Denver Broncos Training Camp: Week 1 Stock Report
The Denver Broncos got their first training camp break Wednesday. The team started camp last Friday, and the players have been giving it their all on the practice field.
At Monday’s practice, we saw our first fight of the season as tensions ran high in the first padded practice. Jobs are on the line at UC Health Training Center as the Broncos have a stacked roster with plenty of talent on both sides of the ball.
With the first five days of training camp in the books, let’s take a look at the Broncos' stock report.
Stock Down: Ty Sambrailo
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Things haven’t been going well for left tackle Ty Sambrailo. The Broncos picked him in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft with the idea that he could compete for the starting right tackle position as a rookie. Once All-Pro Ryan Clady went down with a season-ending knee injury in minicamp, the Broncos moved Sambrailo over to the left side so he could get a crash course.
Sambrailo is struggling with secondary moves to the inside. He does a good job of getting off the snap quickly, and Sambrailo has the footwork and quickness to mirror pass-rushers around the edge. However, when defenders move back to the inside he struggles to collect himself and redirect his opponent.
DeMarcus Ware has worked Sambrailo over in almost every practice. When the two are taking a break, Ware is often seen coaching Sambrailo and advising the young tackle on what he did wrong.
Head coach Gary Kubiak is confident in the rookie.
“I think that [intelligence] is his strength," Kubiak said. "He’s very bright. I think football scheme, all of those things—I made a comment, he’ll be a quick study as a pro and he is.”
Kubiak emphasized, “I think it’s going to be about technique. Playing with an anchor, doing those type of things, he’s got to get better at. But he’ll go against two of the best every day in practice, so that gives him a chance to get there real fast.”
It’s too soon to give up on Sambrailo, but the team must have secondary plans in place in case the rookie continues to struggle. Some “Plan B” scenarios may include signing a free agent like Jake Long or moving Chris Clark from right tackle to left tackle. Either way, the Broncos will do their best to find the right guy to protect Peyton Manning’s blind side.
Stock Up: Max Garcia
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The rookie offensive lineman who is impressing is at left guard. Max Garcia was a fourth-round pick of the Broncos in the 2015 NFL draft, and he has made immediate positive impressions on the practice field. Ben Garland was with the first team exclusively during OTAs and minicamp, but he is now being pushed for the starting job by Garcia.
Having started multiple games at every position on the offensive line during his college career at Maryland and Florida, Garcia has plenty of experience. He’s incredibly strong and has phone-booth quickness which allows him to excel on combination blocks. Garcia has plenty of power to his game, and he’s fast enough to react when twists stunts are run his way.
It seems like Kubiak is complimenting Garcia every day after practice.
“[C/G] Max [Garcia] showed up to me today. I'm going to go watch the film and I'm sure there's a lot of this, but Max was a presence on the field today," Kubiak said. "We ran a lot of gap schemes in our teaching today, which is different for us.”
Kubiak emphasized, “He really showed up as a player, but let's remember that Max is a four-year starter at Florida. He played for about four different coordinators and played in a lot of big games. This isn't too big for him and I think that he kind of shows that every day.”
Garcia is smart, and he’s one of the most versatile players on the offensive line. When looking at his college career and his overall skill set, it should really not be that big of a shock that he’s impressing this quickly.
Stock Down: Brock Osweiler
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There may be no player with more to prove in training camp than quarterback Brock Osweiler. Entering the final year of his rookie contract, Osweiler could earn an extension with the team if he performs well in training camp and the preseason. The 2012 second-round pick could be the quarterback of the future when Peyton Manning retires, but he could also be moving on for a shot at a starting job elsewhere in 2016 if he doesn’t get a new deal.
Right now, Osweiler isn’t focused on getting a new contract.
“To be honest with you, I haven’t put too much thought into that," he explained. "I’m just out here, once again, trying to learn the new scheme and be the best player that I can possibly be this year for the Broncos and we’ll see what happens next year when that comes up.”
Osweiler’s play on the practice field has not been excellent. In fact, he has not really “wowed” at all in this camp. Too often, Osweiler will overthrow his targets, hold onto the ball too long or take a sack because he’s not making decisions quickly.
He’s not playing poorly, but Osweiler is not really making the most of the opportunity in front of him. Manning is getting some time off, so Osweiler gets to run the first-team offense from time to time. On Monday (a day off for Manning), Osweiler ran the show but did not show great command of the offense.
