5 takeaways from Day 5 of Broncos training camp
Emmanuel Sanders, who played for the club from 2014-2019, visited Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit with his son for Day 5 of practice. Sanders, who retired in 2022, played under Sean Payton with the New Orleans Saints in 2020.
A two-time Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl 50 champion, Sanders hauled in 704 receptions for 9,245 yards and 51 touchdowns during his 12-year career in the NFL. He also rushed for 202 yards and a score and went 3-of-3 passing for 78 yards and two touchdowns.
Sanders ranks 10th on Denver's all-time receiving list with 5,361 yards, and his 28 touchdown catches rank 13th in franchise history.
Now, here are five quick takeaways from Wednesday's practice.
Broncos training camp takeaways Day 5
1. Broncos injury report: Wide receiver A.T. Perry (ankle; PUP) and linebackers Drew Sanders (foot) and Alex Singleton (thumb) are still sidelined. Additionally, receiver Devaughn Vele and rookie outside linebacker Que Robinson did not practice. Payton did not speak to the media Wednesday, so there's no update on the status of Vele and Robinson.
2. Blake Watson adds intrigue to running back battle: J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey are the obvious top two options in Denver's backfield. Behind them? Good luck trying to guess Payton's depth chart. Audric Estime was just drafted last year, Jaleel McLaughlin was one of the team's most productive RBs last fall and the team has praised Tyler Badie this offseason. Oh, yeah, there's Watson, too! The second-year undrafted RB took a big hit from undrafted rookie linebacker Jordan Turner on Wednesday, but he also drew strong reviews for his day on the ground overall. How many RBs will Denver carry on the 53-man roster? Is there room for Watson? We'll find out in late August.
3. Two young linebackers stepping up: We noted yesterday that Levelle Bailey has impressed with Sanders (foot) and Singleton (thumb) injured. Bailey continues to look sharp, but he's not alone. Jordan Turner, a UDFA out of Michigan State, has also stood out at linebacker. It sounds like the Broncos will have a very interesting linebacker battle during preseason this summer.
4. Trent Sherfield buzz continues to grow: When Denver signed Sherfield this spring, the expectation was that he was primarily brought in for his special teams contributions. The 29-year-old receiver continues to make plays on offense, though, and the hype is growing. 'He's tough, and he can run," Payton said of Sherfield last weekend. "The other thing he can do is block, and so we've always had a handful of receivers that can run and stretch the field and when you get one that can do that and then block also, you can set up play action, marries well to the run game. He's pretty competitive.' After losing Lil'Jordan Humphrey this offseason, the Broncos might have found their replacement in Sherfield.
5. Bo Nix's mobility remains a strength: Nix rushed for 430 yards and four touchdowns on 92 carries last season, averaging 4.7 yards per tote. "It's a strength," Payton said Tuesday when asked about Nix's mobility. "I mentioned this before, when the combine came, he didn't shuttle. He didn't do a number of these drills that I thought he would be exceptional at. Later, he told me he had a turf toe, and it made sense. But when you watched him, you thought, 'This guy is tough to sack.' He won a lot of downs for us last year with his feet." Nix only took 24 sacks last season -- an impressive total for a rookie -- as he proved to be an elusive NFL quarterback.
The Broncos will be back on the field tomorrow (Thursday) as they continue camp (view the full schedule).
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