Football is back! Today the sun rose on the Broncos’ 2017 season with an air of optimism around the UCHealth Training Center. It has been a busy offseason that has seen the Broncos strengthen the offensive line, most recently with the trade for Allen Barbre, with GM John Elway also signing an extension through to 2021.
Trevor Siemian was the first player out onto the field, showing a similar work ethic to last season, and was closely followed by UDFA Kyle Sloter.
Jamaal Charles was wearing a small brace on his knee which didn’t seem to hamper his movement, with Juwan Thompson taking extra reps following Devontae Booker’s wrist injury which was announced last night.
Derek Wolfe turned up to training camp this morning, however was immediately sent home to rest due to a stomach bug. The major concern was Demarcus Walker who walked off with a trainer midway through the session, and it was later reported he just had a heat issue.
As for the quarterback competition? Today was Paxton’s day, as he impressed in the 7 on 7 drills, delivering on red zone plays with some nice touchdowns, showing improved accuracy in comparison to Trevor Siemian. With Chad Kelly nursing an injury Kyle Sloter took reps, throwing a nice touchdown to Anthony Nash and also to De’Angelo Henderson, whilst showing off his big arm – although he did throw the day’s first interception, Marcus Rios picking off a ball bobbled by Isaiah McKenzie.
In the post-practice press conferences Trevor Siemian said “I try to take it day by day and make the big things small. For me it’s pretty easy: I just want to be better than I was yesterday. Hopefully the no.13 that rolls out of the locker room tomorrow is better than the slappy that rolled out here today.”
Paxton Lynch wore a cut-off shirt and when asked as to his reason, he replied “Trees don’t grow in the shade!”.
Both quarterbacks in good spirits today.
Ultimately little can be learned on the first day of camp, but it was good to see the likes of Jamaal Charles report healthy, whilst Paxton Lynch showed greater control than last year. But one day isn’t enough to knock Trevor Siemian out of the no.1 spot just yet. More Broncos fans turned up compared to the first day last year – 3792 packing themselves in.
We’re set up for an intriguing camp once again!