Three Broncos missing from OTAs need to return ASAP
May 21, 2019, 6:52 AM
The second week of offseason training activities for the Broncos continued on Monday at UC Health Training Center. One of the most noticeable aspects of Monday’s practice was the missing starters for the Broncos.
It’s not anybody we should be shocked didn’t practice, but their replacements didn’t perform well when tested. It makes you wish the regular starters will get back ASAP.
The team is dealing with their fair share of injuries and need to be cautious as they bring players back. With five preseason games in 2019, the Broncos are going to give long looks to plenty of players that won’t be starting on Sundays in the regular season. Without these key starters, however, things don’t look as good as they could for the Broncos on both sides of the ball.
Here are three key starters the Broncos really seemed to be missing in practice on Monday.
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Ron Leary
First things first, the missing piece on the offensive line creates a big void. Instead of Ron Leary starting at right guard, the team had veteran Don Barclay starting during team drills. Barclay struggled to make positive plays; his struggles were highlighted on the first play in team drills when defensive tackle Shelby Harris knifed through the line and to quarterback Joe Flacco to disrupt the play.
He did that right through Barclay. We should see Leary at some point get out there as a full participant. His 2018 season was cut short by an Achilles’ injury and he’s been recovering ever since.
“Hopefully, Ron makes a full recovery from him injury, which I think he can and he will,” head coach Vic Fangio said on Monday “Everything has been positive both from the medical people and from talking to him. We’re hoping Ron makes it back. Hopefully, we’ll see him partaking by the last couple of practices before we go on break and he’ll be ready to go full (speed) at training camp.”
Getting Leary back will help the right side of the offensive line. His veteran presence and ability to be a bully inside could help protect Flacco better and also open up larger/better holes for the rushing attack.
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Emmanuel Sanders
The team was also missing Sanders in a big way.
Like Leary, Sanders is recovering from an Achilles’ injury and is not participating fully in practice. In fact, Sanders is not working with his teammates at all, instead he’s training and rehabbing off to the side. Last week, I saw Sanders sprint in a straight line and it was fantastic to see his speed and burst returning. I didn’t see him do anything like that on Monday, although he was out there observing the rest of the team.
The wide receiver depth with the Broncos is a concern behind Sanders and Courtland Sutton. I don’t think Sutton disappointed on Monday, although there was an end zone throw he dropped and one deep play where he couldn’t quite reach the long pass from Flacco. Sutton did show well with his new quarterback and I think their chemistry is coming through.
At his post-practice press conference, I asked Sutton about how long it would take to build great chemistry with the veteran passer.
“I think it’s going to continue to grow even throughout the season,” the second-year wideout said. “There will be things that we see. We go against the same defense every day but once we start going against other defenses and we watch film together and get the break down stuff we are going to continue to grow that connection.”
Sutton continued, “I don’t think it ever really stops; you always get to learn what he likes and what he doesn’t like. And he gets to learn where I’m going to be and how I like to get the passes in certain places on certain plays. So, reps are key.”
On Monday, no other wide receiver seemed to gel with Flacco the way that Sutton did.
Getting Sanders back gives Flacco another quality target to threaten defenses. The Broncos have some interesting names and young players behind Sanders and Sutton, but none of them yet strike fear into opposing cornerbacks the way Sanders could.
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Chris Harris Jr.
I also think this secondary is sorely missing Chris Harris Jr.
There’s no end in sight to the contract dispute between Harris and the Broncos, although some are expecting a short-term deal to get done in the near future. Without Harris on the practice field, players like De’Vante Bausby are getting more reps and work with the first-team defense.
The former AAF cornerback has worked under Fangio before, back when both were with the Bears. Bausby is known for his speed and has made a few plays in practice for the Broncos.
However, Fangio pointed out a key deficiency in Bausby’s game that needs to be cleaned up.
“I think there’s been a time or two in Phase Two where he’s let the back-to-back season, albeit shortened, give him a reason to think he’s tired too where he shouldn’t do that. He has to overcome that. He has to overcome being his own worst enemy and show the player that he can be,” Fangio said.
A secondary with Bausby playing a larger role is not going to be as good as one with Harris playing his normal role and Bausby worked in as a rotational player. We’ll see if the practice woes of this secondary prompt the Broncos to hurry up and get something done with the contract situation with Harris.
