A new one as of Wednesday: Just look at the club’s list of captains.

The Broncos voted the same eight players captain as last year and added first-team All-Pro special teamer Devon Key to the ranks for a total of nine.

The full list: Quarterback Bo Nix, cornerback Pat Surtain II, wide receiver Courtland Sutton, left guard Quinn Meinerz, safety Talanoa Hufanga, inside linebacker Alex Singleton, defensive tackle D.J. Jones, kicker Wil Lutz and Key.

The group has been remarkably consistent over the past three years. Nix, Surtain, Meinerz, Sutton, Singleton and Lutz have been named captain at least the past three consecutive years. For Sutton, it’s six straight seasons.

Nix has evolved from a rookie quarterback who quickly gained his teammates’ trust in 2024 to a more vocal presence last year, clearly the foremost leader in the locker room going into his third season. Nix, 26, spent most of the offseason rehabbing a pair of operations to his fractured right ankle, but he’s been a full participant in the preseason and appears poised to hit the ground running this fall.

Sutton, 30, has now been a captain for more than a half-decade as he enters his ninth NFL season. He has posted back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons in the past two years with Nix as his quarterback. Before that, he hadn’t topped 1,000 yards since 2019, his second season in the NFL. Sutton leads a revamped receivers room with Jaylen Waddle and an ascending Pat Bryant, along with Marvin Mims Jr., Troy Franklin, and Lil’Jordan Humphrey.

Surtain, 26, is a captain for a third straight season and is universally regarded as one of the best defensive players in football. Entering his sixth season, the cornerback has already been a first-team All-Pro twice and a second-teamer twice, including last year when he missed 3.5 games due to a partially torn pectoral muscle.

Singleton, 32, is a captain for a third straight season in Denver. He led the team in tackles with 135 last year despite playing through a twice-fractured thumb early in the year and then a testicular cancer diagnosis midway through the season. The Montana State graduate is set to start alongside Justin Strnad in the middle of the Broncos’ defense.

Jones, 32, is somewhat quietly one of the foremost leaders in Denver’s locker room. He is entering his 10th season in the league and his fifth with the Broncos. He’s been a steady presence not only as an elite run defender, but also as a calm leader who is straightforward in his approach on and off the field.

Hufanga, 27, was perhaps a mild surprise as a captain pick last year since he only arrived in the spring of 2025 via free agency from San Francisco. He set about earning trust quickly last year, though, playing in every game and racking up 106 tackles, a pair of sacks, and a career-high 11 passes defensed en route to earning second-team All-Pro honors. A second selection as captain, then, is not at all surprising.

Meinerz, 27, has established himself as perhaps the best guard in football, but getting comfortable as a leader has taken more time. He talked openly about the pressure he felt in 2024 when he was first named a captain shortly after signing a four-year, $72 million contract extension. Since then, though, he has developed his own leadership style and is, in many ways, the face of what is, overall, a highly experienced offensive line group.

Lutz, 32, and Key, 28, give the Broncos a pair of captains from their special teams ranks. Lutz has been the kicker on Payton’s teams for a decade now and he made a host of big kicks last year. Key, meanwhile, emerged as one of the game’s best core special teams players and was named first-team All-Pro in 2025.

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.

Perhaps it����ap in the business offices on the third floor, with copious natural light, soaring, exposed wood beams and ceiling, a large outdoor patio overlooking the practice fields and even a golf simulator.

Or perhaps it����ap down on the players’ first floor, in the cavernous locker room, a weight room that will make leg day seem like a good idea or a state-of-the-art training and rehabilitation area that is filled with cutting-edge technology and design detail down to the exact size of the drawers.

All-Pro right guard Quinn Meinerz parked underground in the players’ lot for the first time and realized his truck wouldn’t be “150 degrees” after a long training camp day baking in the Front Range sun.

Then he walked into the building and, right through the doors, found paths to the locker room, weight room and cafeteria.

“In the previous building, the weight room, you have to walk,” he said. “It sounds so spoiled, but you have to walk a little bit to go to the weight room. Right now, the weight room is connected to the locker room pretty much, so everything is so close.

“Those little minutes of time do add up throughout the day, so it’ll be nice to just have a really good flow of traffic and everything.”

Somewhere along the way, it����ap natural to wonder: Is there such a thing as too nice?

Broncos owner and CEO Greg Penner has thought about that question and has at least one antidote.

“Well, I think you’ve met our head coach,” he said with a smile during a recent news conference in the atrium of the Broncos’ new building, which opened for business in July.

