Denver Broncos: What We've Learned Through Week 2 of Preseason
Training camp has wrapped up at UC Health Training Center. The Denver Broncos started the process on July 31, and the last practice for training camp was on Thursday. We learned many things during this time, and there are still a few issues this team has to work out before the start of the regular season.
The Broncos play their second preseason game Saturday night when they travel to play the Houston Texans. They won in the first week of the preseason with Brock Osweiler starting at quarterback against the Seattle Seahawks. This week, we’ll see Peyton Manning under center for the first time this preseason against a tough Texans defense.
Head coach Gary Kubiak knows what he wants to see from Manning in his 2015 debut.
"Just run the group and get some snaps under his belt," Kubiak said. "I mean, he's been working hard and has a young group to work with. There's a process here and he'll play a lot more next week, but really just get out there and get back to work. It's his first time on the field in live action and just for the group to operate well."
This team is still in a Super Bowl window and seems to be flying under the radar on the national level. As the season draws closer, more pieces of the puzzle will fall into place for the Broncos.
Here’s what we’ve learned through two weeks of the preseason.
Peyton Manning Has a Stronger Arm
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It’s easy to see at training camp that Peyton Manning looks fantastic throwing the ball. He’s smart and accurate and can anticipate where to throw the ball before the receiver breaks open. Manning has done that for years in Denver, but now he seems to be throwing with more velocity—in addition to laser-like accuracy.
Manning hasn’t been wearing a glove on his passing hand. After the final day of training camp, he talked about why he’s worn a glove in the past with the Broncos.
"I’ve mentioned it before, due to my injury, my hand has some issues. I’ve been forced to wear a glove and certainly in certain elements, have to wear a glove. I practiced with it in the spring. I haven’t worn it as much during training camp."
When pressed about his grip possibly being stronger, Manning simply stated: "I don’t know. I haven’t really measured it by any means."
Superstar receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders have both commented that Manning’s passes are coming in "hotter" this offseason. Manning certainly has stood out when throwing deep. He’s been able to hit passes 50 or more yards accurately, and the ball gets there without trailing off at the end.
Days off seem to help Manning too. Kubiak is managing the veteran's snaps closely, and this should help the quarterback stay strong at the end of the season. It should also benefit Manning if the team makes a deep run in the postseason.
Ronnie Hillman Pushing Montee Ball
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Over the course of training camp, Ronnie Hillman has showcased his speed as a runner. He’s never going to be a pile-pusher inside, but Hillman is being more decisive than he was earlier this offseason.
His speed makes him a dangerous threat to the outside. Toss plays and sweeps can work well with a speedster like Hillman in the backfield. In addition to impressing in training camp, he turned heads with a 66-yard performance (on only eight carries) in Week 1 of the preseason.
Offensive coordinator Rick Dennison likes what he saw from Hillman in the preseason opener against the Seahawks.
"I think Ronnie had a well-rounded game. It wasn't just flashy catches and running ball. He did a good job on all aspects. I think that's the part that we got to have everybody make sure they understand."
Hillman’s main competition for the backup job is Montee Ball. The third-year pro has been having a strong camp as well, but he hasn’t stood out like Hillman has in the preseason.
C.J. Anderson is the clear-cut starter, but his backup is unknown at this time. Ball looks better than he did last year, but Hillman is surging at the right time. If he continues to play well in the preseason, he could win the change-of-pace job for the Broncos in 2015.
Demaryius Thomas Progressing
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After missing the offseason program, Demaryius Thomas is progressing well at training camp. He wasn’t at UC Health Training Center during minicamp and OTAs as he waited for a new long-term contract. The two sides worked something out in the 11th hour of the July 15 deadline, and Thomas has been eased into action ever since training camp started.
First, he had to improve his conditioning. He was working out during his time away, but the team wanted him to build proper stamina before putting him through the rigors of training camp.
Once his conditioning improved, Thomas was eased into practice. Peyton Manning certainly likes what he’s seen from Thomas since the wide receiver has taken on his normal (full) workload.
"I thought he’s had a really good week. He and I talked. There’s being in shape and there’s being in football shape. I know he continued to work out during his time away, but unless you’re out here practicing and doing drills and going through the course of a practice—between running routes and doing seven-on-seven and doing team drills—it’s hard to be in football shape."
Manning continued, "It’s taken him some time, but he’s really kind of turned it on this past week. He’s caught a lot of balls and [he is] finishing after the catch. To me, he looks like D.T. [I am] looking forward to getting out there with him on Saturday night."
The Kubiak offense is going to be more balanced than what Broncos fans are used to seeing with Manning at the helm. The numbers of the passing game will naturally go down as the rushing attack becomes more of the focal point. However, the numbers for Thomas should be near (or equal) to what he’s done over the last three seasons.
Last year, Thomas had more than 100 catches for the first time in his pro career. During his career under Kubiak with the Houston Texans, veteran wide receiver Andre Johnson went over 100 catches five different times.
We should see Thomas have that kind of production in 2015. Now that he’s back to looking like his normal self, the sky is once again the limit for this superstar receiver.
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Special Teams Need Work
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The Broncos special teams did not look good in the first preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks. In addition to a couple of fumbles by returners Solomon Patton and Jordan Norwood, the team also allowed a 103-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Seahawks rookie wide receiver Tyler Lockett.
The lightning-quick rookie finished the game with four kick returns for 186 yards and one touchdown. The Broncos simply couldn’t keep up with that kind of speed, and their performance on kick coverage was embarrassing.
Veteran safety (and special teams ace) David Bruton had a lot to say about the errors committed against the Seahawks.
"It's a learning experience for us as a unit," he said. "We just have a lot of corrections that we have to make and eliminate the thinking. Just like on offense and defense, if you're thinking a lot, you're going to play slow, and I feel like we have a lot of young guys thinking a lot, so we didn't play as fast as we could.
"We definitely put an emphasis on that. Just playing free ball and just running through stuff and trying to make a play."
The Broncos have certainly made special teams a large part of practice over the last week. We’ll see if the extra work pays off with better performances as we continue through the preseason.
Von Miller Ready to Explode
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The Denver defense looks like a devastating unit on the practice field—and the first-team defense did a number on the Seattle Seahawks in the preseason opener.
Nobody stood out on the first-team defense more than Von Miller.
On the second play of the game, he used a power/speed rush to get to quarterback Russell Wilson. Miller arrived in the blink of an eye and strip-sacked the passer. He finished his brief time in the game with two tackles, one sack and one forced fumble.
In the Wade Phillips’ 3-4 defense, Miller could have a fantastic season. In fact, he could challenge the NFL record book for the most sacks in a season. It’s not outlandish to think that he could snare 20 sacks in 2015.
DeMarcus Ware—a likely Hall of Fame player—considers his teammate to be a once-in-a-lifetime talent.
"There are certain guys, when they're out there playing, you can't teach what they do because your body is not going to do what theirs do. Like bending around the corner, two inches off the ground with 350 pounds on your back and still can make the sack.
"Everybody can't do that and Von can do that—he's that special type of guy."
Ware continued, "[He] can run with the speed of [WR] Demaryius Thomas and have the power of DeMarcus Ware slash robot. I just think that Von is that special guy, and he's a once in a lifetime guy that you have to learn something from him."
Miller is elite—and this year he could go down as the best pass-rusher in a single season.
All quotes and injury/practice observations were obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information was provided via the Broncos' media department unless otherwise noted. Advanced stats were via ESPN's employees-only database.
Contract and salary-cap information was provided by Spotrac. Transaction history was provided by Pro Sports Transactions.
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