The Denver Broncos wrapped up their second full week of 2026 training camp, culminating in Day 8's practice led by defensive coordinator Vance Joseph while Sean Payton attended the Pro Football Hall of Fame festivities in Canton.

Vance Joseph's unit won the day, controlling the line of scrimmage and applying consistent pressure during team periods. Rookie WR Pat Bryant made a spectacular tight-red-zone touchdown catch, tapping his toes in double coverage against Ja'Quan McMillian and Jahdae Barron. Rookie RB Jonah Coleman stood out with strong interior runs and a goal-line touchdown against the first-team defense. Bo Nix executed an 80-second, 60-yard two-minute drill, connecting with Courtland Sutton, Lil'Jordan Humphrey, and Pat Bryant before ending with a touchdown pass to Evan Engram. Seventh-round pick Red Murdock forced a fumble in 7-on-7 drills, while Taurean York recorded multiple stop-and-tackle reps. CB Jahdae Barron and CB Riley Moss combined for multiple pass breakups against Marvin Mims Jr. and Lil'Jordan Humphrey. WR Jaylen Waddle worked on the side field dealing with muscle tightness. Zach Allen, Malcolm Roach, and Eyioma Uwazurike consistently collapsed the pocket during padded team periods. CB Kris Abrams-Draine recorded a clean interception during 7-on-7 work. Zach Allen led a dominant pass rush on Day 4, forcing quick rollouts and throwaways from Nix. Jaylen Waddle showed off explosive route-running in one-on-ones before briefly pulling up with minor tightness.

The Denver Broncos wrapped up their third week of camp, with a pre-season game with the Atlanta Falcons and a commanding 27-7 victory over the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. With starting quarterback Bo Nix resting, backup Jarrett Stidham efficiently led the first-team offense to a 24-0 halftime lead. Stidham finished 9-of-15 for 131 yards and a touchdown pass to running back Jaleel McLaughlin. Wide receiver Courtland Sutton sparked the opening drive with a 40-yard reception, while rookie running back Jonah Coleman displayed solid vision on the ground. The play of the night came mid-second quarter when Broncos cornerback Jahdae Barron intercepted Cooper Rush in the red zone and returned it 97 yards for a touchdown. Cornerback Riley Moss added another interception off Tua Tagovail Atlanta struggled to sustain drives early on, but backups gained valuable reps, including a 13-play second-quarter drive led by Cooper Rush. The victory marks Denver's eighth consecutive preseason win under head coach Sean Payton.

The final stretch of Denver Broncos 2026 training camp wrapped up at Centura Health Training Center, highlighted by strong preseason momentum and intense competition between the offense and defense.

Returning to Englewood in full pads, the squad turned up the physical intensity during Day 13, leading to what reporters noted as the most spirited session of the entire summer. A couple of scuffles broke out during team and 9-on-7 drills, including a major pileup where quarterback Bo Nix sprinted in to pull Nik Bonitto off the pile after a sack sequence. Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph's unit closed out the day strong, winning the final situational two-minute drill with a clean sweep behind pass breakups from Pat Surtain II, Brandon Jones, and Ja'Quan McMillian.

The Broncos closed out open practices with fireworks from the starting offense: Jaylen Waddle stole the show on the final day, hauling in a 60-yard deep moonball from Bo Nix over tight coverage from former Alabama teammate Pat Surtain II; Nix added touchdown passes to tight end Evan Engram and Courtland Sutton during situational red-zone periods.; Outside linebacker Que Robinson logged a pick-six off Jarrett Stidham, and Kris Abrams-Draine picked off Sam Ehlinger during team drills.

Both starting offenses scored on their opening drives. Packers QB Jordan Love went 5-of-7 for 56 yards and an 11-yard touchdown pass to RB MarShawn Lloyd. Broncos QB Bo Nix went 6-of-9 for 76 yards, capping a drive with a 21-yard touchdown pass to RB RJ Harvey. Green Bay built a 23-10 halftime lead fueled by a Tyrod Taylor touchdown pass to WR Will Sheppard, an interception by safety Mark Perry off Broncos backup QB Jarrett Stidham, and heavy special-teams contributions. Packers rookie kicker Trey Smack had a stellar performance, converting all 4 of his field goals (from 51, 59, 43, and 38 yards) alongside 3 extra points. The Packers extended their lead in the fourth quarter with a 3-yard rushing touchdown by RB Jaden Nixon. No. 3 quarterback Kyle McCord closed out the game going 12-of-19 for 118 yards.

During the practice week leading up to the preseason finale against the Minnesota Vikings, the Denver Broncos focused primarily on starter preservation, roster-bubble evaluations, and fine-tuning situational execution before final 53-man roster cuts. Practice reps were heavily weighted toward bubble position battles, particularly in the tight end and running back rooms. Young players like rookie TE Justin Joly, RB Cody Schrader, and QB Sam Ehlinger received extended work to state their case before cutdown day. The focused week of practice yielded a dominant 34-6 victory over Minnesota, giving the front office clear final evaluations ahead of roster cuts.

Both Head Coach Sean Payton and Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell held out their primary starters on both sides of the ball. Sam Ehlinger led the Denver offense with an efficient performance, completing 15 of 20 passes for 233 yards, 3 touchdown passes, and a 131.9 passer rating. Ehlinger engineered a 65-yard two-minute drill late in the second quarter, capped by a 20-yard catch-and-run touchdown by Jaleel McLaughlin. Rookie tight end Justin Joly scored on an 88-yard touchdown catch-and-run. Ehlinger also capped a 17-play, nearly 10-minute drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Cody Schrader on 4th-and-2. Fullback Adam Prentice added a 1-yard touchdown run. The Broncos' defense dominated the line, holding Minnesota to just two field goals and 270 total yards while forcing 3-for-13 efficiency on third downs. The blowout win capped Denver's preseason at 2-1 as Denver prepares for final 53-man roster cut downs.

Paton and Payton will now work their roster magic cutting the team to 53. Nix, and company are healthy and ready to go. It remains to be seen if Denver's off-season approach was the right one and if the team get off to a quicker start than Payton teams typically do. If they can, the season will appear easier with having to dig out of a hole against a championship schedule. Kansas City waits at home hoping to get Denver off to a 0-1 start.

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