Sean Payton didn’t laugh when relayed the comment, but he made it clear that the new digs had been part of his opening message to the 2026 Broncos when they reported for training camp this summer.

His message: It����ap very possible to have a team that stinks residing in a building that shines.

“There have been a ton of new facilities with teams that have had success and a ton of new facilities with teams that haven’t,” Payton said. “I don’t think there’s any story or correlation. It����ap about the guys in the room, what we do on the field. If we’re not successful, it����ap going to be because we didn’t do a good enough job coaching, we didn’t execute well enough. It����ap not going to be because of the new digs. If we are successful, it����ap going to be because we did the stuff needed. It����ap not going to be because of the new digs.”

Building the best to be the best

That����ap mostly true. A new building can’t give Payton and offensive coordinator Davis Webb better ideas for third-and-short. It won’t make a game-saving tackle or force a fumble at a critical moment.

What the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group is betting on, though, is that over time the building will make a difference in football and business.

The bells and whistles are part of that equation, to be sure. Having the best in training and rehab tools won’t prevent all injuries, but if it prevents one or two per year, that����ap real, on-the-field value. If having nearly all business employees relocated from the stadium to the new HQ leads to better ideas, that����ap good for the bottom line, too.

“It����ap a testament to ownership, to Greg and Carrie, the investment they’ve made into football, football first, but also our business to bring nearly 100 business staff into the building to create culture, to design a building with football in mind,” president Damani Leech said. “The spaces are really well thought of. Very intentional layout. The player path of travel was really, really important.

“I love coming to work every day, and I think everybody else does too.”

But there’s another element, slightly less tangible, that might not be apparent on a quick tour of the building but undoubtedly can be felt by players and employees who show up to work there every day.

You’ve got the best of the best. No stone is left unturned.

Leech put it flat-out in early August: “There’s really nothing that we didn’t get. Nothing.”

The result: There is really no excuse for not performing.

“Any time we’re going to — whether it����ap this facility, a new stadium — we’re trying to raise the expectations,” Penner said. “And our expectation is that we want to win championships.

“We’re going to do everything it takes and provide the resources that are necessary to do it.”

What two mixed-use districts in Atlanta reveal about Broncos’ Burnham Yard plans

Now four years into owning the team, Penner and Carrie Walton-Penner increasingly see their vision coming to fruition. They’ve solidified the top of their football operation with coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton, extending each of their contracts this spring with deals of equal length. They’ve got a quarterback in place in Bo Nix. They’ve been to an AFC Championship Game. They’ve designed and built a new home base for the franchise and are in the process of attempting to do the same with a stadium and mixed-use district at Burnham Yard. They’ve overhauled the club’s foundation and community efforts.

The Penners had high expectations from the start in August 2022, to be sure. They showed they weren’t afraid of change when they fired Nathaniel Hackett after 15 games and took on a record $85 million in dead salary cap a year later by releasing Russell Wilson.

With each passing year and each additional project, though, the room for excuses dwindles further.

That doesn’t mean the Broncos must win Super Bowls every year or else. Penner said recently he’s wary of “binary answers” when it comes to what defines success in a particular season.

Still, at this point, the expectations set from the corner offices in the club’s new building are high. And they’re not coming down any time soon.

“I’m excited,” Penner said. “I feel like each season we come in and we’re more prepared and a better roster and a more complete coaching staff and all the pieces are there since the first season. That����ap how I feel about it now. We can’t wait to get out there. We have all the pieces, and we have the right culture.

“Again, we’re providing the right resources. You always need a little bit of luck. And you just have to go out and perform.”

Week 1 on a Monday won’t be unfamiliar to Broncos fans. But this year’s opener in Kansas City arrives under unusual circumstances. The 17-day gap between Denver’s third preseason game and the Sept. 14 contest in Kansas City is the longest duration between a preseason finale and a season opener in team history.

In response, coach Sean Payton has adjusted his team’s schedule. Under Payton, a Monday game week typically means the Broncos are off Tuesday and Wednesday, then practice on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. But Payton shifted the schedule slightly this week: Denver will practice Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday this week, with an added rest and recovery day for players on Friday. The team will fly to Kansas City on Sunday.

“Our work week is planned out accordingly because it����ap not the first game of the season mechanics that all of us have somewhat grown accustomed to, it����ap the first game being a Monday night game,” Payton said.

Payton, a detail aficionado, said he’s thought about how to craft the team’s schedule to prepare for Week 1. The Broncos are 3-0 on Monday Night Football and 10-2 when they have an extended week (more than six days between games) under Payton.

