ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Mile markers exist to measure progress in training camp. For reporters, the daily report card becomes part of the job. That is not the rubric followed by coach Sean Payton. He sees the journey more than the incremental steps.
However, it is fair to evaluate after the first preseason game, Payton allowed. The Broncos travel to Arizona to face the Cardinals on Friday. Fake games can give real impressions as Payton explained that he planned to play the starters roughly 15-to-18 snaps, a juxtaposition to last summer when the first stringers never saw the field until the calamitous loss in the opener at Seattle.
“It’s probably easier to answer the question of what I don’t want to see. I don’t want to see ten guys on the field. I don’t want to see uniforms off after we are done playing and sunglasses on,” Payton said. “I don’t want to see Gilligan hats on and interviews during games. That’s what I don’t want to see.”
So, it is noteworthy that the offense is beginning to make progress after a clunky first week. Over the past three practices, Russell Wilson led a game-tying, two-minute drive capped by a 53-yard Brett Maher field goal, connected on a 47-yard touchdown to Jerry Jeudy and found Jeudy and Michael Burton for scores during Monday’s red zone drills.
Burton’s fit in this offense was on full display for the fullback. He led the charge on run plays, taking on the linebacker, and sneaked out into the flat on play-action fakes. Burton, 31, enters his ninth season on his sixth team. The fullback has gone the way of the compact disc and Walkman, but in the right offense the position remains invaluable and reliable.
“He gives us positional versatility,” said Payton on how Burton helps play-calling. “You always know where he’s going to be on Wednesday night (with the game plan).”
Burton played for Payton in 2020 in New Orleans and won a Super Bowl ring last season with the Chiefs. Both have helped him in his transition to Denver, where he sees himself as an offensive contributor and special teams impact player (he logged more than 50 snaps there the past two seasons).
“I have been able to see and be part of what it looks like (on a championship team) from the workout standpoint on the field and how to be off the field, that grind that it takes to get to that final game,” Burton said. “My goal is to bring that experience over. (Payton) wants everything to be right, to be detailed. He knows. He’s a Super Bowl winning coach. He knows what it takes and that accountability to do the right things despite if you are tired or worn out. That stuff pays dividends. I wouldn’t expect anything less from him. That’s non-negotiable.”
Multiple moves made this offseason screamed that the Broncos would run the ball this season. It must be part of the team’s “DNA,” as Payton admitted. That’s why they signed right tackle Mike McGlinchey, left guard Ben Powers and Burton in free agency. Burton is part of that fabric. And he embraces it. He has an appetite for destruction that would make Guns N’ Roses blush.
"Absolutely, whether it’s on special teams or fullback, there is a violence factor to it, a physicality factor to it that you have to love. That’s just part of the game,” said Burton, who is a fullback from central casting at 6-foot, 243 pounds. “Despite all the rule changes and all that, that is never going to go away. It’s a violent and physical sport and that’s one thing that you have to understand.”
Footnotes
Free safety Justin Simmons missed his second straight practice with a groin strain. Payton said they would be careful with him moving forward, which makes it less likely he plays on Friday. …
Frank Clark returned to practice after missing two days. The Broncos have concerns at outside linebacker, but Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper have been among the standouts in this camp, creating optimism about the depth behind Randy Gregory and Clark. Gregory has had several disruptive plays recently, showing off his strength, length and burst. …
Russell Wilson has looked much sharper the past three days. He had his best day of camp on Saturday as his timing with receivers has improved in this new offense. …
A depth chart, per league rules, must be released before the first preseason game. The Broncos might wait until Wednesday. “(We) will put it together and hand it to the coordinators and they’ll hand it to me, and we’ll tweak it,” Payton said. “Just understand: We can’t write it in pencil, but it’s in pencil.”
