The Denver Broncos wore ‘shells’ on Tuesday, the third day of practice without full pads, and head coach Vance Joseph liked what he saw. “It feels good right now. Offensively, I think we’re clicking. We got better from the spring, so that’s a good sign. Defensively, it’s easy on defense because you’re attacking the whole time. Rhythm on defense is easier to obtain, but offensively, it’s hard to. I think we’re making progress.”
Of course, the Broncos’ ferocious defense isn’t allowed to touch the quarterback, or hit their offensive teammates just yet, making it difficult to evaluate the offense in a game setting; something Joseph alluded to on Tuesday. “It was. Red zone takes time, especially on defense. Offensively, for the players, red zone is easy. It’s their offense and it’s condensed. Defensively, it’s a different process. You’re seeing more formations and you’re seeing more concepts. Just getting aligned for young defenders is tough in the red zone.”
Rookie wide receiver Courtland Sutton has stolen the show in the early going with his athleticism, and Joseph indicated that the enormous wide receiver could pay immediate dividends. “It could be. He’s a big body with great ball skills. He has strong hands, so even when the ball is contested, he can win. Obviously, you see what he can do. Hopefully he’s over 50 percent, that’s going to be huge for us, especially in the red zone.”
Right behind Sutton among the rookies for ‘wow factor’ has been undrafted running back Phillip Lindsay, who’s stood out among in inexperienced crop of runners. “They’re all showing great balance and that’s important with young backs to take contact and don’t fall to the ground. They’ve all shown that. No. 2 (Phillip Lindsay) has shown explosion, 37 (Royce Freeman) has shown his power and 36 (David Williams) has got great feet… All five guys are being productive.”
Click the video for more from Broncos head coach Vance Joseph, including:
- Injury updates on DE Derek Wolfe and LB Brandon Marshall
- New starters QB Case Keenum and CB Bradley Roby
- QBs Paxton Lynch and Chad Kelly
- The challenges of the new helmet contact rules… and more!
Video courtesy of Denver Broncos/Facebook