop (Philadelphia) to go along with the West Coast (Los Angeles), the South (Miami), and the Midwest (Cleveland) in his World Tour of NBA home markets.

Denver was always a long shot for Old Man ‘Bron. Although if you’re a Nuggets fan, there are a couple parts that sting when it comes to the King. One, that he took a league-veteran-minimum deal (approximately $3.9 million) from the 76ers, which is about the same (limited) money the Nuggs had available to offer. Two, that he’s playing with Joel Embiid to close out a legendary career and not Nikola Jokic. We’ll have to see if, unlike Embiid, James will actually suit up at Ball Arena when the Sixers make their annual one-game trek to Chopper Circle.

Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.

The team plays Arizona on Saturday night and then returns to closed practices next week before its preseason finale Aug. 23 at New Orleans.

Sean Payton’s team, though, went out with a bang on Thursday over two-plus hours of joint practice with the Cardinals.

Payton had high praise for Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon, and he said Thursday’s joint practice was among the most productive he’s had in his long career as a head coach.

“I thought both teams were outstanding just relative to the tempo and communication,” Payton said. “… There’s going to be a lot of tape — a lot of good things and a lot of things we’ve got to get cleaned up.

“That����ap how you get better.”

Here are observations from The Post����ap beat reporters on hand for practice, broken up into the Broncos offense, defense and miscellaneous.

Offense

Key standout: For a day, at least, Bo Nix quashed the thinkpieces.

Two days after his worst day of training camp, Nix had his best day of somewhat-organized ball since he torched the Kansas City Chiefs for four touchdowns on Jan. 5. He sprayed lasers over the middle in 7-on-7 to Pat Bryant and Lucas Krull. He ripped a seam ball to Devaughn Vele and a deep out to Trent Sherfield in 11-on-11 periods. He escaped the pocket and found Marvin Mims Jr. and Troy Franklin on the run.

That last point is particularly important. Nix has thrown the majority of his camp interceptions when he’s been off-platform. On Thursday, though, he seemed to drive off his front foot better on throws on the move. His decision-making and accuracy impressed Arizona’s defense.

“I’m extremely proud to see … the rest of the story,” said Cardinals linebacker Mack Wilson Sr., a fellow Alabama native.

• Jerjuan Newton is listed at all of 5-foot-11. The undrafted rookie from Toledo, though, has made some of camp’s most acrobatic catches. He’s certainly earned Sam Ehlinger’s trust with the third-team offense. In a team period, Ehlinger chucked a “he’s down there somewhere” ball down the right sideline for Newton. A Cardinals defensive back was all over him. Didn’t matter. Newton leapt back and plucked it out of the air.

• Speaking of undrafted rookie receivers: If the Broncos elect to cut Joaquin Davis in the hope he sneaks through waivers, they’d better hide his camp tape in a vault. The 6-foot-4 North Carolina Central product showed sticky hands on an end-zone grab from Ehlinger in team reps, and immediately turned and barked at the Arizona defensive back he’d beaten. It’s the second sort of skirmish Davis has been involved in at a joint practice.

• The run game had its moments Thursday. Jaleel McLaughlin made one beautiful cut back on an outside-zone carry, and Blake Watson, Audric Estime and Tyler Badie all had plus reps. Beyond that, though, the offensive line had trouble creating between-the-tackles holes for J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey. There simply wasn’t enough juice inside.

Still, Payton is bullish on his backfield’s overall evolution.

“We brought in leadership, with J.K., and we drafted Harvey early,” Payton said. “And so you’re going to see a difference, and hopefully a markedly different running game. It����ap not always going to be perfect, but that����ap the magic of the good back.”

• Get ready for a whole bunch of reserve offensive-line snaps Saturday, as the starters’ rest will give a long look at some competition for roster spots. Alex Forsyth has had a solid camp at backup center, but he and starting center Luke Wattenberg have both struggled at times to create rushing lanes up the gut. Nick Garguilo is another name on the bubble who’ll get a long look at guard.

• After a silent first week or so of camp, tight end Lucas Krull has stacked standout days. He was one of the Broncos’ most oft-targeted receivers Thursday and made several nice grabs. Krull faced tough odds at a roster spot after the Broncos drafted rookie Caleb Lohner, but he’s making a strong case.

