Broncos Camp Notebook | Day 5: News & Notes

The Denver Broncos were back at it on Wednesday for Day 5 of training camp. The Broncos have now had three straight days of practice with the pads on and things are beginning to take shape as a result.

Let's get to the news and notes from Day 5 of Broncos camp.

Injuries

Once again, wide receiver A.T. Perry didn't practice (foot/ankle), linebackers Drew Sanders (foot) and Alex Singleton (thumb) didn't practice. Two new names were noticably absent from Day 5, and we didn't get to hear from head coach Sean Payton, so we don't know the story on either.

Wide receiver Devaughn Vele didn't practice, nor did rookie rush linebacker Que Robinson. Vele had a lower-leg injury that kept him out of mandatory minicamp in June, so it could be a "load management" situation, to quote Payton, or he may have reaggravated it. We don't know. Meanwhile, Robinson was seen limping off the field following Day 4.

Physical Practice

This may have been the most physical and chippy practice of Broncos camp thus far. The players went at it hard and there was a lot of jawing in between.

After practice, Broncos wideout Marvin Mims Jr. continued the banter, firing a playful shot at defensive lineman Malcolm Roach.

"It's just Malcolm Roach. I sit next to him in the locker room. The guy doesn't shut up," Mims said on Wednesday. "He's talking crap to receivers. It's like, 'Dude, you're a fat guy. Go worry about that. Leave me alone.' (smiles) No, we're always going back and forth, but with him, it's a whole other deal."

It's to be expected as training camp marches on. Three days into camp, players were already day-dreaming of going against someone else.

The Broncos will get that chance next week when they fly to the Bay Area for a joint-practice session with the San Francisco 49ers ahead of their preseason tilt.

Third Down Focus

The money down was an emphasis on Wednesday, with the Broncos' front seven dominating the third-and-short situations. Guys like Roach, Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, and Zach Allen were stingy, making plays against the first-team offense.

However, as Denver Sports' Andrew Mason wrote, Bo Nix and the offense got some licks in on third-and-long. It's safe to say that the defense still has the upperhand, but it's good to see Nix and the offense getting some licks in.

Reliability of Courtland Sutton

Sutton and Nix have a great chemistry already, and just a couple short days removed from signing a four-year, $92 million extension, the veteran wideout was out there doing his thing in practice. Sutton was one of the reasons the Broncos were able to move the chains on Day 5 in those third-and-longs situations.

Sutton is coming off a 1,000-yard season, and with Nix as his triggerman, that seems to be the floor moving forward.

“Bo is my guy. I think I’ve said that since we picked him up last year," Sutton said on Tuesday. "Being able to have the conversations that I’ve had with him throughout the offseason and so far throughout training camp, the dude’s mindset, he was already light years ahead of where anybody expected a rookie quarterback to be last year. To have the conversations that we’re having together already, and the things that he sees and the things that are already possible through the first nine days of camp we’ve had so far, it’s promising.”

Levelle Bailey Stacking Days

Bailey has had a great training camp, and really shined on Day 4 in the wake of the Singleton injury. That trend continued on Day 5, with Bailey flying around and making a lot of tackles, especially in the third-and-short situations.

Payton talked about the jump Bailey has made in Year 2 thus far, and it's coming at a got-to-have-it time for the Broncos, with injuries to Singleton and Sanders. Bailey is taking advantage of the additional reps, which could make for some interesting decisions later on down the line.

Trent Sherfield a WR Factor