Denver Broncos Training Camp: Day One Observations

The best sight of the day was seeing first round pick Garret Bolles taking the initial first team reps during team periods. The rookie held up well for the most part. On more than one occasion I saw him get extra revved up after a good play. The rookie plays a fun, physical brand of football. He held up well against Shane Ray during team periods with the starters. Ty Sambrailo also rotated in, but it was clear that Bolles had the edge. Sambrailo got beat a few times, both inside and out. The pads need to come out to get a better understanding of who Bolles is at this point, but today was a very positive first step.

On the other side of the line, Menelik Watson had a bit of trouble dealing with Von Miller. On one specific play, Miller blew right past Watson as he dipped around to strip a Trevor Siemian pass. The pass still went forward, and ended up falling right into C.J. Anderson’s lap. It is not the worst sign in the world to struggle against Von Miller though. For starters, Miller is probably the best defender in the world, and going up against him should make Watson a better player in the long haul despite the short-term struggles. Right tackle has been such a sore spot for the Broncos since 2014. Watson should improve as time goes on. With players like Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, and Justin Houston in the AFC West alone, he’s going to need to get better.