“He’s not a rookie or a young player anymore,” Payton said. “And he’s found some confidence.”

Defense

Key standout: Ja’Quan McMillian continues to have a boom-or-bust training camp. The Broncos nickel made the biggest play of the defense’s day when he intercepted Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray in a 7-on-7 drill. He’s been on a heater in terms of taking the ball away.

McMillian also logged interceptions in both the joint practice and preseason game last week against San Francisco.

The counter, though, is that McMillian has given up his share of big plays, too. In the preseason game, quarterback Mac Jones made a great throw to Jordan Watkins for a 50-yard catch over McMillian. He got beat again in 7-on-7 Thursday, giving up a big play on a fade to Cardinals star Marvin Harrison Jr.

McMillian played with the No. 1 defense Saturday, and that����ap largely been his role throughout camp. The next couple of weeks will determine whether he holds off Jahdae Barron for the job.

• Barron, the first-round pick, had a play-of-the-day candidate, too. In a two-minute drill to end the practice, Murray had a wide-open option in the flat that would have gone for a big play. Barron came on a blitz and leapt high enough in the air to two-hand block the throw. Impressive leaping ability, reaction time and athleticism.

• Broncos cornerback Riley Moss has had a terrific camp, but he had his hands full and then some against Harrison.

These settings, though, are a terrific chance to get players work they might not otherwise get. If the teams played in the regular season, conventional wisdom is that Pat Surtain II would cover Harrison most of the time. In this setting, though, Moss can get the reps going against a top-flight receiver. Denver’s got Cincinnati in Week 4, and Moss will likely get another heavy dose of Tee Higgins, like he did last December. Days like this against Harrison are good prep.

• Former Colorado State tight end Trey McBride had a heck of a day against the Broncos. He ran wide open several times, including a deep throw from Murray on a busted coverage where McBride had time to throw up the touchdown signal while the ball was still in the air.

McBride had a massive year last year, racking up 111 catches for 1,146 yards.

“That����ap a joker,” Payton said. “… When you get one, they’re hard to find.”

• Payton said he hadn’t seen much of the defense’s outing, but coaches told him that they thought the group started slow. Defensive tackle Zach Allen concurred.

“Days like this, there’s always some good and some bad,” Allen said. “We’d like to come out a little faster, but we’ll watch the film.”

• Jonathon Cooper’s high-level training camp continued Thursday. The veteran outside linebacker generated consistent pressure and appeared to play the run well, too. With fellow starting OLB Nik Bonitto (foot) still out, Cooper played mostly opposite Jonah Elliss and Dondrea Tillman.

Sights and sounds

• Broncos owners Carrie Walton Penner and Greg Penner were on hand Thursday, as was Cardinals owner Michael Bidwell. Payton recounted after practice being a ball boy at St. Louis Cardinals training camp back when the club camped at Eastern Illinois.

“I handed out rosters, and Mike Bidwell was, I think I was 18 and he was 17. (ESPN broadcaster) Joe Buck was 15 and running around. We were just football brats.”

• Other notable folks who were on hand for practice: Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, Arizona Diamondbacks manager Tory Lovullo, and former Broncos assistant and San Francisco head coach Mike Nolan.

• Quite a summit formed after practice when Manning was chatting with Nix and Payton and the group eventually was joined by Murray and Harrison. Manning, of course, played with Marvin Harrison Sr. in Indianapolis for years.

• Murray and Allen had a nice moment during a special teams drill, exchanging big hugs and catching up. They played four years together with the Cardinals before Allen signed with Denver as a free agent. Earlier this month, of course, Allen signed a four-year, $102 million contract.

“He’s a dynamic athlete,” Allen said. “It was good to go against him again. … He’s obviously matured and everything like that. He’s a top quarterback in this league, and every year he gets better. Today he had a hell of a day.”

• The only kerfuffle of practice came during a special teams drill. The sidelines emptied, but nobody really seemed to do much shoving or punch-throwing. Broncos Keidron Smith and Levelle Bailey were in the mix, and Nik Bonitto joined the jawing despite not being in pads.

• Payton said the teams have already talked about matching up with the Cardinals again in the preseason next year. He likes playing non-division opponents who are in the West, which means Arizona, San Francisco, the Los Angeles Rams, and Seattle are likely to continue to show up regularly on Denver’s preseason slate.

