ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — At Denver Broncos rookie minicamp, you’re only going to get the first hints of what is to come. A big catch here, a sharp cut there. The pads aren’t on, and while the players are moving at a brisk tempo, you see pass rushers holding up when they burst from the edge and inside linebackers like Red Murdock filling gaps and then putting the stop sign up on themselves.
But when you see Murdock in the right place, that’s the first good sign. When you see Jonah Coleman make a decisive cut before turning upfield through a hole for a solid gain, that’s another initial indicator of what could be to come.
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That, you expect.
But it’s about more than just rookies. And we’re not just talking about the players who are in on a tryout basis, such as 32-year-old veteran quarterback Nathan Peterman. That’s because first-year players — veterans of previous seasons who have not been on the 53-player roster or on injured reserve, and thus have not exhausted their rookie eligibility — can take part in the rookie minicamp.
That’s why running back Tyler Badie found himself in rookie minicamp year after year until he finally stuck on the roster two years ago. And it’s why tight end Caleb Lohner was around at practice on Saturday, one of three first-year players on the 90-man roster who took part in the on-field work.
“I’ll tell you who stood out: Caleb,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said. “He looks entirely different in this camp. Now he was here in this camp a year ago as a draft pick, but he stood out.”
WHY LOHNER STOOD OUT AT BRONCOS ROOKIE MINICAMP
Now, amid rookies, Lohner is going to have an advantage of a year’s worth of practices with the Broncos. But it was the overall arc of the 2025 seventh-round pick’s progress that impressed the coach — to the point where he believes Lohner is doing “everything” better.
“How he’s moving, what he’s doing, everything looks entirely different. That learning curve and growth curve was greater for someone who had far less experience maybe than others, if that makes sense. It’s entirely noticeable, and he’s in great shape,” Payton said.
“You see his athleticism. … Bill [Parcells] used to say, ‘If they don’t bite when they’re puppies, they’re probably never going to bite.’ There’s a physical aspect to the way he plays.”
That reached the point where he’d even play edge rusher in practice last year.
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“Even on look team last season, he’d play an outside linebacker rushing our tackles. He’s 6-foot-7, 265 pounds and he’s not afraid of the contact,” Payton said. “So it’s been good to see him in Year 2. You knew there was going to be a developmental upside, but that was encouraging.”
Now, it’s worth noting that Lohner may well develop as a blocker before he blossoms as a pass-catcher. If that happens, his development could mimic that of Indianapolis tight end Mo Alie-Cox, a VCU product who came to the NFL with no college-football experience at all, since he matriculated at a school without a football program.
Alie-Cox spent his first season on the practice squad. He made his regular-season debut four weeks into Year Two. Time will tell if Lohner matches that process with the Broncos.
“The one thing I know watching him is he’ll be plenty and very physical,” Payton said. “The blocking part is a little bit easier to develop than the other part, but you guys will see him this June. Yes, he’s been impressive.”
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