It’s only practice, but for some Denver Broncos, there’s plenty on the line at organized team activities. And for these five players, there may a little something extra at stake as the team continues its offseason work, with its second week of full-team OTAs set to take place Thursday morning at what is now known by the tongue-twisting, syllable-gobbling moniker of Broncos Park powered by CommonSpirit.
A few players who need to flash:
RB TYLER BADIE
It’s easy to get lost in the shuffle at running back, considering that the Broncos brought back their complete complement of runners from last season — then used a draft pick on Audric Estimé and a high-priority rookie free-agent spot on Blake Watson. But Badie looks spry and quick every time he’s out there. And of course, he was highly efficient in his only regular-season work to date, scoring on one of his two career touches — both of which came in the 2022 regular-season finale against the Chargers. Still, it’s a crowded, talented room, and this is his third year out of college. The clock is ticking.
EDGE RUSHER THOMAS INCOOM
You can’t show everything when you’re an edge rusher in OTAs, given the limits on contact. But Nik Bonitto’s strong work last week demonstrates that speed moves off the edge can be effective. Like some other players, Incoom is in a crunch that includes the arrival of a draft pick — in this case, third-round selection Jonah Elliss. The torn Achilles tendon suffered by Drew Sanders should give more repetitions to plenty of players in the edge-rushing room, and Incoom, a player the Broncos prioritized enough to keep on the 53-man roster last year as an undrafted rookie, has some skills that need to flash.
CB RILEY MOSS
The 2023 third-round pick — for whom the Broncos sacrificed a 2024 third-rounder in order to select — isn’t in jeopardy of not being on the roster, in all likelihood. But the work he receives now represents a massive opportunity. The Broncos signed Levi Wallace in free agency, giving them a veteran option in the same vein of what they had with Fabian Moreau last season.
Moss looked solid during the one day of work open to media onlookers last week. Continued progress could allow him to make the sort of leap worthy of being considered a “starter in this league,” as general manager George Paton declared Moss to be when he discussed the 2023 rookie class at the end-of-season press conference four-and-a-half months ago.
WR JALEN VIRGIL
Coming off of a season-ending torn meniscus suffered in the Broncos’ second preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers last August, Virgil still appears to have the straight-line speed that caught the Broncos’ eye two years ago. But he’s in a crunch at receiver that includes a pair of drafted rookies — Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele — and returning players such as Brandon Johnson, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, David Sills, Phillip Dorsett and Tim Patrick, coming back after two years away due to an ACL and a subsequent ruptured Achilles tendon. Virgil needs to jump out or he could be on the outside looking in by late August.
QB ZACH WILSON
Last week saw some fits and starts for Wilson, who got a day of first-team work but had some difficulty when he took third-team snaps in the session that was open to the media. For Wilson — just as with Bo Nix — it’s going to be all about the progress he shows over the long haul, from week to week into training camp. But Nix has plenty of slack as the first-round pick. Wilson is in his contract year, and the time to turn heads starts now.
