The Broncos rolled through their second and final week of voluntary organized activities in recent days, with Thursday’s open-to-media practice set to cap the week. Mandatory minicamp next week will conclude their team-organized on-field work for the offseason.
1. WILL SAM EHLINGER GET A CHANCE TO PUSH JARRETT STIDHAM FOR THE NO. 2 ROLE JUST YET?
Last week, quarterback Sam Ehlinger was crisp, efficient and in command of the offense in a way that wasn’t possible at this point last year, at Sean Payton noted.
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“There were a handful of plays maybe a year ago at this time from a terminology standpoint or just the rhythm,” Payton said. “I definitely feel like you can see that, and that’s encouraging.”
With Bo Nix expected to remain sidelined until a potential return next week, the question is this: Can Ehlinger stack days? And if he does, will he get the chance to actually push Stidham for the understudy role behind Nix?
2. WHICH BRONCOS ROOKIES WILL JUMP OUT?
Jonah Coleman grabbed some eyes last week with his decisive cuts and burst between the tackles, showing that he could be an ideal long-term complement to RJ Harvey — ideally the Mr. Inside to Harvey’s outside acceleration and pass-catching ability.
Red Murdock also seized attention with his aggressiveness — at one point going a step too far, knocking down wide receiver Michael Bandy while also forcing Coleman off-balance. At this time of year, you want to keep that sort of thing in check,
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“Obviously getting after the ball, and that’s what’s exciting,” linebacker Alex Singleton said.
3. HOW WILL THE OFFENSE CONTINUE TO OPEN UP WITH JAYLEN WADDLE?
On June 3 — the Broncos’ second OTA — wide receiver Jaylen Waddle had what Payton termed an “impressive” practice, as he shared with Trey Wingo on the latter’s podcast.
“He’s had a good week. He’s someone who picks things up real quick. He had a real good day [June 3],” Payton said after last Thursday’s session. You can just feel his instincts, his quickness and his ability to really to not only run fast but stop fast. So he’s doing well.”
Waddle won’t be able to refine his timing with Nix just yet, and that might end up putting the blossoming of his pairing with the third-year quarterback a bit behind schedule. These practices aren’t everything, but they are SOMETHING, and every repetition helps build the chemistry they’ll need to flourish.
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But one thing that was apparent last week was how Waddle can open things up for other pass-catching targets. Evan Engram fared particularly well at finding gaps in coverage; he could be poised for larger things this year after a frustrating 2025 that saw him plagued by drops.
Payton regards Engram as a “key piece,” and last week, he looked the part.