Most of the team’s starters will have gone more than three weeks without game action. Linebacker Alex Singleton said he’s tried to use the extra days between the end of the offseason and Week 1 to prepare for Kansas City.

Because the Chiefs are a divisional opponent, the game will be more chess than checkers, Singleton said. Coordinators could use the extra time to make slight tweaks to the game plan, while players could identify an opponent’s tendencies on tape, or a formation giveaway could emerge.

“What����ap exciting about this matchup is five years in a row we’re getting the same matchup,” Singleton said. “They know what we’re going to do. We know what they’re going to do. And so it����ap who is going to make those slight adjustments that they spent all offseason preparing for each other.”

Denver has also used the two weeks to prepare for the noise at Arrowhead Stadium. On Monday, Payton mentioned the crowd as one of the challenges of opening the season in Kansas City. Denver does have an experienced roster and ,perhaps most importantly for communication purposes in Week 1, returns all five starters on the offensive line

Meinerz said the Broncos’ non-verbal communication at the line of scrimmage will be key. He also said starting fast could help mitigate Arrowhead’s impact.

The Broncos have spent the past two weeks preparing for an abnormal season opener. Come Monday night, we’ll find out if the extra time was a hindrance or a help.

Golf, whether in the Bay Area while with San Francisco 49ers or in the Denver area, always sounds like a good idea.

Sleep in? Sometimes simple is best.

Kick the feet up and watch a movie, maybe a little bit of film along the way? Indeed, air conditioning feels great after a long stretch of days on the field.

These days, McGlinchey sees none of that.

But, he said, it����ap for good reason. He’s been promoted.

McGlinchey and his wife, Brooke, welcomed their second child the day after the Broncos lost in the AFC Championship Game.

“I would say dad is very much a support player, a role player, the first time around,” McGlinchey said earlier this summer. “All of a sudden, when there’s no free set of hands, dad gets elevated to the starting lineup.

“It����ap fun. My son is almost 2 now. He doesn’t stop moving, he doesn’t stop talking and it����ap a lot of fun. … It����ap a full-time job, man. And I’ve got two of them now. It����ap been a lot of fun and it����ap the biggest blessing in the world.”

That����ap a common theme around the Broncos locker room. The team features a bunch of young dads, including multi-kid veterans like McGlinchey, left tackle Garett Bolles and safety Talanoa Hufanga and also new additions to the ranks this offseason in quarterback Bo Nix and safety Brandon Jones.

Players spend training camp together in a hotel, so family time gets limited. After practice, families and friends of players make their way from the balcony and courtyard viewing area at the new team facility down to the indoor practice field and players make their way up for quick visits. Naturally, then, that����ap how many like to spend their off days, too.

Second-year wide receiver Pat Bryant, who got married this summer during OTAs, said he takes a similar low-key approach on the rare occasion the club gets an off day.

“It����ap a couple things to do around here that are fun, but my main focus is getting rest,” said Bryant, who has had a terrific training camp and appears poised for a Year 2 breakout. “Get as much sleep as possible, hang out with the wife for a couple hours and just kick my feet up and relax.”

All-Pro right guard Quinn Meinerz is a man of many hobbies, but he said recently that he used a weekend day to see released on 70-millimeter film by director Christopher Nolan this summer. You can also find Meinerz on an off day at the bowling alley, checking out avian variety with his birdwatching setup and app or, after dark, peering at the night sky through his telescope.

Players on the team have all kinds of other hobbies and things they like to do with their downtime during the summer or even during the regular season. If there’s a fishing spot to be found, Bolles may be there. Same for kicker Wil Lutz, who is also a high-quality golfer. Players in the offseason find unique, do-it-yourself workout routines, even if they’re also using the Broncos facilities. Veteran inside linebacker Alex Singleton set himself up with a sauna and cold plunge at his house and is a big believer in mobility-based training. Jaleel McLaughlin said he regularly made the trip to Colorado Springs to conquer the Manitou Incline. On the other end of the team’s weight spectrum from the diminutive running back, so, too, did Meinerz make the incline climb.

That’s all well and good, but training camp is a different story. In the heart of it, the Broncos were on the field 10 days in an 11-day stretch. The prep for 10 a.m. practices starts early and the last of the meetings goes well into the evening. It can feel like Groundhog Day.

When asked which day the previous week the team had gone together to see the new “Spider-Man” movie, All-Pro outside linebacker Nik Bonitto said he wasn’t even sure what day it was at that very moment.