That has made this Broncos training camp a different kind of challenge for Denver’s head coach. The Broncos went to the Bay Area last week for a joint practice and preseason game with the San Francisco 49ers. They are hosting the Arizona Cardinals for a joint practice and exhibition contest this week.

It’s a curveball for Payton and his staff.

“This is the first time for me and for us (with) back-to-back joint practices,” Payton said. “When you have a joint practice, you lose a day. The day before, you have to be smart. When you get the calendar at the start of preseason and you lay it out, you see where your games are and when you add a joint practice, it����ap a little different the day before and the day (after). So when you have two of them, it can maybe cut into your installation and your normal camp routine.

“This is the first time for us doing two. We’ll see if we ever do it again.”

That didn’t sound like a resounding endorsement. The team’s experiences while in the Bay Area might not have helped, either.

While the Broncos did win the exhibition game, 30-9, against the 49ers, Payton said he had written down 14 things that he was “pissed off about.” He was asked to expand on that comment after practice Tuesday.

“When you take your first road trip and you’re seeing it through my eyes, there’s certain notes you make,” Payton said. “It could be (on the) sidelines. It could be at the hotel. It could be 2 a.m. there’s a music festival outside the hotel. It could be the travel. It could be a number of things that you want to clean up, but I’m not going to go through all 14 of them. There was probably 17 by the time I got home.

“All of them can be cleaned up and easily corrected. They weren’t necessarily game-related. It����ap just that when you do that, and you haven’t done it in a while and you’re doing it with a new group of people, a lot of interns — you can’t assume anything.”

While it might say San Francisco on the schedule, the 49ers play in Santa Clara, which is just a few minutes north of downtown San Jose. The Broncos stayed at a hotel just off Plaza de Cesar Chavez, the centerpiece park downtown, and ended up adjacent to San Jose Jazz Summer Fest.

Payton also mentioned the team’s plane had issues when the Broncos were trying to fly home after the game. That played a role in adjusting the schedule for this week, giving the players an unplanned day off Monday.

Add in the extra joint practice, and this is a very atypical week for a coach who loves routine and repetition and seeks perfection in the smallest of areas. Payton noted that he may not keep the starters in for as long as he normally would in a second preseason game.

While the coaches do not love the disruption, it might be a slightly different view for the players.

“Just looking to get a step better,” said Pat Surtain II, who will line up across from Cardinals wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. during the joint practice. “It’s always good to go up against a new opponent, especially in a practice setting. You can try different stuff, try new things as well. You can see a new look, different personnel. … I’m looking forward to it.”

What Payton is looking forward to is what comes after the second preseason game. The Broncos will finally have a typical week of practice. Six normal days leading into the exhibition finale against the New Orleans Saints. It will be a grind for the players — just the way their coach wants it.

“I think there’s a mental and physical toughness of fighting through the fatigue and soreness,” Payton said. “It����ap also training the body to get in season. That����ap how it feels in season.”

He accelerated with a smoothness that undersold what came next. The wide receiver split Buffalo corner Rasul Douglas to the outside and Taylor Rapp to the inside and glided past both veteran defenders.

Bo Nix dropped a perfect pass over his right shoulder. Touchdown.

Not for the Oregon Ducks, mind you. For the Denver Broncos. In the NFL playoffs. On the road against the No. 2-seeded Buffalo Bills.

The opening-drive lightning bolt gave the underdog Broncos a first-quarter lead and a shot of adrenaline back in January.

When Franklin first hauled in the 43-yard score, he had one simple thought.

“I thought we were about to go stupid and win the game,” Franklin told The Denver Post recently.

What followed proved far more sobering for Franklin and the young Broncos.

A 31-7 playoff drubbing.

A season that, in retrospect, for both receiver and team held promise but also came up short of what they wanted.

A season that featured signs suggesting 2025 could be different.

“I thought I had a pretty good year just for where I came in at and everything like that,” Franklin said. “It wasn’t perfect, but I didn’t think it was bad. I finished the year strong and that����ap really all I care about.”

That and making a major Year 2 leap, of course.

Franklin is making noise like that could be in the cards at Broncos training camp. He’s playing confident and fast. He’s catching the ball down the field and in traffic. He’s attempting to show receivers coach Keary Colbert, head coach Sean Payton and the rest of the staff that he’s got the whole playbook down and can play anywhere they want him to.

