ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Sean Payton on Tuesday seemed like a guy still grappling with the reality that it was time to leave the real world behind and jump back on the aircraft carrier.
It’s the analogy the 60-year-old Broncos coach has often used to describe the grinding nature of training camp, which the Broncos officially begin Wednesday. And in a sometimes terse 15-minute pre-camp news conference, Payton got straight to business, quickly funneling through questions about the team’s three-way quarterback competition, injury updates and what he thinks of the low expectations that exist for his team outside the walls of its suburban Denver training complex.
“Look, if I spent time on that, in 2006 (with the Saints) we would have never gone to the NFC Championship Game,” he said of the latter topic. “I mean that seriously. I don’t have time to spend on that, nor do I wish to spend time on it. I understand (the media) has a job to do, but none of that means anything. It’s stuff to talk about when the media cycle is quiet. We’ll get ready to play. We expect to compete and we expect to win.”
Here are some more takeaways from reporting day at Broncos headquarters:
State of the QB competition
It was impossible to tally every throw made by Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson during the offseason program because the media were permitted to attend only one of the three OTA practices the team held per week. But the three quarterbacks competing for the starting job generally had an even share of snaps with the first team. That will continue when training camp begins — at least initially.
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“We’ll mix it up again. Obviously, it won’t stay that way for the long term,” Payton said. “As we get started, we’ll keep you posted. Eventually, we’ll settle into the routine we want.”
Payton did not say who would begin training camp taking reps with the first team — the Broncos have two “acclimation” practices on Wednesday and Thursday before holding their first public workout Friday — and he did not offer a timeline for when the competition would be whittled down to two quarterbacks and then one.
“I’m not going to sit here and lay out, ‘Here’s how it goes,’ because I think the mistake made is deciding how it goes,” he said. “Organically, in my experience, I think we’ll see a rotation initially and then we’ll move on from there.”
That was the extent of the detail Payton offered Tuesday about the mechanics of the competition. An important checkpoint is Aug. 11, when the Broncos play their first preseason game at Indianapolis. But it’s possible Payton could have already whittled down the competition to two quarterbacks by that point. He said during the offseason program that one week before Denver’s regular-season opener (Sept. 8 at Seattle) would be the latest a decision on the starter would be made. Whether a choice is made before that will come down to how each quarterback performs beginning with this week’s practices.
“We’re looking to find the guy to beat Seattle and we’re going to find that player,” Payton said. “How do I balance the day? How do I balance the schedule? How do I balance the reps? That’s all part of what we do relative to teaching and the teaching progression. The No. 1 goal is to find the right 53 players here for our team. Certainly, there is a lot of focus on the quarterback position because there’s open competition there, but I don’t look at it as finding the balance. I look at it as finding the player.”
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Broncos right guard Quinn Meinerz, who arrived at camp Tuesday one day after signing his new four-year, $80 million contract extension, began his career as a rookie in 2021 with Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock battling for the starting job. After the past two seasons playing in front of Russell Wilson, Meinerz and his teammates are working around another competition at the game’s most important position. If there’s public angst about who will become the starting quarterback and when, Meinerz said it hasn’t carried to the locker room.
“It’s one of those things I look at personally — and I think our (offensive line) unit does as well — of controlling what we can control,” Meinerz said. “I have things, just like the rest of us, that I need to work on, whether it be run game or pass game. Whoever the quarterback is, we still have the same job to do regardless. I’m excited to see how this competition goes and excited to see what happens.”
More on Meinerz extension; Surtain next?
Payton said during minicamp he was glad Meinerz was the team’s right guard. Shortly after the offseason program ended, the Broncos went to work on a contract extension that made sure he’ll occupy that position for the foreseeable future.
“There were so many things we felt strong about and we’re excited for him,” Payton said. “His consistency and how he played at a position we value, it made sense for the player and the club.”
Meinerz on Tuesday was still trying to come to terms with the enormity of the moment. When he was training for a chance at the NFL in 2020, his final season at Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater, he was short on the cash needed to properly train and fuel his body. So his dad bought a freezer that he threw in the family basement and stocked it with 70 pounds of ground beef. It was next to the makeshift weight room they created and nicknamed “The Grit Dungeon.” When Meinerz later moved in with his now wife, he brought a barbell and a pair of 45-pound plates into her apartment to squeeze in extra workouts.
Now, he’s one of the highest-paid guards in football, with $45 million of his contract fully guaranteed.
“We’re just trying to comprehend what any of this even means,” Meinerz said. “I couldn’t be more thankful for my agent (Ron Slavin), the ownership, (general manager) George Paton. It’s been an incredible journey. I’m forever thankful for George taking the chance and picking me in the third round. There’s been a lot of incredible support from fans, my family, the ownership and some of the people in the front office. I’m really excited to be here long-term. This is what I wanted. I wanted to be a Denver Bronco for the long term. I’m excited to get to work tomorrow.”
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While Meinerz’s deal was a celebratory moment for the player and the team, it also created an obvious question: When will Pat Surtain II get a massive extension of his own?
As he enters his fourth season, Surtain has already been named to the Pro Bowl twice. He was a unanimous first-team All-Pro in 2022. The stocked resumé has him in line to potentially become the league’s highest-paid cornerback when he ultimately signs a new deal. He is slated to make $19.8 million in 2025 after the Broncos picked up his fifth-year option in March, but that could ultimately just be a placeholder for a new deal.
For now, though, the Broncos don’t seem to be in a rush with Surtain.
“We’ll keep you posted,” Payton said.
Sutton expected in camp; injury notes
Veteran wide receiver Courtland Sutton, who worked away from the team during OTAs before attending two days of mandatory minicamp in June, is expected to take the field with his teammates when they practice Wednesday, Payton said.
Sutton is seeking a contract adjustment with the Broncos and said in June that those talks had reached a “stalemate.” Asked whether he would consider holding out of training camp if negotiations weren’t resolved, Sutton said, “We’ll see.”
Payton and Sutton had a long conversation prior to the Broncos breaking minicamp, but the coach said he wasn’t anticipating needing to sit down with the veteran ahead of camp.
“He’ll be here and ready to go,” Payton said.
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Other personnel housecleaning:
• Tight end Greg Dulcich, who worked out on a side field during offseason practices while rehabbing a foot injury, is expected to begin practicing some time this week, Payton said. Dulcich played in only two games last season as he battled recurring hamstring injuries, and he suffered the foot injury late in the season.
• Rookie running back Audric Estimé is also expected to practice this week after undergoing minor knee surgery during the offseason.
• The Broncos placed three players on the physically unable to perform list Monday: safety Caden Sterns (knee), safety Delarrin Turner-Yell (knee) and linebacker Drew Sanders (Achilles). Sanders and Turner-Yell, who suffered a knee injury late last season, won’t return for at least several months, if at all this season. Sterns, who is recovering from a knee injury he suffered in Week 1 last year, is on track to return sooner, but Payton provided no timeline on when the fourth-year player would see the field.
• Defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike, suspended last summer by the NFL for violating its rules on gambling, is eligible to apply for reinstatement with the league Wednesday. Payton said the Broncos want Uwazurike, a fourth-round pick in 2022, back on the roster if he’s reinstated, but the team must allow the league’s process to play out first.
(Photo: David Zalubowski / Associated Press)