Afterward, Osweiler summed up his day.
“I think every single practice, including today, you’re going to have some ups, you’re going to have some downs. It’s all about how you bounce back from the downs. As long as you learn from those mistakes and they don’t happen again, I consider it a good day.” Osweiler continued, “As far as what we did as an offensive group today, I thought we had a good practice. But obviously there’s room for improvement.”
He’s got the rest of camp and the preseason to show the front office that he’s worthy of being the quarterback of the future.
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Stock Up: C.J. Anderson
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So far during camp, running back C.J. Anderson has looked fantastic. Gone is the bad weight Anderson carried early on last year. Anderson is now measuring in around 218 pounds, and it looks like he’s added plenty of muscle to his lower body and shoulders as he prepares for a full-time workload.
Anderson is going to be pushed for the starting job by 2013 second-round pick Montee Ball. He began the season as the starter last year, but Ball was not himself as an appendectomy in August sapped him of his ability. Later on, Ball injured his groin and was shelved for the season. This year in camp, Ball is looking to prove that he can at least push the team into using a form of running back by committee.
The competition doesn’t bother Anderson. “We're just all competing together. I think we're all [looking] over our shoulder. It starts up top with [running backs] Coach [Eric] Studesville. We're just trying to be the best that we can be out there no matter who lines up.”
Anderson proved he could be a quality all-purpose back last year. This season, Anderson will benefit from running in the zone-blocking system. For what the blocking scheme requires from the running back, Anderson has the perfect skill set.
He already feels at ease in the new system.
“I'm super comfortable. [We] just continue to keep repping, keep repping, keep repping and keep repping because of muscle memory. You could probably put a blindfold on to make the right cut,” Anderson said.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Anderson lead the league in rushing this season.
Stock Down: Marvin Austin
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Defensive tackle Marvin Austin has been banged up this offseason. A second-round pick of the New York Giants in 2011, Austin’s pro career was knocked off track by injuries and inconsistencies. That’s why he bounced around to three different teams before the Broncos took a chance on him in free agency last year.
Austin stayed healthy for the most part in 2014, and he provided quality depth and rotational snaps for the Broncos behind Terrance Knighton and Sylvester Williams.
This offseason, Austin is back to being banged up. Back in minicamp, head coach Gary Kubiak revealed that Austin wasn’t at full strength. Kubiak expressed concern for the nose tackle position.
“We had a little concern over the nose position and how we’re going to go about it," Kubiak explained. "I think ‘Sly’ (NT Sylvester Williams) has had a really good offseason. [NT] Marvin [Austin] has been nicked a little bit and has missed some time. So there’s been a little concern on how we’re going to do that.”
The Broncos can’t be weak up the middle of the defense. They must be strong at the nose tackle position, as that’s the fulcrum of the entire unit. Williams is more impressive this camp than some expected, but it would be great to have Austin prepared and healthy enough to play if necessary. We’ll see if the veteran can get healthy, stay healthy and get on the right track as camp rolls on.
Stock Up: Cody Latimer
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There might be no player making a better impression at camp than second-year wide receiver Cody Latimer. The Broncos moved up in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft so they could snare Latimer off the board, but he didn’t get used much as a rookie. By his own admission, Latimer lost some focus as he struggled through his rookie year. This season it looks as though Latimer is ready to take his game to the next level.
So far in camp, superstar wide receiver Demaryius Thomas has been somewhat limited. Thomas missed the offseason program as he waited for his contract situation to be worked out, and the team doesn’t want to rush him back into action too soon. While Thomas is limited, Latimer is getting a larger opportunity to prove himself with the first-team offense.
Kubiak knows that Latimer has a chance to showcase his talent.
“It’s an opportunity. We all know where we want Cody to be a month from now as far as being a part of this team and a big contributor," the head coach said. "He’s on his way.”
With the size to be a threat as a red-zone target, Latimer can make plays above the rim. His wingspan allows him to pluck passes at the highest point, and he does a good job of using his frame to shield defenders away from the ball.
The nature of this offense will not feature three wide receivers that often, and this scheme will limit what we see from Latimer this season. Broncos fans should just know that he has incredible upside, renewed focus and the ability to be a dominant force one day in the NFL.
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.
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