In the early stages of that pursuit, Franklin looks like a guy who could be the No. 2 option in the receiving group behind Courtland Sutton. There are other challengers. Marvin Mims Jr. is perhaps the favorite and certainly the most experienced, while Devaughn Vele is polished and rookie Pat Bryant intriguing.

Franklin, though, has the raw ability to scare defenses and, according to those who see him up close every day, a growing database of knowledge, releases and route-craft that should serve him well this fall.

“He’s not thinking as much anymore. He’s like me,” Nix said recently. “When you go through the first year, you just get kind of drowned in installs and new technique, new fundamentals, new coaches telling you different things. It can be really hard. It can be challenging.

“It����ap not as easy as just going out there and getting open most of the time, which is what his natural gift is. Now I feel like he can take what he knows, and he can go out there and naturally get open.”

The head-scratcher during the 2024 season: When Franklin did get open, he and Nix struggled to turn that separation into explosive plays despite their shared history at Oregon.

Nix targeted Franklin 19 times on passes that traveled 20-plus yards in the air during the regular season, according to NextGenStats. Franklin had just three catches for 85 yards on those targets.

Even with the relatively low probability of completing deep balls down the field, that equated to -29.3% against Next Gen Stats’ expected catch rate. Franklin had some of the worst metrics in football when it came to deep balls.

There was a flat-out touchdown drop against Las Vegas early in the season after Franklin roasted corner Jakorian Bennett. A gettable one against Carolina in Week 8. Fourth-down almost-touchdowns that went begging against Baltimore and Indianapolis and a close-but-no-cigar third-and-6 in overtime at Cincinnati in late December.

But then came the touchdown against Buffalo and — after the initial excitement — a broader sense of calm for Franklin.

“In hindsight, it was kind of just like a weight off my shoulders, and it kind of let me know that I’m here and I’m meant to play in the NFL,” he said. “It was pretty cool for me.”

Franklin, though, also knew he needed a big offseason.

“My breaks and my whole game,” were on the to-do list, he said. “… I just want to be a well-rounded player and just make sure I’m good all-around.”

While training locally at Kula Sports Performance this spring, he, by happenstance, got introduced to Drew Lieberman. Lieberman specializes in receiver play and route running. Perhaps his most well-known client is new Broncos tight end Evan Engram.

Engram had just arrived in town, and he and Lieberman were looking for a place to work out in bad weather. They ended up at Kula, and there was Franklin.

“I saw him play some last year and he’s a fast, twitchy, explosive kid who has never really been coached (before the NFL),” Lieberman told The Post. “The problem with sports now and the landscape of high-level football, the coaches move around so much that there’s really no system for player development anymore. It����ap really just guys out there using their natural ability and making plays. … He was just a kid I saw as this raw ball of clay who has all the potential in the world but just didn’t have a full understanding of how to really, properly do things. And that����ap not a knock on his former coaches; it����ap more a knock just on the system.

“There’s no time for player development.”

Franklin only had so many offseason weeks to work with Lieberman, but he got in somewhere around a dozen workouts between Denver and two and a half weeks in Atlanta with other pass-catchers like New York’s Wandale Robinson, Las Vegas’ Jakobi Meyers and Chicago’s Olamide Zaccheaus.

“He took to it really, really quickly and he ran with it,” said Lieberman, who added that Franklin, “needed to learn how to play more powerfully.”

Franklin learned, notably, from several guys who thrive in the slot. As a rookie, the 2024 fourth-round pick ventured inside or in motion at times but took most of his snaps from the perimeter.

“Him and (Meyers) meshed really well,” Lieberman said. “They actually have some similarities. He’s faster than Jakobi, but Jakobi has that twitch. Their workouts were pretty cool because they’re similar size, similar build, and Kobi helped him a lot.”

Franklin has shown just that in training camp’s early days.

He reported about 5-7 pounds heavier, he said, noting that he wanted to get stronger without putting on too much weight too quickly.

“I have a nice weight I like to play at where I feel explosive and where I can do everything,” Franklin explained. “Not too heavy and not too light. And I just have a lot more room to grow anyway. I don’t want to put on everything right now.”

