What to Watch at Denver Broncos Training Camp This Week

The Denver Broncos wrapped up their fifth day of training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Tuesday, and things are heating up in the Mile High City.

Many of the veterans were back on the field after getting the day off Monday for the longest day of practice to date, much of which focused on the red zone.

Here are some highlights from Day 5 of training camp, courtesy of Broncos TV's Chris Hall:

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May have gone overboard with the epic-ness of today’s highlights. Nah…crank the volume. http://t.co/BWr0qr1wNm pic.twitter.com/s7oAbMl4OQ

— Chris Hall (@BroncosTV) August 4, 2015"

The Broncos finished fourth in the league in red-zone efficiency last season (63.49 percent), per TeamRankings.com, and the crowd that jammed into training camp got a little taste of what it could see this season. Though the team has Wednesday off this week, here are three things to keep an eye on when practice resumes Thursday—and for the rest of training camp.

1. The running game

It's no secret that Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak likes to run the football and that Denver's running attack will be a vital part of this year's offense.

After some injuries and uncertainty plagued Denver's running backs last season, C.J. Anderson emerged as the team's top back and led the entire league in rushing for the final six weeks of the season.

Montee Ball, who was the starter last season before suffering a groin injury, will be hot on Anderson's tail for the starting job once again. Juwan Thompson won't take it easy on his fellow rushers, either. The backs will push one another to be better during camp, which will benefit the running game this season.

Look to see how Denver's backs adjust to new formations, some of which will have rushers trailing a fullback.

2. The "other" wide receivers

The Broncos already know what they have in their top wide receiver Demaryius Thomas. Now it's time to see what the other members of the wide receiving corps are capable of.

Emmanuel Sanders had a solid debut in a Broncos uniform last season and reeled in 101 catches and nine touchdowns. With Thomas getting some rest early in camp, Sanders has looked solid while filling in the No. 1 spot.

But second-year pass-catcher Cody Latimer, who seems to be reeling in everything within his grasp, has been turning the most heads thus far.

Andrew Mason of DenverBroncos.com summed up the team's offensive plan in his training-camp coverage from Tuesday:

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The Broncos will use more two-tight end and two-back sets as a part of their offense; they have made that clear all year. But there will be opportunities for three-wide work, and the better Latimer does, the more that package will become viable -- especially given Latimer's abilities as a blocker, which distinguished him at Indiana before the Broncos drafted him. 

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With Julius Thomas gone at tight end, Owen Daniels and Virgil Green will also have bigger roles this season.

3. The defense

The Broncos defense struggled at times last season but will look to make a resurgence under new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.

Denver tied for 16th in the league in points allowed per game (22.1) but will look to change that with a switch to the 3-4 defense from last year's 4-3 scheme.

It will be up to Von Miller to continue leading the defense, and guys like DeMarcus Ware, Chris Harris Jr. and Aqib Talib will have to make a bigger impact this season.

Thankfully, Miller has gotten off to a strong start:

There are still plenty of practices remaining for the Broncos to find their footing as they prepare for the 2015 season. Still, the excitement is slowly beginning to build and will continue as September gets closer.

For fans interested in attending training camp, here are some tips, courtesy of Broncos TV: