The Broncos aren’t treating Friday night like a throwaway preseason opener, and Sean Payton made that clear on Monday.
Denver’s head coach said his starters will see the field against the Falcons, though he’s not locking himself into a strict script yet. Payton wants reps, but he’s going to monitor how each player responds and adjust from there.
“They’ll play, but we haven’t gone through the role yet. I’ll let you guys know...
I think it’s hard to replicate it... Every year everyone talks about it, and you have to build a callus.
And so, I just believe in that. And now there’s some, maybe based on injury or where they’re at, we might hold back.
But generally, we’re going to want to play them some in the first game, a little bit more in the second, and then we’ll see where we’re at in the third.”
That leaves the biggest question hanging over Denver’s opener: how much, if at all, will Bo Nix play? The Broncos quarterback is coming off the ankle injury that knocked him out of the playoffs and, according to the source report, likely cost Denver a shot at the Super Bowl. Nix says nothing is slowing him down now, and if that holds, he could get a few series Friday against Atlanta’s defensive starters minus Jalon Walker.
Denver’s roster outlook on that side of the ball is pretty steady. The Falcons’ biggest test defensively may come at cornerback, where they’ll be trying to handle Denver’s top offseason addition, former Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. Outside of that, the Broncos are bringing back 22 projected starters from last season.
The quarterback situation on the other side is much murkier. Michael Penix still hasn’t been cleared for 11-on-11 work, which means he won’t be lining up against a live defense in another uniform.
That puts new head coach Kevin Stefanski in a spot where he has to sort through Tua Tagovailoa, veteran backup Cooper Rush and undrafted rookie Jack Strand. Stefanski said he’ll announce on Wednesday whether Tagovailoa will play.
In Other News...
Jake Matthews Just Gave Falcons Fans Another Reason To Respect Him
Jake Matthews has long been one of the steadier fixtures in Atlanta, the kind of left tackle the Falcons have been able to pencil in season after season without much worry. Since being drafted sixth overall in 2014, he has been a consistent starter, built the franchise record for consecutive games played, and carried the longest active streak of starts in the NFL at 195. He has also done his part off the field for the roster, restructuring his contract to help the Falcons create more room under the salary cap.
During training camp, though, Matthews revealed another layer to that durability: he spent the stretch run of last season dealing with a high-ankle sprain and still kept going. For a team that has leaned on him for years, it only deepened the respect around him, even as it raised the obvious question of how much longer Atlanta can expect that kind of ironman availability. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Rookies Are Suddenly Fighting For More Than Preseason Snaps
With preseason games on the horizon, the Falcons are getting a first real look at a rookie class that could matter right away once the games count. Branch, the third-round wide receiver who has turned heads, is among the young players expected to push for early-season work, while a second-round defensive back and an undrafted quarterback from Minnesota State-Moorhead are also in the mix as Atlanta sorts out who can help beyond camp.
For the coaching staff, these exhibitions are about more than just shaking off rust. They are a chance to test rookies against live competition, sort out roster battles and start piecing together who might earn real snaps, or even bigger roles, when the season opens. The Falcons have several young players competing for those opportunities, and the next few weeks should go a long way toward showing which ones are ready to turn a strong summer into something more permanent. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Penix Jr. Gets One Crucial Shot In Falcons QB Battle
The Falcons are giving Michael Penix Jr. a meaningful runway next week when they head into joint practices with the Indianapolis Colts, and head coach Kevin Stefanski said the rookie will be involved in 7-on-7 work. For a quarterback competition that has been watched closely all summer, those reps matter because they offer a cleaner look at Penix in a competitive setting, where timing, decision-making and command can be judged without the full chaos of a preseason game.
Penix has not taken the field in the preseason opener, while the other quarterback drew the start and the early work with the starters. That leaves the joint practices as one of the first real chances for Penix to show how far he has come and make his case in a battle that still feels very much in motion. [Read more 🡒]