Visiting Broncos Training Camp August 15, 2018

 

Today I visited Denver Broncos training camp for the first time in three years.  This was the last day preseason practices were open to the public, and it was also special because the Chicago Bears were in town for a joint practice.

 

A long line of cars greeted us as we arrived at 9 am, 1/2 hour before the start of the practice.  No worries, though, as the parking was ample with attendants directing us to where to park.  Very well organized compared to my training camp visits in the past.

 

There were a bunch of Bears fans in attendance - a rare chance to see their favorite team practice in a different city.  Somebody tell these guys to get updated jerseys!

 

 Even though gates opened at 8 am and by the time we got to the field it was 9:15 am, we found there was ample space on the hill overlooking the practice fields.  We were able to get a good spot.

The Broncos and Bears ran a number of drills against each other.  My observations match what I've been hearing in past training camp reports:

• New QB Case Keenum is impressive.  He was very accurate with his passes this day, and showed better touch on his deep ball than I expected.  As long as he doesn't get hurt and the offensive line can protect him, we'll be fine at quarterback.
• New 2nd string QB Chad Kelly had his moments but was inconsistent.  I saw him miss a crossing pattern over the middle to an open receiver that would have been an interception in a real game.  But I like his upside, I think bringing in a veteran as backup qb would be a good move, keeping Kelly on the roster to develop as the 3rd stringer.
• Forget Paxton Lynch.  The sooner the team moves on from Paxton the better.
• Wide receiver Courtland Sutton is for real.  He looks better to me than Demaryius Thomas did as a rookie (at 6' 3" both are big receivers with Courtland showing good hands and speed at today's practice)
• Surprisingly, tight end Jeff Heuerman looked good.  Stay healthy Jeff!
• Other than dropping a wide open swing pass from Keenum, Royce Freeman looks like the best Broncos running back.