There’s just not much downtime. After the Broncos’ preseason-opening win at Atlanta, the team’s charter landed back at Denver International Airport a little after 1 a.m. Saturday morning. Head coach Sean Payton said they had a practice scheduled for that afternoon. Not a taxing one, but back to it nonetheless.

That’s why rest and relaxation often win out when a rare camp-off day pops up on the schedule. You’ve got to be prepared for the grind, especially when your reason for playing starts to expand.

“Just being married give you a little extra job knowing that here soon I’m going to start a nice family,” Bryant, the 24-year-old receiver said with a smile recently. “Overall, it����ap been great knowing I’ve got my wife in the stands, her family, my family. I’m looking forward to spending the rest of my life with my wife.”

Oh, right, there’s one more staple of a camp off-day: The honey-do list.

Bryant’s sure-handed in that regard, too.

“I took the garbage out before we were married,” he said.

He did the night Nix was drafted, saying at No. 10 as part of trying to ensure Nix made it to No. 12.

He did last summer in proclaiming that Nix would be one of the top four or five quarterbacks in the NFL in the next two years.

This summer, Payton took to social media to lambaste an NFL analyst who said Nix looked like the same player he was in college, writing, “PAYTON.” After Denver’s preseason finale, he called that assertion “crazy”,” referenced “basement podcasts with the beer logo,” and said, “Everything is the opposite of what he was saying.”

Asked Wednesday why others had such mixed opinions on his quarterback — — Payton had thoughts.

“It����ap hard for me to answer that, but there’s two things I think can happen,” he said. “You can predetermine based on how you saw him coming out (of the draft) and slow to move off your draft opinion, which is very normal. And then oftentimes you’re not exposed to certain players based on television.”

Veteran tight end Evan Engram said Wednesday that he gives “no energy” to what other people think about Nix and said, “We know what we’ve got.”

Payton thinks so, too, of course.

“It����ap the one cool thing about our sport, though,” Payton said. “You can argue, any position, top 10, all those discussions. Generally, time will give you those answers. We love what we’re seeing (from Nix). They’re measured by wins and measured by certain things and ultimately that����ap how history will be written about any of them, but quarterbacks specifically.”

ESPN’s list did feature five Broncos: DT Zach Allen at No. 79, OLB Nik Bonitto at No. 56, RG Quinn Meinerz at No. 53, LT Garett Bolles at No. 37 and CB Pat Surtain II at No. 7.

Taysom Hill? Not at the moment

Payton earlier this offseason said he planned to check on long-time New Orleans tight end Taysom Hill after he was released by the Saints earlier this offseason.

Payton did talk to Hill at Drew Brees’ Hall of Fame induction ceremony last month, he said Wednesday, but said there hasn’t been any movement toward Hill potentially playing for Denver.

“No updates. Nothing. I would let you know if we had anything,” Payton said. “I talked to him at the Hall of Fame, but it was really just with a group of people.”

Payton, though, said he believes the Broncos’ current group of tight ends can operate at a high level.

“I kind of like where we’re at,” he said. “I thought retaining Lucas (Krull) was important to the practice squad. I like where that room’s at.”

Jarrett Stidham is the Broncos’ No. 2 quarterback

The Broncos have three quarterbacks on their active roster, but Jarrett Stidham is still the backup, Payton said Wednesday.

After Friday’s preseason finale, Payton was noncommittal between Stidham and Sam Ehlinger as the primary backup to Bo Nix.

On Wednesday, Payton said Stidham would be the second into a game, “now.”

J.K. Dobbins is ready to roll

Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins was one of a small group of players who did not see any snaps in the preseason.

Dobbins missed one day of practice with what Payton called a “soft tissue” injury, but otherwise has been healthy through camp.

“He’s moving well and he’s doing really well,” Payton said Wednesday.

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?

True story: Sunshine Sean Payton sanctioned an actual team movie night during the dog days of training camp. The Broncos loaded up the buses last Thursday and took the guys to see

“I was happy but surprised at the same time,” pass-rushing ace Nik Bonitto, an early victim of 2026’s injury bug, said Tuesday after practice. “Sean, he never did (anything) like that (before). So he’s starting to take a liking to us, for sure.”

Our Sean? Liking?

I mean, that’s next? Orange slices? Juice boxes? Participation trophies?

“Well, I was consulted,” Payton offered Tuesday when I brought it up. “The whole team went. Yeah, it was just an evening event that was over and back, and our players all went. Yeah, all good.