He’s put it to good use, showing signs from OTAs onward that a breakout might be in the offing.

He’s tracked the ball well when it����ap up in the air. He’s caught it consistently in traffic. He’s worked back to it over leaping defenders.

And he’s done what his natural talent makes look easy: Separate and get open.

“His releases from last year to this year have improved a lot and you can see it in 1-on-1s,” said third-year cornerback Riley Moss, who sees Franklin’s abilities as up-close as anybody. “It����ap been good work for us because there’s a lot of guys like that that are twitchy off the line and then can get out and run.”

That in turn leads to confidence, which leads to playing faster, which leads to more confidence.

“I’m getting a little bit more of, ‘Hey, I’m open. Throw me the ball,’” Nix said with a smile. “And that����ap usually a good thing from guys like that who don’t usually do that. I know he’s confident right now, and he’s practiced really well so far.

“I’m just excited to see him back doing what he does.”

All that and more in the latest episode of the 1st & Orange Podcast.

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Friday in Dove Valley marked the first full day of Broncos training camp, and thereby the first day hosting (limited) fans — a sea of blue and Nix jerseys eagerly peering from the south bleachers for their first glimpse of this new-look Denver roster. But they didn’t see anything different from what they would’ve seen during Wednesday and Thursday’s acclimation period. Or June’s minicamp. Or May’s OTAs.

This Denver pass rush has made it near-impossible for any offensive unit — whether led by Nix, Jarrett Stidham or Sam Ehlinger — to consistently move the ball.

Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper have only continued to add power to blinding speed-rushes. Rookie Que Robinson continues to blast into Denver’s backfield on roughly half his reps. Even on the offense’s best play of the day — a Stidham bomb to zippy wideout Troy Franklin — second-year bulldog Dondrea Tillman would’ve sacked Stidham before he ever got the chance to cock back his arm.

A few days into training camp, a front that easily led the NFL in sacks last year somehow looks better in 2025.

“I don’t see a reason for us not to be the most dominant unit in the league,” Cooper told reporters after practice. “There’s nothing holding us back, there’s nothing stopping us.

“So, taking it up another level — I don’t think any of us have reached our potential. And we’re just going to keep working until we’re the best in the league.”

That starts with Cooper, who’s become more of an authority figure — both amid his edge group and the general locker room — after racking up a career-high 10.5 sacks in 2024. He dangled in an extensionless void for half of last year. Then Denver slapped him with a four-year, $60 million deal that now looks like highway robbery compared to the rest of the NFL’s inflated edge market.

A secure Cooper has been a more vocal Cooper this summer. Head coach Sean Payton called him one of the group’s “team leaders.”

“I think it’s extremely important to him,” Payton said. “And I think he’s one of our tough competitors. Like, you know, there’s something to him relative to the importance of playing hard with good technique. He’s very coachable.”

He’s a chatterbox, too. The loudest group on the grass on Friday was that defensive front. It was Cooper, beaming and chirping at the offense. It was defensive tackle Malcolm Roach, who Payton cracked sometimes you “hear him before you see him.” It was even John Franklin-Myers, whom Roach barked was pushing him.

They’ve got plenty of reason to be confident, a swarm of fire ants sending Nix and Stidham running for their lives on most every play-action rollout.

“We know we have a lot of work to be done,” Cooper said. “We know we haven’t really proven what we want to yet.”

Indeed, in an even scarier proposition, few in the room have actually hit their NFL ceilings. The 25-year-old Nik Bonitto, Cooper’s right-hand man off the edge, is playing for an extension himself. Cooper affirmed Bonitto’s “not satisfied” with his production even after a 13.5-sack season in 2024. Second-year edge Jonah Elliss is battling back from an end-of-year broken scapula. Rookie Robinson is a “big talent,” as Cooper put it.

And Tillman, the most underrated name of the group, has been as impressive as anyone in the room in the sheer quality of his camp reps.

“Man, he’s out there hooping every single day,” Cooper said. “If you really just sit back and watch him, he’s really crafty and really working.”

Yes, the pads aren’t on just yet. That comes Monday. And Payton mentioned it was “difficult” to properly evaluate younger members of that edge group without full gear.

But Cooper and the rest of his room are plenty bullish.

“We’re really just getting started,” Cooper said.