ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - The Broncos got a much-needed boost on Day 12 of training camp, with several key players working their way back onto the field as the team continues to sort through injuries.
Jaylen Waddle was the biggest return of the day. He had not practiced since August 5, when he walked off and never came back, but Monday brought a major step forward.
Waddle was back on the field and took part in the team portion of practice. He wore a white sleeve over most of his left leg, though he did not appear to be limited.
Sean Payton said after Waddle’s injury that it was “muscle tightness,” and he made clear Monday that the team is taking a cautious approach.
“I think we’ve got a lot of time still. We got good work this week, this weekend.
There’s been a lot of time on task already… He’s coming along really good. We’ll see how this week unfolds”
Payton also said the Broncos are “being smart” with Waddle’s injury. Even with the missed time, the coach isn’t worried about the connection between Waddle and Bo Nix getting thrown off.
The Broncos also welcomed back Luke Wattenberg, who returned to practice for the first time since getting hurt two weeks ago to the day. Alex Forsyth was back as well and took part in team period. That came with a bit of added urgency, too, after the team lost third-string center Michael Deiter to a season-ending quad injury last week.
Marvin Mims Jr. was not fully back, but he did make progress. It has been more than a week since he pulled up while running a go route, and Monday marked another step in the right direction.
He joined stretch and worked with the receivers during drills before heading to the side field. A source told DNVR that Mims is doing well and is not expected to be out much longer.
Not every injury note was positive. Drew Sanders did not practice Monday, even though he was healthy enough to play in Friday’s preseason game, where he recorded a sack against the Atlanta Falcons.
The first preseason game also gave Payton plenty to like from Jonah Coleman. Coleman averaged a team-best six yards per carry against Atlanta, and after four carries for 24 yards, Payton decided he had seen enough. On Monday, he explained why.
“There was a point, I think he had two or three carries and, ‘Alright I’ve see enough. I’ve seen enough here.
It’s just your instincts relative to your evening and who is playing. I didn’t need to see additional evidence of what I’ve been seeing for three weeks.
We do the three phases, but then we do within each phase who are the potential early outs in each phase and all of that”
Payton followed that up with praise for Coleman’s game, pointing to his feel and movement.
“Good balance. A real good elusive runner for his size.
I would say good short-area quickness and good balance. The other night we had a few good examples of that,” Payton added
He was also asked about a Maurice Jones-Drew comparison for Coleman, but wasn’t ready to go there yet.
“I remember Maurice. There’s a number of backs that have been built like him.
I’m not ready to comp a young player that early, but I like his balance. You don’t feel a young player”
As for the team’s preseason work overall, Payton said the film from Friday’s opener was “good in a lot of areas,” especially in terms of intent and focus. He did note that some operations and techniques still need cleaning up, but his overall reaction was positive.
“It was good”
The Broncos are set to get two “good days” of practice on Tuesday and Wednesday before Thursday turns into a more Packers-focused session ahead of Friday’s preseason game against Green Bay. It’s still too early to say whether Levelle Bailey will be available.
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