What a shock.

“Would you have done a night like that four or five years ago?” I asked. “Would you have been cool with that?”

To this, Payton pondered.

“Yeah, I mentioned it this weekend to a few former players (in Canton for Hall-of-Fame Weekend), and they accused me of getting soft,” Payton cracked.

“It’s not like we changed a practice or anything. We just had a diversion, if you will. So it was good. The experience was good.”

Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit puts the “art” in “state-of-the-art,” kids — 320,000 square feet of first-class football bliss. The couches are so comfy, CEO Greg Penner caught a player sleeping on one of them. There’s a golf simulator on the third floor, for pity’s sake.

Is it OK to wonder about the effect that a palatial new team headquarters will have on the Broncos’ collective hindquarters?

“I was wondering if you kept in mind that maybe this would be a little too comfortable for them,” a scribe had asked Penner Tuesday, “in regards to performance …”

“I think you’ve met our head coach,” the Broncos boss quipped.

What? Him?

“I don’t (worry),” Penner continued. “Everything we can do to support the players in this building, out on the field, they’re going to work their tails off. So I’m not worried about that (they’re) not working hard enough. I don’t think that would be an issue.”

To recap, though: The Broncos are coming off a stretch late last week that started with a group movie night on Thursday; followed by their coach leaving town after stretching on Friday; capped off by an interim coach/substitute teacher (Vance Joseph) running practices Friday and Saturday; and an off-day Sunday.

“Yeah, got done with practice, did some meetings, all got on the buses and went to the Spider-Man movie,” guard Quinn Meinerz recalled.

“So how was it?” I wondered.

“Well, unfortunately, the previous weekend, I saw ‘The Odyssey,'” Meinerz replied. “So, seeing this movie, it was like, you know, a traditional ‘Marvel movie,’ where this happens, and that happens, and then the build-up and then the feel-good at the end.”

“And the teaser after the credits?”

“Oh, yeah. And if you’re looking for that type of a movie, the Marvel feel-good (experience), it’s a rollercoaster (where) you know what’s going to happen. It’s a good movie.”

It was a good weekend, man. Best weekend ever!

Followed by a Monday from Hell, Meinerz told me.

And a Tuesday from Holy Heck.

“No, no. He has definitely not softened,” the Broncos’ Pro Bowl blocker said, assuring me that this whole ‘kinder, gentler Sean Payton’ thing was a myth on par with jackalopes and abominable snowmen.

“We’re practicing what, five out of six days in pads?”

“And two-and-a-half hours,” I said. “Back-to-back.”

“And using all the minutes and doing gassers and blah, blah, blah,” Meinerz countered. “So, no. It’s definitely not softer.”

Is he soft?

“Well, there’s only so much you can do now (with players), right?” Meinerz said. “Because compared to them, (compared to) my own (position) coach, Zach Streif, who played for Sean, you would do two two-and-a-half-hour, full-padded practices in a day. We’re a little bit more protected as players, where the coaches just can’t go rogue and get after us.

“Sean hasn’t gone soft. No, I wouldn’t say that at all.”

Physically Unable to Perform — OL Nick Gargiulo (knee)

Injured reserve — DL Matt Henningsen (Achilles)

Did not practice — WR Jaylen Waddle (muscle strain), WR Marvin Mims Jr. (groin), WR Michael Bandy, C Luke Wattenberg (shoulder), C Alex Forsyth, TE Caleb Lohner (foot/ankle), OLB Dasan McCullough.

Left practice — C Michael Deiter

The Broncos are running low on healthy centers

Eventually, the Broncos expect to have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL with all five starters back for a third year together.

Regardless of how many snaps the other starters play Friday in Atlanta, who is snapping the ball could be a storyline to follow after another depth center went down with an injury Tuesday. Michael Dieter was injured during a running play. The Broncos’ training staff examined his right leg before he needed help onto a cart to exit the practice field.

Dieter is the third center to sustain an injury during camp. The team’s starter, Luke Wattenberg, sustained a shoulder injury early last week. He’s been in pads the past couple of days but has not participated beyond stretching.

“We’ll work through it,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said. “We have guys that are flexible. We’ll be fine.”

Alex Forsyth has missed the past two days, elevating Dieter to the No. 1 spot. The next man up with Denver’s top three options at center unavailable was rookie undrafted free agent Gavin Ortega. Veteran backup lineman Calvin Throckmorton also took some snaps with quarterback Bo Nix.

