The Broncos donned full pads for the first time during the team’s 2015 training camp, though many veterans had a scheduled day off including Peyton Manning and DeMarcus Ware.
Manning’s absence Tuesday gave the Broncos a chance to get a quality look at reserve quarterback Brock Osweiler. Here’s what head coach Gary Kubiak had to say about the shot caller playing with the first team, plus comments on Shane Ray’s performance in camp, how the defense is progressing, and more…
Kubiak: “I thought (Osweiler) did well. We had our longest practice so far and had a lot of competitive situations, especially late in practice. I thought he pushed his group and made some plays there at the end. I saw a lot of that across the board. We were down some players. I think we practiced for an hour and 15 minutes with six D-linemen. You’re finding out a lot about our team and people, and that’s what we’re here for. That’s what camp is for.”
Kubiak: “I think you just want to see (Osweiler) run the team. He did. At the end of practice, he moved the football team. It’s a growing process for him, but I think he’s handling it really well. Being a guy who’s done that job for a living, when the team gets thrown your way, that’s a lot on your plate—you have to be able to handle it. I think he’s showing his teammates day in and day out that he’s preparing to do that.”
Kubiak did say Osweiler needed to improve his footwork and spoke about how he can become better in that area.
Kubiak: “That’s the way I teach. You read with your feet. You make decisions off of what your feet are doing. It’s a little bit different than what he’s been doing. I think when his feet are good, he plays good. He makes good decisions. He throws the ball more accurately. He’s buying into it, and he’s working hard at it. I know he’ll be able to move and make some plays. He made a couple today. (It was a) good step. A lot of reps for him. That is what he needs.”
Kubiak also spoke about Peyton Manning not practicing in camp.
Kubiak: “We were standing beside each other one period just kind of talking through things, but I just think that it’s good. I think that it’s good for him to watch what’s going on and to give his body a break. I just think that it will be good for him in the long haul. I know it’s hard on him and we all know that, but I think that he understands why we’re trying to do it.”
The Broncos are also looking for rookie Shane Ray to make a huge impact on the field. Here’s what Kubiak had to say about the rookie’s first few days at training camp.
Kubiak: “I’ll tell you what, Shane had a good practice. He started slow early in practice. We got him going and he made some plays late in practice. We need him to show up and quick, and today was his day to be a starter. Obviously, we’ve got two great ones right there, but he was brought here to be a big part of that. He took a step in the right direction today.”
Safety David Bruton Jr. spoke about how an improved defense is very different for the defensive backs this year and the performance of Von Miller so far in camp.
Bruton: “It’s very different as far as how we check things, how we rotate and our run fits. You have to know which gaps are being filled. The fact that we have Von and D-Ware (DeMarcus Ware) both on the edges, it makes it a little easier for us”
Bruton: “(Miller) looks different with the bigger rat-tail that he has on the back of his head. He just came to work. He put in that work during the offseason—staying in shape and staying healthy—and he’s an extra year removed from that knee surgery. So, of course, he’s going to be closer to 100 percent, if not at 100 percent now.”
