ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos ended their offseason on-field work with just eight days of practices in the books after coach Sean Payton canceled their Thursday session.
NFL teams with returning coaches are allowed 13 — 10 organized team activities and three minicamp days. But Payton has made a habit of not using his team’s allotted days since becoming Broncos head coach. Only in his first offseason on the job did he use the maximum allotted days. In 2024, Payton called off the last day of minicamp, but used all 10 OTA days. Last year, Payton trimmed OTAs back by a week, part of a trend around the NFL.
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This year, he used six of a possible 10 OTA days — and he called off the last minicamp day after Wednesday’s work.
“I think there was a purpose for canceling [Thursday’s practice],” Payton said. “I like where we’re at relative to the installation.”
It also helps that the Broncos have extreme continuity — especially for this era of the NFL. Just one of the team’s projected first-seamers — wide receiver Jaylen Waddle — was not with the team last season. Only two first-teamers for much of the season — defensive end John Franklin-Myers and inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw — did not return, and in the case of Greenlaw, he effectively lost his grip on the starting job to Justin Strnad, who earned a contract extension as a result.
“I think we all have a really good understanding of what we do,” Broncos right tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “Obviously there wasn’t a lot of roster turnover this year moving forward. Having the experience that we have in the building and playing together for as long as we all have is a good thing to keep building on and starting on a higher point than each year before.”
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And then there’s the looming move from the Paul D. Bowlen Memorial Broncos Centre to the new headquarters building on the west side of the practice fields. All of it combined to form a truncated minicamp.
BRONCOS’ FULL TEAM DIDN’T TAKE THE FIELD IN MAY
The two weeks of OTAs this month are considered to be “Phase 3” of organized team activities — the only time that an offense can face a defense at a full-speed tempo, although the sessions must be low-contact and without pads.
In the first two phases, teams are allowed to hold position-group meetings. Phase 2 also permits on-field work, although an offense and defense must be at a walk-through tempo when facing off in a drill.
Payton eschews all of that.
“The one thing I think is really important that we try to do is the first six weeks, just get in here, work out, lift,” Payton said. “I don’t want it to feel like they’re coming to football practice. I want them to feel like they’re coming to get in shape. We’ll continue to do that.”
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The coach has his reasons — dating back to his time with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003-05, when he was quarterbacks coach and assistant head coach under Bill Parcells.
“One day, it was our first week running routes. And then he looked at me when we came in. He said, ‘If someone pulls a hamstring and they’ve only been here a week, you’re going to be someone else’s quarterback coach,'” Payton remembered. “And so I understood what he was getting at. He just wanted them. He didn’t want them to feel like they were always coming to practice.”
Payton pointed out that his Broncos have seen fewer injuries for their starters in the last three seasons than any other team in the league. That rationalizes the choice.
“If you can provide [the players] the right information and it basically supports what your program is, then that’s a good thing,” Payton said.
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So, don’t expect the Broncos to use their full complement of available offseason practice days — or to run OTAs like most other teams. Payton has his way, and from injury rates to the team’s improvement from eight to 10 to 14 wins, the proof is in the results.