Another potential option is all-Pro guard Quinn Meinerz, who took some reps at center earlier in his pro career. Meinerz did some snapping between practice periods Tuesday but did not get any actual reps at the position.

“I sharpen that tool every single year just in case,” Meinerz said. “I’ve got to have it in the back pocket. I know that it����ap important to add that value to the offensive line room in an emergency situation. Even last year against the Chargers at the end of the year, I was technically one snap away from having to go play some center.”

Payton seemed to downplay turning to Meinerz, noting his team still has enough options before him. Meinerz said former Broncos offensive line coach Mike Munchak moved him to center at times during his rookie year in 2020 after he spent a couple of days at Senior Bowl practices getting some reps at the position.

While Meinerz never saw himself as a potential center, that experiment has helped his evolution into one of the NFL’s best guards.

“I learn the offense consistently from a center’s perspective,” Meinerz said. “I think you, as a guard, if you can understand our scheme from a center’s perspective, it will allow you to identify the defense quicker. If a new center comes in, like a younger guy or someone that����ap played guard and center, I can help them identify the ‘Mike’ (linebacker) and stuff like that. It����ap a tool I constantly keep sharpened, just in case it����ap needed. I hope I don’t have to use that tool, but if I do, I’m ready.”

Pat Bryant’s impressive camp continues

While new No. 1 wide receiver Jaylen Waddle continues to miss time with a muscle strain, second-year wideout Pat Bryant continued to be one of the stars of this camp Tuesday. He went up high over a defender to haul in a touchdown pass from Nix on a fourth-down play during a best-on-best team period, much to the delight of the fans in attendance — and his teammates.

“Pat Bryant, man, he’s a guy who literally can do everything on the field,” Broncos star linebacker Nik Bonitto said. “I mean, you see it — he’s making amazing play after amazing play every day. He’s out here and just his route running, all the things he does for the offense. He’s going to be a player for sure.”

Undrafted rookie wideout Kolbe Kastis also had an acrobatic touchdown catch on a pass from Sam Ehlinger late in practice during a two-minute drill.

Thumbs up

Under the radar? It’s not often a player with 104 targets to his name in the previous season flies under the radar, but that might be happening a bit with Troy Franklin. The third-year wide receiver hasn’t made the laundry list of highlight-reel grabs that Bryant has, but he’s been steady in camp. It’s not going to be easy for anybody to carve out a big role in the passing game behind Waddle, Sutton and maybe Bryant, but Franklin’s come a long way from his rookie year in 2024 in terms of understanding the offense and the ability to play multiple positions.

Thumbs down

Leave that one in the bag … During one situational period, the No. 1 offense faced a fourth down from the 22-yard line with seconds remaining and down six points. Nix ended up rolling to his right and tried to force a ball to a double-covered R.J. Harvey near the front-right corner of the end zone. It fell incomplete. If the Broncos face a similar scenario in a game, expect them to try something else.

Odds and ends

*  The past couple of practices have focused pretty heavily on specific situations during team scrimmage periods. It’s been a staple for Payton-coached teams. The Broncos went 11-2 in one-score games in 2025, tying an NFL record for most one-score wins and playing a huge role in the team’s ability to both win the AFC West and land the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

“Well, the situational part of the game, there’s like 53 — a lot of them are two-minute related — that come up each week,” Payton said. “It’s knowing how to react, knowing how to react defensively to what they’re thinking, offensively to what we’re thinking. You want to get to a point where you know them cold.”

* Bonitto has improved his sack total each year since entering the league, and has finished in the top-10 of the defensive player of the year each of the past two seasons. He has 27.5 sacks over the past two years. One of the resources at his disposal that has helped fuel his ascension? The guy he faces in practice, left tackle Garett Bolles.

“He’s been in this league for so long, and he’s gone against so many different types of rushers,” Bonitto said. “He’s probably, in my opinion, the best as a pass blocker in the game for sure. I’m always trying to just pick his brain about things, and what can help me in my game, and just how I can take that next step as a rusher to improve myself.”

* The Broncos opened the week with a pair of long practices in pads — “two bangers in a row,” All-Pro guard Quinn Meinerz told The Post — and now will transition to preparing for their preseason opener at Atlanta, which is Friday. Wednesday’s practice, originally slated to be open to the public, is instead closed and will be more of a game-planning session. Or at least as much of one as happens in the preseason. “It’ll be a couple evenings, call it two practices and maybe a walkthrough. Again, the most important thing is just getting the proper evaluation on (your own) guys.”