Broncos Camp: Two Starters & Fan-Favorite WR Return to Practice

The Denver Broncos emerged from their two days off on Tuesday with another training camp practice. For the first time this summer, wide receiver A.T. Perry was out there, although he's only been cleared to work during individual period.

Broncos linebackers Dre Greenlaw and Alex Singleton were also back at practice on Tuesday. Both missed the Broncos' preseason game vs. the San Francisco 49ers with a quad and thumb injury, respectively.

Rush linebacker Nik Bonitto missed practice with a foot issue, but head coach Sean Payton said he'll be back this week. We'll have an individual story on Bonitto shortly.

Perry began training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list due to an ankle injury. He hasn't been officially taken off the PUP list yet, but it's good to see him out there.

Although he's never taken a snap in Orange and Blue, Perry has a surprising number of supporters within Broncos Country. They'll be glad to hear he's back at practice, but one has to wonder whether it's a case of too little, too late, as he faces quite the uphill battle to get a rep in edgewise in a deep wide receiver rotation.

Perry was a 2023 sixth-round pick of the New Orleans Saints. He only lasted one season in New Orleans, but his debut captured Payton's attention, catching 12 passes for 246 yards, four of which were touchdowns.

Indeed, 33% of Perry's receptions as a rookie were touchdowns. He averaged an eye-popping 20.5 yards per catch.

Payton likes "bigger receivers," and Perry fits that bill at 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds. Broncos senior offensive assistant Pete Carmichael, who was New Orleans' offensive coordinator for nearly two decades, had some experience with Perry.

“We had some exposure with him. I obviously wasn’t there, but Pete Carmichael [was]," Payton said back in October of 2024. "We noticed him in his rookie year last year on film.... We weren’t going to claim him, but we sure would like to recruit him to come to the practice squad. He’s long with good hands... Again, [he’s] a young player we want to develop.”

Perry's release from the Saints was "kind of a shock" to him, considering that it came in October of his second year. But 2024 was a tumultuous season for the Saints organization, and Payton was looking to possibly benefit from it, signing Perry to the Broncos' practice squad four days after he was waived.

In Denver, Payton inherited the 6-foot-4 Courtland Sutton and immediately put his frame and length to good use, as the veteran wideout posted a career-high 10 touchdowns in 2023. Sutton followed that up with a 1,000-yard receiving campaign in 2024 and just recently garnered an extension, his third contract with the Broncos.

Payton loves the big-bodied receivers, as evidenced by the drafting of the 6-foot-5 Devaughn Vele, as well as the 6-foot-3 Troy Franklin and the 6-foot-2 Pat Bryant. Perry brings some length and big-play ability to the table, but he's facing a very deep and congested wide receiver depth chart.

A four-year player at Wake Forest, he produced back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons to close out his collegiate career. Perry ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash at the 2023 NFL Combine, which is good for his height.

So why was he a late-round pick? NFL.com's Lance Zierlein categorized Perry as a higher-ceiling, lower-floor prospect with a frustrating penchant for drops ahead of the 2023 NFL draft.

"Long wideout with quick feet and erratic hands who falls neatly into the category of higher-ceiling, lower-floor prospect. Perry has been highly targeted and highly productive over the last two seasons. He’s crafty but physical in the early stages of the route and flashes the ability to become a more dangerous route runner with additional work," Zierlein wrote. "He has the tools to work all three levels of the field, but his drops and ordinary ball skills sap some of the excitement surrounding his massive wingspan. Perry’s inconsistencies can be frustrating, but his talent and traits make him worthy of a Day 2 selection as a potential WR2/3."

Recommended Articles