Complete Denver Broncos Training Camp Preview

Football is back! The Denver Broncos kick off training camp Friday morning, and they’ll be working diligently over the next month to find the best 53-man roster possible.

During camp, players will have an opportunity to make a name for themselves. The team will use a variety of drills, plays and scrimmages to decide which players are best to make the final roster.

Training camp is the time for older players to prove they deserve to stick around. It’s also a time for rookies to showcase their talent.

Players on the bubble will be given a chance to earn a spot. Others who don’t take advantage of their opportunity may find themselves on the outside looking in.

In this article, let’s preview the Broncos’ 2015 training camp as they prepare for a Super Bowl run.

Offensive Line Battles

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

The Broncos have a ton of questions up front on the offensive line. Four of five spots along the line are going to be up for grabs in training camp.

One of the most important spots to watch in training camp is at left tackle. Rookie Ty Sambrailo was selected in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft with the idea that he could compete as a right tackle. Once Ryan Clady went down with a season-ending knee injury, Sambrailo was moved over to the left side and put in with the first-team offense.

The silver lining to the Clady injury is that it happened early enough in the offseason for Sambrailo to get a ton of reps at left tackle in OTAs and minicamp. Sambrailo is going to get a trial by fire in training camp as he goes up against some of the best pass-rushers in the game every day.

Future Hall of Fame linebacker DeMarcus Ware has been coaching on Sambrailo during offseason workouts, and his tips will continue into training camp. Ware gives him tips, but he is not trying to humiliate the rookie on the practice field.

“At the end of the day, it’s not about embarrassing him, it’s about teaching him a lesson of (saying), ‘Why not do this. If you do this and I see it, the next person is going to do the same thing.' And it’s like that tough love.”

Ware continued, “Sometimes you win, sometimes you don’t and sometimes you don’t win at all. But eventually, if you’re in that dark you’ll find that light and you better crawl out of there. So, I think you just keep that thumb down on him all the time.  And if you’re hard on him, it’ll be easier during the football game.”

Not only left tackle, but left guard, center and right tackle all need to be hashed out during training camp. Fans should be locked into these battles, as the winners will help dictate how far this team can go in 2015.

New Defensive Scheme

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Wade Phillips is taking over for Jack Del Rio as the team’s defensive coordinator this year. Del Rio only blitzed on roughly 20 percent (fourth-lowest rate) of opponents’ dropbacks. That’s a number Phillips should shatter this season.

The Broncos defense should be much more aggressive this year. Phillips does a good job of bringing pressure from different spots with his 3-4 defense. Two players who could thrive in this scheme are Ware and Von Miller.

Ware feels good about this defense and the team’s Super Bowl chances in 2015.

“We know how we play. Even though it’s another scheme, going from 4-3 to 3-4, it’s still the same; still the same responsibility. And now you’ve got, still have [OLB] Von [Miller], he’s not behind the line anymore and he can be more effective when it comes to pass rushing now.” Ware continued, “And we have those guys and we’re blitzing a lot more using our…what we have to the best of our ability. So I think that it’s going to be a good year this year and just looking forward to it.”

The Broncos are going to forge a defensive identity this year, and the changes on the defensive side of the ball should be the most noticeable to Broncos fans.

Rookies

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The Broncos have some important rookies to keep an eye on in training camp. The reasons to watch Sambrailo were accounted for earlier in this article. Perhaps he’s the top rookie to watch for the Broncos, but fans should also be watching out for linebacker Shane Ray.

The team moved up in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft to acquire Ray, and he could certainly add some more punch to this pass rush. The rookie from Missouri is an alpha male who plays like every snap is his last.

Ware has a good feeling about Ray.

“When [OLB] Shane Ray first came in, he’s one of those guys to where he’s a great listener. He learns very fast.” Ware emphasized, “I’m going to groom him up the best way that I can, knowing that, you know, he is the future and why not let a guy that’s been playing a long time like me give him as much knowledge he can get to be the best player he can be.”

Sambrailo could play a full-time role as the starter at left tackle. Ray should play a part-time role behind Ware and Miller on defense.

The Roster Bubble

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

There are going to be some talented players who don’t make the cut. Entering camp, some players are easily placed upon the roster bubble. However, there could be some surprise cuts in August that we’re not expecting.

One surprise cut could be running back Ronnie Hillman. A third-round pick in the 2012 NFL draft, Hillman has struggled to impress during his pro career. He’s had more than one chance to be the starter, and he’s either fumbled his job away or gotten hurt due to a larger workload.

Hillman is an odd fit in the zone-blocking system. A speedy back, Hillman lacks the patience and cutback ability to work well in this scheme. He looked odd running behind this line in minicamp and OTAs.

During training camp, Hillman will have to show that he belongs. He will be pushed by second-year back Kapri Bibbs.

Players Who Need to Step Up

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

The Broncos are going to be leaning on some young talent this season. There are several draft picks from previous seasons that will need to excel in a larger role. Some players, like nose tackle Sylvester Williams, will have to play up to their draft position.

Williams was a first-round pick for the Broncos in the 2013 NFL draft, but he’s yet to play up to his potential. He generated zero sacks last year and was generally unimpressive in a full-time role. This year, Williams will need to step up as the fulcrum of the 3-4 defense.

Ware believes Williams can elevate his game.

“We always harped on Sly (saying), ‘You are a first-round draft pick, you have to perform.’ And stand on him and really just keeping your thumb on him all the time,” Ware said.

Ware explained, “He’s sort of progressed to a point where, now, you look at him in practice and you’re like, ‘You’re out there making plays now. You’re doing what you need to do,’ I say, ‘but you have to do that every single day when you’re out there playing.’ And, I mean, I’m ready. I know he’s going to be that guy for us and I don’t think the defensive line is a question at all.”

The defense cannot be weak in the middle. This team needs Williams to be one of the players who takes his game to the next level in 2015.

Manning Mesh with Kubiak

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How does Peyton Manning fit in head coach Gary Kubiak's offense? That may be the biggest question mark the team has entering training camp.

General manager John Elway believes these two will have no problem working together.

“Having spent the time I've spent around Gary, I know that he's a great offensive mind. For a quarterback and as a coach [he’s] a guy's best friend.” Elway concluded, “I think it's a great situation for Peyton to be in, too, for Peyton to be able to play for a guy like Gary with his knowledge and experience that he has on the offensive side.”

Manning is famous for calling audibles at the line of scrimmage. Kubiak’s offense isn’t really known for that type of last-second change.

According to the new coach, he will still give Manning the ability to change plays at the line of scrimmage when necessary.

“First off, he’s been the best in the business and he has been doing it for many years. This offseason was about us coming together and getting on the same page as far as what we want to do offensively," Kubiak said. "We’re carrying a lot of the things that he has done throughout the course of his career, and that is a big strength that he’s handled.”

Kubiak continued, “We’ll put it all together, and we’ll do what we do best. Obviously, he has done that well for a long time.”

Watching Manning mesh with this Kubiak system will be interesting to watch as camp progresses through August.

All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via the Broncos' media department unless otherwise noted. Advanced stats via ESPN's employees-only database.

Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac. Transaction history provided by Pro Sports Transactions.